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“NFL REPORT CARDS-GRADING ON A CURVE”
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Oh how bizarre, the outcome of the NFL Union’s Player report card vote by over (1700) NFL players for the 2025-season.
Everyone has an opinion, even if it is the wrong one.

Follow me on some of the tallies:

BEST RUN ORGANIZATION…
1) Miami…dysfunctional as owner Steven Ross has made the team..you know the team that fired its coach, is dumping players right and left and trying to get rid of its QB after getting rid of their top WR.  What kind of team will they be without Tua or Tyreek….2) Washington..not a bad call considering the growth in just a couple of short years under Josh Harris-of course anything is better than the toxic workplace environment that existed in the Dan Snyder regime…3)..Minnesota…Bit of a surprise considering the firing of the GM and the up and down years they have had….32)..Steelers..So much for tradition and the icon status of the Rooney family-though this is all about infrastructure-facilities and the draft.

OWNERS..
A) Raiders-Mark Davis-yes that guy, who has composite record of (131-242) since the 2002 season-guess he bought those votes with his signings…A-) Chargers-Dean Spanos-18 winning seasons in 38-years of ownership-bet he doesn’t know many of his player’s names…A) Jets-Woody Johnson…You have to be kidding me…B+) Rams-Stan Kroenke..Not sure I understand this-his money built that stadium-his expertise hired that front office..his leadership is the reason they are so good..a recluse-maybe just not around at all….D) Steelers-Art Rooney…Old school no longer works-see if they change.

GM..
A) Rams-Les Sneed..Scoreboard does not lie does it…B+) Chargers Joe Hortiz..Lots of in-season wins…but 0-for-postseason…D) Bengals-Duke Tobin-on the job since 1999-gifted Joe Burrow-not much accomplished aside from that.

COACHES..
A+) Rams-Sean McVay-look at all the accomplishments over an 8-year run since arriving in LA… Washington-Dan Quinn-not a bad call despite a messy season a year ago with injury after injury…A)..Niners-Kyle Shanahan-some accomplishment of a season with all those injuries…There were some odd high rankings ..Bengals-Zac Taylor..not held in blame for bad drafts-contract disputes and bad seasons. Saints-Kellen Moore..Quite an honor-bumpy road and all in his first year A-) Bills-Sean McDermott…Guess ownership did not ask the players how they felt before they fired him…Down the list C+) Chargers-Jim Harbaugh-second year in a row a shadow from his players…Raiders-Pete Carroll…One-and-done-did not get much love from players

COORDINATORS…
A) Chargers for Def Coord-Jesse Minter-since departed…D) for Off Coor Greg Roman-since fired.
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The rankings covered lots of areas of questions.
Here’s how Chargers players voted about their own organization

Read it and weep…Read it and take it for what it is worth.
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**Program Note**
No Thursday Podcast today-travelling
Will return Monday 1:30pm
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“CHARGERS-WHAT THEY SAY-WHAT THEY NEED”

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The Chargers are at the NFL combine.
What they are saying about their team, their roster, their cap situation is odd
Does not seem to match what we are seeing.

GM-Joe Hortiz had lots to comment on:

MIKE MC DANIEL…Said he was full of energy and the kind of guys who evaluates players non stop…He used alot of impressive words like great soul…full of ideas…an energy man….Admits that the McDaniel quick tempo offense means they need a very different  type of OL.  A very unsettled situation.

SALARY CAP..Yes they have (83M) in cap space but they have alot of key players to re-sign and Hortiz said he was not going out on a spending spree.

KHALIL MACK..Made 18M last year and if he comes back he may have to take a bit of a pay cut.  But also out there are the Baltimore Ravens-whose new coach Jesse Minter might raid his old team for key components.

ODAFE OWEH..He’s a free agent too, and coming off a strong half season with the Bolts, will be looking for a huge pay bump (14M).  The Ravens could be in on this.

ZION JOHNSON..Four year starter who had a bounceback season last year and now is a free agent.  It will take a big hike to sign him (15M) and he will get offers.

BRAD BOZEMAN..Has retired and a search means they have to find a starter and it might not be cheap.  Can they afford a rookie starter there?

MEKHI BECTON..A (20M) investment gone bad-horrid pass blocking-run blocking rankings will-should lead to his release.  There will be a cap hit.  And by next week when free agency opens, the Bolts could be looking to fill 3-starting jobs on the interior  of that OL.

TREY PIPKENS..How many years can you go and hope this is the breakout year…Played all over the line-not with alot of dominance for someone so big…Can’t get away from feeling same old-same old if they are relying on him again.

QUENTIN JOHNSTON..Continues to be an up and down performer and the team will likely not pick up the fifth year option (18M)  for 2027.  Has just not panned out Sunday-by-Sunday this deep into his career.

KEENAN ALLEN..Took snaps away from Ladd McConkey last season and might not be a fit for what McDaniel wants to run, and his price tag (5M) might be too high for a role player.

NAJEE HARRIS..Had a lost season, and it cost Hortiz (5M) with virtually no return from the eye and Achilles injuries.  They need a veteran to work with the young RBs but not at that price.

FREE AGENCY..There are a load of  offensive lineman on the board but the price tags will be steep…….Some aging pass rushers…a number of young running backs with experience…alot of age or injury or attitude issues at wide receiver.  It’s a bit of a strange year in that marketplace.

SUMMARY…For a team that overhauled its coaching staff despite 22-wins in 2-years..this team needs significant help for QB-Justin Herbert.  Interesting couple of weeks ahead for Joe Hortiz, who has cap space, lots of signings to make, and not alot of draft picks to use.
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========”NFL-GMs-vs-QBs
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Tuesday was General Manager interview day at the NFL Combines in Indianapolis.

Half the teams are in crisis, and there are very few QBs in the draft that clubs believe are going to be established stars.

Here’s a cross section of QB-storylines from the combine:

RAIDERS…GM-John Spytek says he is not in favor of giving the 1st pick in this year’s draft the starting QB job out of the gate.  It means development and patience with Fernando Mendoza, it may also mean another year with the high priced QB-Geno Smith, coming off a turnover prone campaign.

BROWNS..Who knows what the real truth in Cleveland is.  The facts-vs-fiction.  They are stuck for one more year with Deshaun Watson’s (230M) contract and injury history.  They will still have Shedeur Sanders, who did not really dominate when given the entire second half of the season, with lots of turnovers, a few big plays, and loss after loss.  We wait to see if they sign a veteran free agent to come in and compete or bail them out.

ATLANTA…They will take a (37M) cap hit and move on from Kirk Cousins and won’t try to re-sign him.  Some end result, figure out what they decided,  they gave Cousins a massive contract extension and then six weeks later they drafted Michael Penix from Washington.  He got hurt again but appears will be the starter in 2026.  Cousins-who knows where he winds up?

VIKINGS..JJ McCarthy has injuries and interceptions around his neck, and though a vibrant athlete, cannot stay on the field.  And now all rumors point to Minnesota trying to find a veteran QB to either win the job or be a reliable insurance policy.  The price they paid to get McCarthy looks worse and worse each month he is there.

JETS..Waiting to see when they hit the eject button  on Justin Fields-it would be the third team to axe this quarterback.  Replacement?  Who knows?  Kyler Murray?

MIAMI…The cap hit (99M) is staggering if they were to release Tua Tagovailoa.  Can they buy out some of the deal and get something in a trade?  Doubtful.  Finding a veteran to come in and compete for the job becomes the blueprint, but Tua is still going to be there on the roster and that becomes a distraction.

ARIZONA..Pay down Kyler Murray’s contract and say goodbye in a likely trade-maybe to the Jets, but Murray has to be able to stay on the field and that is part of his issue-lots of injuries.

STEELERS…Waiting game for Aaron Rodgers’ decision or does Mike McCarthy just cast his lot with 2nd year young QB-Will Howard?  Or does Derek Carr, a trustworthy veteran, come out of retirement and become a bridge QB till a future star is drafted-developed?

HOUSTON…Despite really shoddy post season play, CJ Stroud is not in play for a trade.

COLTS..Daniel Jones is a must-sign free agent to stay in Indianapolis, and his injury history probably works against him on the open market.

So if you think there is alot of uncertainty with veteran QBs, now add in the uncertainty in the QB meeting rooms at the combine.

Yes Mendoza-Indiana goes one.  Now where does Chambliss-Ole Miss fit?  How about Aguilar-Tennessee?  Neither of whom are at the combine because of their late NCAA-litigation.  What do you make of the up and down performances of Alabama’s QB?  Or a Penn State QB coming off injury?  Or of the streaky LSU-thrower.

So many needs-so few marquee QBs on the board.

Ever seen a year like this in the NFL or in the college ranks?
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“NFL–WHAT IS THERE TO DEBATE”
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The NFL spotlight moves to Indianapolis for the weeklong Combine for the nearly top 400-college prospects.

The Underwear Olympics as they call it.

But there will be plenty of important things off the field in Indy.  The interviews clubs will get with the top draft picks, which is a pretty vital aspect of whom you want to pick and whatt you want to know about them.  The draft is more than 40-times, bench presses or passing drills.

The other big part of this week in Indy is the face to face meeting of the Competition Committee, which is step one to making changes in rules that will change the outcome of games.

The huge question will be should the NFL add to the instant replay rule, beyond the teams having the right to challenge calls.

Now they are proposing giving the ‘Replay Booth’ the power to stop a game, review a play and then message down to the ref, ‘You missed a call’.  It is termed the ‘Throw the Flag Challenge’

The NFL is fast-furious-physical and challenging to see everything that happens on any play.

Past replay challenges have been upgraded to make sure calls are right.  The latest includes having the replay booth message down to the refs ‘pick up the flag-that was not a penalty’.

All fine and well, but now this, and not everyone agrees with this new proposal because it will mandate ‘you missed the call-throw a flag’.

Under the new package, the replay booth will review facemasks…helmet hits…late hits on QBs..punches thrown…and personal fouls away from the ball.

NFL-VP Troy Vincent- has urged a slow pace on this set of ideas..’not wanting to strip the officials of their control of the game’.  What?  Why not?

Here’s a missed facemask on Rams QB-Matthew Stafford in their playoff game.
No penalty on Jacob Jobe of the Seahawks for throwing 2-punches on two plays.
Wondering about late hits after the ball was away  from Pats QB-Drake Maye.

And it goes on and on.

Someone tell Troy Vincent, we now have technology to get all the plays correct, the ones the striped shirts got wrong-‘pick up the flag’ and now with this new idea ‘throw the flag-you missed the call’.

Nothing wrong with getting every call correct-every game.  What is there to debate?
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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
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‘USA HOCKEY..RED-WHITE-OLYMPIC GOLD’
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It was everything I expected..and then we got a bonus.

A Team USA win in hockey.

Yes there was a winner, the Americans in hockey, but there was no loser, because global hockey delivered a message about the greatness of the sport.

It was passionate, it was fast, it was spectacular and it was a classic.

And Sunday morning’s USA win came on the Anniversary of the 1980-Miracle on Ice win in Lake Placid.

Team USA came out flying.  The old Montreal Canadiens term ‘Firewagon Hockey’ hit me.  Team speed, end to end non stop rushes, phenomenal scoring chances in the first 20-minutes.

Then Canada took over, in a reversal you had to expect would come.  They played the body, they hit, they checked them into the ice at center ice, and they pounded shot-after-shot on goal.

The US-led Matt Boldy tip shot goal in the first period held up till the 3rd period when Cole Makar fired a blazing wrist shot to tie it.  The 40-minutes in that second and third period was all Red & Black.

Connor Hellebuyck, the legendary Winnipeg Jets goalie stoned them, as wave after wave of shots poured in.  2-saves on breakaways; a robbery of Connor McDavid; a stop on Mac Celebrini point blank shot; a diving stick save on a shot on an open net that got behind him.

He helped kill off a 5-on-3 two man advantage when it looked as if the rink was tilted and roof was to cave in.

And 101-seconds into overtime, it was over, in the weird concept of 3-on-3 in overtime, where open ice is the villain and odd man rushes make the difference.

And so be it, one pass, one rush, a Jack Hughes open on the left winger, Game over.

Heroes everywhere but the 42-save effort of Hellebuyck was the difference.

And then the post game celebration; the flags draped on shoulders, the anthem, and then the USA players flashing the memorial jersey on the late Johnny Gaudreau, ‘Johnny Hockey’ in a show of affection towards the family of the late Calgary Flames star.  And as an add on, Gaudreau’s 2-infant children brought onto the ice for the players Gold Medal team photo.

It was epitome of the ‘Brotherhood’ of this sport, regardless of who you are, where you came from, playing for the flag and the crest.

I felt so disheartened for the greatness of Connor McDavid, a brilliant player, a likely Hall of Famer, who hasn’t won anything in this career, not a Memorial Cup, a Stanley Cup, nor an Olympic Gold.  He stands and represents everything good on behalf of the country that invented the sport.

Sunday was a period-exclamation point of a great two weeks of hockey.

And there were so many others to smile about.

There was the courageous goaltending of Ducks and ex-Gulls goalie Lukas Dostal for Team Czechia.  There was Shea Theodore, an ex Gulls,  scoring a key goal.  There was Pavel Regenda, a former Gulll,  scoring two goals on behalf of Sweden too.

If we thought the Four Nations tourney was a changing of the guard in hockey, now all things Cortina on ice, took it to the next level.

History will write about goalie Jack McCartan and the 1960-US medal winning team.  We all know, have seen, or read about the 1980-Miracle on Ice.  Now 2026-goes down as something really special.

Hockey won globally.  As Wayne Gretzky would say ‘Game On’.

New colors, USA = Red-White-Olympic Gold.
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