It’s Wednesday, which means football! I’ve suffered through NFL.com’s screen to screen coverage of the 2010 Scouting Combine, at which apparently nothing happened. I can’t stand media-gadfly Tim Tebow and the combine seemed to be the Tebow Show. What’s a fan to do …when he doesn’t have cable during the Olympics and can’t stand ice dancing anyway? And, yes Chelsea Handler, ice dancing is gay!
We don’t need your stickin’ cap! The NFL is in its last year of its labor agreement and like all labor agreements, negotiations aren’t going well. The fun part of the union-management debate is that if a deal isn’t struck by Friday there will be no salary cap. That’s good news for fans of Drew Brees (yay!) and Peyton Manning that want to see their high-paid superstars stick around without taking up too much room. With no cap, expensive players like Reggie Bush get to stay, too, while the team still develops younger players. The downside is the financial pressure other teams will face trying to compete. Normally, the Saints – a small market team – would not benefit from a lifted cap. Thank God (again!) for that Super Bowl ring!
Fun little side trivia: According to the league, and disputed by the players association, 75% of all NFL revenue goes to the players.
Know when to hold ‘em. Every Saints fan wants to know: will Darren Sharper be in black and gold come fall? The 34 year-old Sharper came to the Saints last year and had a stellar season while the Saints did too. But in the NFL, he’s older and this year a free agent. While the uncapped season bodes well for moneyed teams, it puts the pressure on the Saints. In a list of the top 50 free agents, Sharper is number 6. New Orleans front-office could’ve used their tag to hold on to him for 2010 but chose not to. This week we should find out how negotiations play out with Sharper. I’m also holding out for sentimental favorite Scott Fujita, a great linebacker, smarty-pants with a Masters, and outspoken supporter of gay rights. Fingers crossed!
For he’s a Jolly Good Fellow! March is when the retirements should flow, too. We know Kurt Warner is passing the reigns to Matt Leinart. He’s the only one we know about. Everyone likes to speculate about Favre, but he’s teased us before. Who will free up some room for all those young players boring the pants off me at the Combine?
He shoots, he scores! As a rule of thumb, I’ve avoided sports where that phrase is used. Frankly, I don’t have the attention span (or the bladder) for sports where points can come out of nowhere. But this off-season, I’m auditioning replacements sports. Hockey had a good shot this past weekend, but a Gold-Medal Olympic game against Canada might have been a stacked deck. I’m open to suggestions and invitations.
There’s only 190 days until the season opener in the Louisiana Superdome. Are you ready?
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