NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Just for giggles I edited my Darryl Rogers post on last page... its got a more realistic photo. Maybe USA Today Sports posted the wrong picture...

 

The Hall of Fame will be fighting petty with petty.

Apparently miffed that receiver Terrell Owens has decided not to attend the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, Owens will get minimal attention as he officials enters the Hall of Fame.

As explained by Hall of Fame voter Clark Judge (in an article that makes his feelings on the matter abundantly clear), the Hall of Fame will not announce Owens’ name during the Friday night gold jacket ceremony or during Saturday night’s enshrinement.

“The focus is on the guys who are here,” Hall of Fame executive director Joe Horrigan told Judge.

Of course, that same reasoning would apply to new Hall of Famers who are inducted posthumously (and that attitude partially exists when it comes to induction speeches and Hall of Fame jackets and rings). But this isn’t about Hall of Famers being available to attend; it’s about one of them having the perceived audacity to choose not to attend. In obvious retaliation for Owens’ choosing not to be there, the Hall of Fame is acting like he doesn’t exist.

Sure, he’ll get his jacket in the mail. And, yes, he’ll be mentioned when references are made to the entire class. Beyond that, nothing.

“There’s no reason to bring him up as an individual,” said Horrigan. “He’s not here.”

Judge responds to that sentiment by saying, “Bingo.” I’d use a different word that starts with B.

This was the opportunity for the Hall of Fame to take the high road, to acknowledge Owens by name, to display a video of the achievements that earned him a spot in Canton. Instead, the proprietors of the museum have decided to mimic the scattered members of the Selection Committee who have a bug up their butts because T.O. won’t take his seat alongside the rest of the class.

The enshrinement festivities are (or at least should be) about celebrating the greatness that earned the player a permanent place in the Hall of Fame. It shouldn’t be about settling scores or acting on vendettas or engaging in tit-for-tat exchanges. The Hall of Fame is (or at least should be) better than that.

Clearly, it’s not. But we already knew that, given the manner in which specific members of the Selection Committee opted to justify the decision to omit T.O. on his first and second try not by explaining that there are too many worthy finalists and most need to wait a bit but by trashing him so viciously that it made some say, “Why are you even considering him?”

But they did consider him. And they did enshrine him. And even if they don’t like the fact that he’s exercising his right not to show up and display appropriate gratitude and deference to the custodians of the museum, he should at least be mentioned individually, and his bust should be unveiled in front of everyone in attendance.

With so many owners and other persons of influence on the Hall of Fame’s board of trustees, here’s hoping one of these grown-ups makes a grown-up decision. (PFT)
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lol

 

As others correctly interpreted, I am not saying it isn't true. I am saying there is no case if it's just what was said. Much different.

In fact spousal abuse was one of the first things that came to mind as evidence it actually happens often.

 

Owens brought this on himself, so screw him. Call it revenge or tit for tat or 3rd grade bullshit. he blew off and snubbed the HOF, HOF voters, HOF honorees and this year's class with his abstaining from attending. if i was running the HOF, i would've made him come to Canton to pick up his ring and jacket - no mail ! It's outrageous that this talented, but arrogant asshole, is not going to his own enshrinement ceremony and the enshrinement of his fellow players and coaches over being not inducted his first year of eligibility. it's stunts like this is why he wasn't inducted his first year of eligibility. this is Owens being Owens, so for once, the HOF put their foot down and treated him with the same disrespect he treated the HOF and this year's HOF Class. Petty, yes, but you cannot allow Owens to simply get his jacket in the mail and call it a day. You embarrass him more than he embarrassed himself. Fuck TO.

I still think he shows up somehow in the crowd to really piss them off. Maybe he does sit-ups in the parking lot of the HOF.

 

Yeah sorry but I dotn think the hall is being petty. If Owens cant come to Canton and share the spotlight (which is what the problem is) with other players being inducted screw him.

 

Take it back. He doesn’t want it.

 

Chris Ivory will be first option if LeSean McCoy isn’t available...

 

Derrick Henry viewed as lead back, Dion Lewis behind him on Titans’ depth chart

The Titans made a change at running back this offseason, saying goodbye to DeMarco Murray and signing Dion Lewis. But it’s holdover Derrick Henry who’s expected to be the starter.

That’s the word from Jim Wyatt of the team’s website, who reports that Henry is viewed as the lead back.

Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur has referred to Henry and Lewis as 1A and 1 B. It seems likely that Henry will get more carries while Lewis gets more playing time on passing downs.

Last year Henry had 176 carries for 744 yards while splitting duties with Murray, and Lewis led the Patriots with 180 carries for 896 yards. The Titans would love to have both players maintain that level of production. (PFT)

 

i don't think that's it at all. i think TO is pissed he was passed over on the vote twice before finally getting in, so now he's acting like a 2 yr old on a temper tantrum. he's basically taking his ball and going home. he's acting like a spoiled baby over this whole thing. you got in, so just go. nope. im not going blah, blah, blah. good. no one wants your egotistical ass there anyways.

 

Has TO seen how many other WRs with great stats and careers are waiting to get in. Art Monk had to wait forever to get in and he retired the leader in career receptions and yardage.

 

Good point, Gidion. Many people have waited multiple times to get in and if that miffed TO, he's a bigger loon than I give him credit for.

 

He’s no better than the other players.

 

i don't know about that. although his antics hurts his reputation, his stats don't lie. he's top 3-5 best wr ever. maybe top 3 behind moss and rice.

 

Uh, I don't think Gid was referring to his career stats.

 

From TO

Yeah sounds like he wants the spotlight all on him to me. Maybe im wrong and he doesnt but past history suggest it is exactly that.

 

I would rather have any of the other top 25 WRs all time than TO.

 

Id take some guys outside of the top 25 before TO

 

Steelers, Le’Veon Bell enter 48-hour home stretch...

They say the NFL is a deadline-driven business. One of the most consequential deadlines in recent years arrives in roughly 48 hours.

If the Steelers and running back Le'Veon Bell fail to agree to terms on a long-term deal by Monday at 4:00 p.m. ET, the veteran tailback almost certainly will become an unrestricted free agent in eight months.

Absent a multi-year contract, Bell (who currently is unsigned) can sign only a one-year deal through the end of the regular season. By then, Bell likely will be inclined to let it ride, forcing the Steelers to choose between tagging him a third time (and paying him the quarterback franchise tender of roughly $25 million for 2019) or finally letting the open market determine his value.

There have been accounts and reports of progress, but at this point the Steelers either will make him an offer he can’t refuse or make him an offer he does refuse, content in the knowledge that he’ll make $14.52 million this year to go with last year’s $12.1 million salary before getting whatever he can in free agency. The challenge continues to be placing a value on a long-term deal with $14.52 million as the clear starting point for 2018 and nothing at all being clear after that.

The Steelers could take the position that they’ll use the transition tender next year, giving them a right to match any offer sheet Bell signs in exchange for a 20-percent increase over this year’s tender ($17.42 million). That would make the two-year value nearly $32 million.

But with the Steelers having their own set of rules regarding player contracts — including most importantly in Bell’s case no fully-guaranteed payments beyond the current year — it may not be easy to ensure Bell that he’ll get at least $32 million if he signs a long-term deal. Even then, it may take more than that to get him to give up his shot at whatever some other team may be willing to pay in order to not only help win games but also assist with ticket sales and the generation of buzz.

Ultimately, Bell needs to ask himself this question: What will it take to get me to trade in $14.52 million in hand plus a chance to strike it as rich as possible in March? If the Steelers aren’t willing to make that kind of an offer within the next 48 hours, the clock then will start ticking toward his potential exit from Pittsburgh. (PFT)

 

Mike Tomlin: Hopefully we’ll have exciting Le’Veon Bell news on Monday...

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is sounding an optimistic note about running back Le'Veon Bell‘s contract.

Tomlin told WAVY in Virginia that he’s hoping to have a long-term contract done with Bell before Monday.

“Obviously we want to get the deal done,” Tomlin said. “He wants to get the deal done. Everybody has said that. Now it’s just about the negotiators getting in the room, and doing what it is they need to do. I’m excited and hopeful. Hopefully we’ll have some exciting news Monday.”

If Bell doesn’t sign by Monday at 4 p.m., he’ll only be able to sign a one-year contract with the Steelers this year. In that case, Bell would likely skip training camp and only report before the start of the regular season. Tomlin doesn’t want that to happen, but he said he thinks he can count on Bell to be in shape for Week One even if he’s not in training camp.

“He’s the type of guy who’s highly conditioned over a 12-month calendar,” Tomlin said.

One way or another, we’ll know by tomorrow afternoon whether Bell is with the Steelers in the long term, or whether he’s going to hit free agency in March. (PFT)

 

Terrell Owens says he’s boycotting HOF enshrinement for those who “had to wait”...

Soon-to-be Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens hadn’t said much to explain why he’s not attending the enshrinement ceremony. Some think he won’t be there because none of his former teams will foot the bill for a lavish party. Some think he’s miffed that the Selection Committee passed over him twice. Some think he’s particularly upset about the things that specific voters had said about him to justify making him wait.

Some think he just wants the attention.

On Saturday night, Owens suggested another motivation: That he’s making a statement for all players who had to wait longer than they should have had to wait to get in.

“I’m SO HAPPY for JERRY [Kramer]!!” Owens said in response to someone on Twitter who was criticizing Owens by citing Kramer’s decades-long snub. “[He] shouldn’t have had to wait that damn long either! I’m doing this for guys like him. Past, present and the future.”

If true, it’s admirable — albeit quixotic. The process has real flaws. With only five modern-era candidates winning induction each year, deserving players will from time to time have to wait. It’s a numbers game, plain and simple. And, like anything else hinging on ballots cast by human beings, pettiness and politics will from time to time influence who makes it, and who doesn’t. Nothing Owens or anyone else does is going to change it, unless the suggested revision entails opening the floodgates and letting 15 new Hall of Famers in every year.

Many will say this isn’t Owens’ real motivation, and that he concocted it because it seems far less selfish and (as Dick Vitale — yes, Dick Vitale, for some reason — has repeatedly said) childish if Owens has a cause bigger than himself. Regardless, it’s now clear that T.O.’s two-year wait influenced his decision heavily, and that if he’d been inducted on the first try (like Randy Moss was), Owens would probably be showing up. (PFT)