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“NFL News-Makes You Ache”

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It was such an empty feeling when I got the new alert on my cell phone.

Another NFL player I knew, had passed away, this one at the age of 38.

It brought an overwhelming sense of sadness to hear about the longtime and popular Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department has begun an investigation, how a popular player would be found deceased in an extended stay hotel room outside Tampa.

It seems as if this will end badly when we find out the cause of death.

It is sad to think of such a popular player and person, with a family of five, would die alone.

You wonder what had happened to him recently, to live away from his family since January 11th.

The missing person’s report.  Report of some type of estrangement.

The shock and disbelief from the Tampa Bay organization is echoed by the same things said by recent Bucs and former Chargers teammates, who had been in touch with him as recently as Super Bowl week.

A self-made player, who became a star, and made alot of money, did a ton of things on and off the field, would come to an end like this.

Police say there was no foul play.  No mention of a suicide, a robbery, or a struggle in that room.

Did he pass of a heart attack?  Of a stroke?  Of a blood clot?

Was there a downturn in his mental health? Was he overtaken by what might be the onset of CTE.

He had no history of concussions while with the Chargers nor Bucs.  His decade long career ended with knee injuries in Tampa Bay.

He was special.

Born into a military family, both father and mother in the Air Force.  Raised up right.  Played at Division II-Northern Colorado.

Was a higher than normal draft pick.

Became a go to-big play guy for Philip Rivers during a really special Chargers era.  Went to Tampa Bay as a big money free agent and excelled.

The NFL record books will show (540) receptions…(16.5) yards per catch…(57) touchdown catches.  Highlite video of his big plays are everywhere.

What it won’t show you was his “83-Foundation” work…the charity work he did with military families at Camp Pendleton and Miramar.  What he did at McDill Air Force Base with deployed families in Tampa.

He was unique too, in that he was one of the few Chargers who said ‘thank you’ to me, a working guy in the media.  It was a note after I congratulated him on his free agent contract in Tampa Bay.  Thanked me for being so-fair to him in the midst of his initial contract dispute with the Chargers front office.

lt just causes you an ache to think of his life ending badly, ending alone, ending without anyone knowing what was going on.

Good kid, became a great player, and a special person.

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“Blue Chip Player–Gold Star Talent”

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He wants to go to a team that could wind up in the Super Bowl.

Teams who are close want guys like him to possibly get to the Super Bowl.

This could be a match made in heaven.
It is surely not ‘1-Man’s trash is another man’s treasure’.

JJ Watt, at the peak of his career has become a free agent, even before free agency has opened.

The Houston Texans got rid of the Pro Bowl defensive end, just releasing him.  They didn’t try to swap him for a draft pick.  They didn’t eat any contract or take a cap hit.  They got rid of him.

Says alot about the leadership, the ownership in Houston, in the aftermath of a downward spiral that looks like a NASA missile blowing up after launch.

They clear (17.5M) cap space by walking away from the final year of his deal.

Watt, a firebrand of a personality and player, becomes a free agent, with plenty of time left on his body clock, at age 31.  He brings with him 101-career sacks, toughness, size, speed and leadership.

You’re close to being a Super Bowl team and we know defense is an important piece of the equation to win in the Super Bowl.  How would JJ Watt look in your defensive front?

A look at who will or should talk to him:

COWBOYS..A disaster of a defensive front last year coupled with a myriad of injuries ruined the Dallas season.  They lost Gerald McCoy before the season started.  Dontario Poe failed.  Everson Griffin did not fit.  DeMarcus Lawrence looked old.  Tyrone Crawford was hurt.  Staying in the Lone Star state might be the lure to keeping Watt in Texas.

SEATTLE…Could you see a physical force like Watt lining up opposite Carlos Dunlap with all that speed at linebacker led by Bobby Wagner:.  Would Russell Wilson give up some of his money to make this deal work?  Playing for Pete Carrroll would be a lot more fun that having played for Bill O’Brien.

NEW ENGLAND…Look at the Patriots depth chart and you tell me who those guys on defense upfront were last year?  Surely not the Pats of the past.  Would the lure of playing for Bill Belichick mean something this late in his career?

GREEN BAY….Wisconsin boy going home to have Aaron Rodgers as a teammate.  Never say never.  The last couple of free agent acquisitions the Packers made meant a difference.  First it was Za’darius Smith, then Preston Smith, then some good draft picks.  Watt could be the icing on the cake at Lambeau Field.

BUFFALO…They are close to being elite.  You add Watt’s physicality with the guy on the other side, the speedy, Jerry Hughes, and the beef in the middle, and you have a Niagara Falls nightmare in the defensive front seven.

TITANS…They need help because Jadaveon Clowney is no longer the same player.  They need help because they gave up (396YPG) on defense negating an offense that averaged (398YPG).  He did play for Mike Vrable, who was an assistant in Houston once upon a time.

CLEVELAND….The Browns would have to juggle the books to do this, but Watt teaming with Myles Garrett would be something to see.  Cleveland would have to do something with Olivier Vernon and Adrian Clayborn who had a solid season.  This might be a longshot at best.

PITTSBURGH…Cam Heyward on one side, JJ Watt on the other and some solid linebacking makes for one tough front.  Joining pass rushing brother TJ Watt adds to the excitement, especially if they get Bud Dupree back completely healthy.  Maybe 1-brother convinces the other brother to wear Black & Gold.

BALTIMORE….Think there will be a sales pitch from Ray Lewis to become a Raven.  Think Calais Campbell as a teammate means something.  Think about those ever active linebackers.  Think about the leadership of John Harbaugh.

RAMS…They have been bold and impulsive with deals to get stars, and Watt plus Aaron Donald plus Mike Brockers plus the guys off the bench, plus that secondary would be quite a unit.  And now getting Matthew Stafford to drive their passing offense, this could complete the puzzle.  And the Rams have never been afraid to spend money.

RAIDERS…They have cap space, they have a quarterback and still players and offensive line.  They have too many young players on defense.  Would Watt want to take on the responsibility of leading the youngest defense in the league?  Would Watt buy into Jon Gruden’s sales pitch?

NFL free agency starts in 5-weeks time.  I bet Watt signs early.  We haven’t seen a player of this talent level get on the open market this early in the off season in a long time.

Fun watching which free agent street JJ Watt turns onto.  Stay tuned.

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“Dodger Blue-Gets The Green”

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There have been so many great players who have worn the Dodger Blue colors.

Close your eyes, and you think Jackie Robison..Gil Hodges..Duke Snider..Roy Campanella..Fernando Valenzuala..Orel Hirschiser..Hideo Nomo..Garvey-Cey-Lopes…Koufax-Drysdale…Kershaw and so many more.

Stars who played with stars in the spotlight in Hollywood.  All got paid, all were honored.

Justin Turner is a different type of star wearing Dodgers Blue.

A self made man, now rewarded with what will be his final contract extension, this (2Y-34M) deal agreed to this weekend after months and months of talks, with not only LA but a wide variety of clubs.

The best part of the story is not the contract value, but how it was earned.

Somewhere along the way, a light bulb went on for Justin Turner.  He became a self-made man.  He became a leader.  He became a big time hitter.  He became a rock at 3rd base.  And now he has become rich in the twilight of his career.

He was a Baltimore Oriole, and it is strange to think this guy was a sub 200-hitter.  The Mets gave him a chance but guys hitting (.230-to-.250) do not take jobs away from people like David Wright.

He wound up in the Dodgers camp on a minor league invite contract to camp.

The rest is history.  He’s hit (.305) in his storied career with LA.  It encompasses (125-home runs).  It is a (.295) career average in the post season.  It is Gold Glove plays at 3rd base.

It is vocal leadership in the dugout and clubhouse.  It is leading charity drives in his suburban Lakewood hometown.

It is the flaming red-beard and long red hair beneath that cap.

It is a guy taken out of the World Series last year by a Covid test, coming back for a team picture, drawing enormous criticism, but then issuing an apology for his flash-in the moment mistake wanting to rejoin his team.

More than anything, when you view the big picture, of who he is, what he became, how he acts, what he accomplished, you come to respect this guy, who is a different type of player and person in the galaxy of so many Dodgers stars over decades at Chavez Ravine.

Justin Turner…got it…earned it…the stats, the salary…the respect in baseball.

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“The Dodgers Win the Off Season”

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They have a World Series ring.
Now they have the best free agent baseball had to offer.

Trevor Bauer, who signed a (3Y-102M) free agent contract with the Dodgers last week, was introduced in LA on Thursday.

He stood tall on the mound, building a reputation as a fierce competitor with the Indians and Reds.  He stood tall also answering questions about his controversial statements on social media.

Bauer is (75-64) with a 3.90-ERA in his career.  Last year in a shortened season with the Cincinnati Reds, he posted a dominant (1.97-ERA)

He now joins a Dodgers rotation anchored by Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Walker Beuhler, and also includes young pitchers Dustin May, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin.

Comments from GM-Andrew Friedman and from Trevor Bauer:

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Andrew Friedman-VP Operations
..Exciting day
..Our tandpoing, add a player his calibre to roster we have
..Thought about adding him from day free agency started
..Bring a player of this calibre on short term basis is rare
..We did not have to trade alot of prospects.
..He was always front and center for us
..Things picked up just two weeks ago..nature of negotiations
..I thought last Thursday would not work out
..Ownership group put wind behind the sail-go get it done on Friday
..Social media messages-we research and vetting players
..We gather information on all types players
..We had multiple conversations with Trevor
..Every teammate we talked to-feedback incredibly positive
..His impact on organizations so positive
..Tremendous asset for his culture-style
..Heading into 2021…we have 7-proven major league starters
..Going from 60-game season to 162-games is huge
..His durability factor important-don’t understate this
..We had high bar if we added players..Trevor was on that bar
..We run our payroll on a 3-4-5 year window
..We’ve noticed what Padres did…we are always motivated
..Last year was good little battle for us and Padres
..Justin Turner..committed to put together best roster we can
..How this plays out remains to be seen
..Ownership has been supportive in everything we wanted to do
..Ownership mindset is do it again
..Don’t look at our payroll and deduce anything

Trevor Bauer-Dodgers
..Long time coming=excited for this moment for a long tine
..Used to sit in bleachers listening to Vin Scully on the radio
..Process took awhile
..Biggest Appeal..all about the organization
..Talked to alot of people who played here-so much positive
,,People told me-if yu can play for the Dodgers do it
..Free agent process was odd for me-not know what to expect
..Get all types of offers-played out alot longer than I thought
..Wanted to be on a World Series team
..Wanted this to be a partnership
..This is like being home..this is perfect fit
..I knew quite a bit about the Dodgers
..Talked to Justin Tuirner and other players
..I understand the cultural things that go on
..My focus-always the same..best pitcher I can be
..I can control my process-know what I can do
..I made mistakes in the past on social media-better in future
..I learned alot-talked to alot of people about my feelings
..Will be better in clubhouse-on field-and in community
..Long-secuirty contract..Want to member winning team
..Don’t want to be player who signs long term deal-be resented at end
..Give organization flexibility…I am plenty secure
..This was not about the money for me..want to win World Series
..Came in second in World Series in MLB and college-want to win
..Do like to pitch every 4th day..talked to Dodgers about it
..This is not a selfish thing..I am a better pitcher doing that.
..Like to have people listen to me and have honest conversation
..It was hard to imagine being in a Dodgers jersey-they were superstars
..As a kid they were like aliens when I sat in the stands
..I am passionate about providing an inspiration to young kids now
..Came a couple of times a year as a kid..now I am on the field
..Pitching analytics-systems in place is impressive..how interpert info
..Final hours free agency…Final 5-hours..agent called-this changed
..Talked to parents-agent-financial advisor in final hours
..Ultimately-it was the people, the culture, chance to win
..Asked Dodgers fan to respect my personal space at the hotel
..Fan keep pressing him for autographs..I do it at the stadium
..We are people too..just respect my space
..Did not try to lead Mets fans on that I was signing with them

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“Super Bowl–Bad Game–Bad TV Ratings”

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Super Bowl Sunday was a huge disappointment…Tampa Bay bombed Kansas City.

The much watched TV commercials left something to be desired.

And the TV ratings were historically low, really low.

The nationwide rating was the lowest since 1969.
The total viewership was the lowest since 2007.

Was it just a result of a bad game?  No, because the ratings the first hour were poor, when everyone should have been amped to see Tom Brady-vs-Patrick Mahomes.

Was it because it became a blowout game so early?  No, because the anemic numbers were consistent thru all four hours.

Was it because there was a tone down in the content of the creative commercials everyone always likes to watch?  Maybe.

Or was it America’s fatigue, with the Covid virus…Death rates…Trump’s war…Capitol Hill…Unemployment?  Add all those things together, maybe the reason was the numbers were horribly low…just like the Chiefs  performance was horribly bad.

Each of sports marquee TV events had major TV ratings drops; the NFL fell the least amount.

Baseball was down 29%…NBA-41%…NHL 61%…all those games played ‘out of season’.

The New York Times with an analysis of Sunday night television.

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Sunday’s Super Bowl was watched by just 91.6 million people on CBS, the lowest number of viewers for the game on traditional broadcast television since 2006. A total of 96.4 million people watched when other platforms — like the CBS All Access streaming service and mobile phone apps — were counted, the lowest number of total viewers since 2007.

Still, the Super Bowl will surely be the most watched television program of 2021, and the N.F.L. is expected to see a huge increase in television rights fees when it signs several new television distribution agreements over the next year.

After peaking at 114 million television viewers in 2015, television ratings for the Super Bowl have declined in five of the past six years. The 9 percent decline in television viewership from last year’s Super Bowl is roughly in line with season-long trends. N.F.L. games this season were watched by 7 percent fewer people than the season before.

Many of the necessary ingredients for a bonanza Super Bowl were present. The game featured an intriguing matchup between the two most popular quarterbacks in football, Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. The weather Sunday was freezing across much of the country, which traditionally drives people inside to be entertained by their televisions.
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But the game itself failed to deliver, all but ending by the third quarter when the Buccaneers led, 31-9, with no fourth-quarter scoring or hint of a competitive game. Viewership is measured as the average of the audience watching at each minute of the game; the longer a game is competitive and viewers stay tuned in, the better.

The hype and marketing machine surrounding the game was also changed by the coronavirus pandemic. The N.F.L. credentialed about 4,000 fewer media members for the Super Bowl compared with last year, meaning fans saw less media live from the Super Bowl ahead of the game. Fans were discouraged from gathering for parties, and instead of staying home and watching alone, it seems many just did something else. Just 38 percent of all households with a television were tuned to the game, the lowest percentage since 1969, according to Nielsen.

The N.F.L. joins almost every other sport in seeing viewership declines over the past year. The pandemic shut down the sporting world for months in the spring, and when games resumed they frequently lacked energy with few or no fans in the stands. Games were often played on unusual days or at unusual times, disrupting the traditional sports viewership calendar.

Viewership for the N.B.A. finals was down 49 percent and for the Stanley Cup finals was down 61 percent. It is not just sports. Compared to this time last year, viewership of all broadcast television — CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox — is down 20 percent during prime time. In that context, a 7 percent season drop and a 9 percent Super Bowl drop is a comparatively decent showing for the N.F.L.

Importantly, it also won’t slow down the N.F.L.’s march toward lucrative new television contracts. All indications — including deals made by other leagues and the competitive demand among networks and streaming services — suggest that the league will sign new agreements over the next year with a significant increase in average annual value.

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