Texans Arian Foster First of Players to Sign New CBA

The Houston Texans running back is ready for the NFL Lockout to be over. In fact, he’s the first player to sign the newly ratified CBA.

Arian released an image of the document on his Twitter. Funny, I thought it would be more pages.

Michael Vick Urges Congress to Support Animal Cruelty Bill

As we wait and see whether the NFL Lockout will end this weekend, one NFL player is busy cleaning up for his past lifestyle.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick supported this week a Bill proposed to Congress called the The Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which would make it illegal to attend a dog fight or cock fight.

Vick is helping Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) to push for federal legislation to punish the spectators of these cruel events to help make them less popular with the idea that stiffer penalties could prevent people from attending fights.

“These laws are not just to punish people, but to prevent people from getting involved in the first place,” Michael Vick said. “That’s why education is very important about the subject.”

For a lot of people it will be hard, or impossible, to forgive Michael Vick for his past and for all practical purposes that is understandable. Vick has a long way to go before the bulk of the people (who aren’t Eagles fans) can safely say he’s doing this because it’s the right thing to do and not a PR move to help put millions of dollars back into his empty wallet.

Whatever, he’s heading in the right direction. And advertisers think so as well. This month NIKE signed Vick to an endorsement deal and he won the Subway Restaurant Sportsman of the Year Award that shows his negative public opinion is starting to soften.

Let’s Get This Thing Started! Owners Ratify CBA

We’re not out of the woods yet as news surfaced tonight that the owners have ratified a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and turned it over to the players for a vote.

But the NFL Players Association (NFLPA, or what’s left of it) must first accept the owners deal. As long as no little thorn sticks in their side, the players are expected to get the deal voted on and approved by Tuesday so the NFL season can start on schedule.

The NFL owners voted to approve a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement following several hours of meetings in Atlanta, but the player representatives decided not to vote on the proposal following a conference call Thursday night.

The players reportedly chose not to vote due to lingering issues and the belief that the proposal included terms the sides had not agreed to.

But like with any contract, the players will take their time and read the fine print. And it didn’t take long for rumors to surface of the owners trying to slip some sneaky words into the CBA. Not only are the players delaying a vote on the CBA to look at it, but there still is a chance that the deal may fall through.

“Here is what the ‘Real’ fans need to know: The owners tried to slip many things in to the CBA “they” voted on that were NEVER agreed to!#PRPlay,” Saints fullback Heath Evans said on Twitter.

What happens in the next weekend will dictate whether we have an NFL season or not.  The players will mull over a supposed ‘good-faith’ agreement by the owners and players and look for sneaky terminology.  And since this deal is to last for 10 years, you know the lawyers are taking out their fine tooth combs and getting to work.

Some reports point out that the deal is as good as over and the season will kick off as normal.  Others point out that the owners are trying to reverse the roles and agree to a CBA and wait while the players look like villains and hold up the season.

If we were to see a complete agreement by both sides, there would be a scramble to fulfill regular season duties that have been pushed aside while the two sides argued. That includes opening training camp and getting ready for preseason games in a few weeks.

But more importantly, that means there would be a flurry never seen before as the teams scramble for a 72 hour period to sign free agents. Thanks to the suspension of the NFL season, all contract signings, trades and what not have been put off. Now with a CBA in place, the players and owners can get down to business.

At this point it’s hard to say who’s being truthful.  I doubt either side is and, frankly, I don’t care.  You run a $9 billion/year industry paid by people like me, the fans, and misuse the money. If I say play ball you better well play ball.

Whatcha think? Maybe they’ll buy that tough talk and get started?

Probably not, but if I got a handful of lawyers together maybe you and I and the advertisers could sue the NFL and the players for misusing our money.

Packers CB Sam Shields Shows Off Super Bowl Ring Neck Tattoo

Let me just sum this up as saying that looks like it hurt.

Packers cornerback Sam Shields shows off his brand new Super Bowl ring neck tattoo for us and I will have to give the guy credit for making a memorable keepsake of his championship bling.

Most people would just wear the ring but Sam decided to get some ink to highlight his participation on the Packers team that won the championship last year.

My question would be what happens if the Pack go on and create a dynasty? He’s gonna run out of room real fast if that’s the case.

The image surfaced on Shields Twitter account showcasing the Packers Super Bowl rings but I much prefer the real thing.

Steelers Troy Polamalu Gets Million $ Hair Buzzed Off

This video surfaced a little bit back featuring Pittsburgh Steelers stud Troy Polamalu getting his hair buzzed with some clippers. Me thinks that this video is a tad staged but the idea that someone would be brave enough to pull a “Jackass” stunt like buzzing some of Troy Polamalu’s hair is intriguing.

The great Steelers safety takes great pride in his hair and even states that the strength of his long hair is the reason for his success. That’s why Head and Shoulders signed him to a spokesman deal awhile back and insured his hair about $1 million.

The fact that I brought that up brings me to the conclusion that this is fun, viral video for Troy and his shampoo but it is fun to watch nonetheless.

Is the UFL Dead?

With reports of the NFL owners and players starting to see eye-to-eye and possibly end the lockout, news of the first casualty

The UFL was created a few years back as an alternative to the NFL and focused on playing if the offseason. However, they also banked on the NFL Lockout to lose the 2011-12 season and give the UFL some much needed attention. In anticipation for the event the UFL even moved up their season to fill in for the lost NFL games.

Even if the NFL sticks to their lockout and loses the season it might not matter now. The UFL appears to not be financially stable enough to survive long enough to see. The National Football Post indicates that the UFL players are being sent home from training camp for finacial reasons and the fate of the upcoming season is in doubt while the league looks for ‘alternative’ funding.

The United Football League is experiencing financial woes that are serious enough that the football league has sent home players due to a lack of funds, according to an industry source with knowledge of the situation.

The Hartford franchise informed players tonight that training camp wouldn’t be starting due to the money problem. It’s unclear yet if the season will be played.

A second source confirmed that camps are being suspended for 30 days, but that the UFL still intends to try to play a full season.

UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue has repeatedly said the season will be played.

“While we certainly continue to look for other sources of financing . . . things are still moving forward and players are in camps,” Huyghue told the Virginian-Pilot.

However, the UFL has had several instances of unpaid bills, including players not being paid on time as well as other employees.

Even with the 30-day delay many pundits are calling it over for the league. We’ll just have to see how it shakes up but trying to find money for a struggling league in this economy is going to be a tough task. Even the Arena Football League had to close up shop for a year to get reorganized and they’re a bit bigger and more popular than the UFL.

The End Is Near…. Will the NFL Begin Training Camps This Weekend?

The rumors are swirling about an end of the NFL Lockout and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. With the slated NFL Preseason set to open in just a few weeks the time to salvage any kind of season was getting near the deadline.

Before I get too excited I must state that these are just rumors and ‘reports’ right now indicated that the NFL and the players are meeting this week in Atlanta.  But news of the CBA finally being ratified are what’s key.

One source of the info is Carolina Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey who stated that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told him to be in Charlotte on Friday to report to the team..

On Tuesday morning, rumors starting floating that players are receiving text messages to report to their respective team facilities on Friday. That would mean a deal with the NFL owners would be done by their tentative Thursday deadline. In addition, “key executives” of all 32 teams have been told to report to Thursday’s labor meeting, which appears to be the final of many during this unusual off season.[via]

And then the fun begins as the NFL scrambles to get ready for a season.  What will be interesting is the free agent signings which will have about a 3-day window of frantic movement before the training camps kick in.  Should be fun to watch that.

Edit: Buster Coverage talked with Jeremy Shockey and confirmed the rumors.

Shockey tells us that, while spending the weekend diving in the Keys, he received a text from some of his fellow players about the great news.

“Obviously the details have to be completed, but this deal is done,” Shockey told us. “The Hall of Fame game is a go. It’s a win-win for both sides.”

Shockey, who signed a one-year $4.2 million deal with the Panthers this offseason, says that there won’t be a loss of games and that he’s excited to get this deal done.

“Both sides worked hard. It’s just great to be going back to football and that everyone can focus on the game.”

Peyton Manning Most Popular NFL Player

He hasn’t won a Super Bowl recently but NFL QB Peyton Manning was the most popular NFL athlete in a recent Harris Poll for the Favorite Sports Star in the U.S.

Winning the poll was New York Yankees perennial All-Star Derek Jeter.

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States June 13 to 20, 2011 among 2,163 adults (aged 18 and over).

Below are the final results of the top 10 Favorite Sports Star poll from Harris Interactive and as you can see playing in the Super Bowl helps out a ton as Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers cracks the Top 10 for the first time.  Despite being in one of the smallest sports markets in the U.S., Rodgers gained national attention by helping his Green Bay Packers defeat #8 Hines Ward and his Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.

With the except of Rodgers appearing in his first year, the rest of the NFL players on the list have all appeared in multiple Super Bowls.  Dropping off the list this year were Drew Brees, #9 last year, and Brett Favre (#4 last year) and LeBron James (#6).

The big loss was from golfer Tiger Woods who was brought all the way down to #5 after being the #1 choice for the last five years.

TABLE 1

FAVORITE SPORTS STAR – TOP 10 RANKING

“Who is your favorite sports star?”

Base: All adults

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Derek Jeter	*	10	5	4	2	7	5	3	1
Peyton Manning	*	7	2	*	8	=8	7	5	2
Kobe Bryant	7	6	*	7	9	4	4	=1	=3
Michael Jordan	1	1	1	2	3	2	2	7	=3
Tiger Woods	2	2	3	1	1	1	1	=1	5
Tom Brady	*	*	7	*	10	=8	*	8	6
Albert Pujols	*	*	*	*	*	*	10	*	=7
Hines Ward	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	=7
Derrick Rose	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	9
Aaron Rodgers	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	10

* Not listed in that year
Stats via Harris Interactive

Another key point is that women preferred Peyton Manning the most.  Part of the poll broke down the sexes and men, overall, picked Derek Jeter as their favorite but women went with Peyton Manning.  Intersting.  I guess Peyton is good with the ladies.  I would have thought Tom Brady might have taken that spot.

Peyton also took top spots in geography (South), race (white), and age (generation x – ages 35-46).

14 NFL Teams That Have Never Won a Super Bowl

Sports and trivia night go hand in hand so if you’re wanting to brush up on your NFL knowledge this list will help you. Of the 32 NFL teams out there right now there have been 14 teams to never win a Super Bowl.

Some of those teams have played and lost but there are also 4 teams that just have never made it to the big game. And one has never qualified for the playoffs at all.

Think you know which teams are on the list?

Hit the link below to get started.

Redskins Go Green, Install 8,000 Solar Panels

Looks like Redskins owner Dan Snyder has finally made an intelligent investment that will benefit his team and the fans. The free-spending owner of the ‘Skins, who are now the 4th Most Valuable Franchise, is known for spending money on the team but not in a way to help the team win.

Well, this investment is a winner. Snyder announce that the Redskins and NRG Energy are bringing renewable energy to FedExField with a covered parking lot with solar panels on top. The covered parking will consist of 8,000 solar panels, helping to generate up to 2 megawatts of energy for the stadium during gameday and more than enough for the facilities to use during the week.

Artist's rendering of solar panels

The project is scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2011 season. That would make the Redskins one of the few NFL teams to use alternative sources of energy at their stadiums.

While the solar panels help solve the energy issue for the stadium it doesn’t help with their Albert Haynesworth problem. Maybe they can trade him for some more solar panels.

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