NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - 2010 Offseason

[Ben Kenobi]

My preferred finalists would be Indy/Bolts and Saints/Cowboys.

Either Bolts/Saints or Cowboys/Bolts would be awesome.

[-Jrabbit]

In the AFC, my 'new blood' preference suggests I'll be rooting for San Diego and Cincinnati. A Super Bowl between two franchises that have never won it would be awesome.

[SlowwHand]

You know what kills me about Hines Ward? It's not that he's physical, I like that about him. It's the grinning. He grins under any circumstances. If he drops a ball, still grinning. I suppose some like that, but I don't.
While I'm on a roll, I absolutely loathe celebrations. Hand the ball to the ref and go to the huddle. Don't give me a first down indication, chest thumping, chicken dances or anything else. You look stupid. You're a professional, and a millionaire. Act like it.

OK, I'm done for now.

[ColdWizard]

Speaking of done...

Goodbye Vinny...

The Washington Redskins have hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Bruce Allen, shortly after executive vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato resigned, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The Redskins already have complied with the league's Rooney Rule and have interviewed at least two minority candidates, an NFL source told Schefter.

A news conference was expected to be held Thursday afternoon to announce the hire.

In a statement released by the team Thursday morning, Cerrato said he has had numerous conversations with team owner Daniel Snyder over the last few weeks about the team's future.

"We agreed that the franchise needs someone different in this position," Cerrato said in a statement released by the team. "I'm thankful to Dan Snyder and other members of his ownership team for the opportunities I've been given over the years."

The resignation was first reported by ESPN 980 in Washington.

Allen's father, the late George Allen, coached the Redskins in the 1970s and led the team to Super Bowl VII...

...Hello Bruce...

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA – The owner of the Washington Redskins today announced that proven long-time NFL executive Bruce Allen has been tapped to be the Executive Vice President/General Manager of the franchise. Daniel Snyder made the announcement just hours after accepting the resignation of Vinny Cerrato. Cerrato served in many capacities for the franchise over the last ten years, most recently as executive vice president of football operations.

“Bruce Allen is the personification of an NFL winner,” Snyder said. “Our fans know his heritage; we know his abilities. He is the right person to lead our club.”

Allen, 53, is one of only a few people in the NFL who has helped lead teams that have won five division championships since 2000. He is the son of the late George Allen, the legendary former Redskins coach. Most recently he was the General Manager at Tampa Bay. Prior to Tampa, he was a Senior Assistant at the Oakland Raiders. In 2002, he was named the National Football League’s George Young NFL Executive of the Year.

Allen said he would begin work for the Redskins immediately.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity with one of the world’s most successful sports franchises,” said Allen. “I love everything about this assignment; I know what it means to be dedicated to the Redskins. I can’t wait to get to work.”

From 2004-2008, Allen served as General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which included their 2005 and 2007 AFC South Championships.

Allen joined the management team of the Oakland Raiders in 1995, where during nine seasons he was part of three AFC West Championships, two appearances in the AFC Championship game and a berth in Super Bowl XXXVII.

...And Goodbye Chris Henry.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry has died, one day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck in what authorities described as a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. Thursday. Henry was 26.

Henry was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after being found on a residential road "apparently suffering life-threatening injuries," according to police.

Police said a dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancee was driving away from the residence.

Police said at some point when she was driving, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle." They wouldn't identify the woman, and no charges were immediately filed.

Police spokeswoman Rosalyn Harrington said homicide detectives have been assigned to the case but had no further information. Police have not released the 911 tapes, and Harrington wouldn't say if the woman was present at the scene when police arrived.

Henry is engaged to Loleini Tonga, and the couple has been raising three children. Tonga's MySpace page identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a picture of her next to a person who appears to be Henry. She also has a post from Tuesday talking about buying wedding rings. A neighbor said Wednesday that the Tonga family owns the home where police say the incident began. Charlotte is home to his fiancee's parents.

Henry was away from the team after breaking his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 8. He had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve following the game.

Throughout his career, his temper and poor decisions got him in trouble.

He was ejected from a game and suspended for another at West Virginia, where former coach Rich Rodriguez told Henry that he was an embarrassment to himself and the program. His reputation was already costing him -- the Bengals were the only NFL team to bring him in for a pre-draft visit in 2005.

They found that his demeanor didn't match his reputation. Henry was shy and spoke in a quiet voice. They warned him that he had to stay in control if he was going to stay in the NFL. Then, they picked him in the third round.

In a sense, it was already a second chance.

"I'm worth the chance," Henry said, when he showed up the following weekend for a rookie minicamp. "I'm just happy they took me."

Henry become a vital part of the offense as a rookie, helping the Bengals reach the playoffs in 2005 with his ability to run past defenders to grab long passes. In the final month of the season, he also showed his other side, getting arrested for marijuana possession. After a playoff loss to Pittsburgh, he was arrested on a gun charge in Florida.

Henry and former Tennessee cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones became the league's two most trouble-bound players. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended both in 2007 -- Jones for a full season, Henry for half of it -- as part of a toughening of the league's conduct policy.

When Henry was arrested for a fifth time following that season on an assault charge, the Bengals decided they'd had enough. At his arraignment on April 3, 2008, Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard called Henry "a one-man crime wave." He was released by the Bengals the same day.

It was a jolt to Henry, who had dreamed of an NFL career since high school, when he got the NFL logo tattooed on the back of his right hand. No team showed an interest in bringing him back. His career seemed finished.

Then, Bengals owner Mike Brown -- who refers to himself as "a redeemer" -- changed his mind and gave him another chance.

"If you only knew him by hearsay, you'd think he's some kind of ogre," Brown said, during the Bengals' appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this summer. "It's not true. He's a good person. When you see him up close, you'll find that you'll like him. He'll be a soft-spoken, pleasant person."

This time, Henry seemed determined to stay out of trouble. After only 19 catches and two touchdowns in 12 games in the 2008 season, he set about making himself a top-flight receiver again. He got into top shape and worked out with teammates in the offseason, showing more resolve than at any point in his career.

Henry also changed his personal life, spending more time with his fiancee and the children they are raising. Teammates noticed a pronounced change in his demeanor.

"He's a great kid with a great heart," quarterback Carson Palmer said as training camp started. "He's changed his life around. He ran into some trouble, made some bad decisions, and realized that. He's sorry for them, apologized for them, and has done everything he can to make himself a better person. I'm just proud of him."

Before the 2009 season, Henry got a new tattoo that matched his new outlook. Below his left ear, in flowing one-inch script, was the world "Blessed."

"I kind of felt like I dug myself out of the hole and started doing the right things," Henry said in an interview with The Associated Press as training camp opened. "People say, 'How you feeling now Chris? You doing all right?' I just tell them I'm blessed. That's why I got it."

He caught a touchdown pass in each of Cincinnati's four preseason games. A thigh injury slowed him early in the season, and he had 12 catches for 236 yards -- his 19.7-yard average per catch leads the team -- when he broke his left arm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 22, ending his season.

When he showed up in the locker room for the first time since surgery to fix the fracture, Henry sounded confident he could get through the latest setback.

"It just comes with time, you know?" he said. "I learned to handle all situations, so I'll be all right."

The Bengals (9-4), in the midst of their best season since winning 11 games in 2005, lead the AFC North and play host to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

[Japher]

That sucks about Chris Henry. I can't believe they haven't plastered all over thing around here by now. Cinci news generally only reports on sports.

[Lord Avalon]

Damn. RIP.

But with a broken arm he jumped into the back of a moving pickup? This isn't the movies.

[Zopperoni]

RIP Chris Henry, his life was spiraling upward again, shame that this had to happen

As for Vinny Cerrato, that's not really going to help the Redskins since he'll just be Snyder's hand-puppet. Besides, his employment history includes the Raiders and the Bucs?! He hasn't really built franchises that last, has he?

[Ben Kenobi]

You know what kills me about Hines Ward? It's not that he's physical, I like that about him. It's the grinning. He grins under any circumstances. If he drops a ball, still grinning. I suppose some like that, but I don't.

I picked him because of that doggone grin! It follows you around the room...

[SlowwHand]

Yeah, that's always been one of my bigger prerequisites. The guy has to be a grinner.

[ColdWizard]

As for Vinny Cerrato, that's not really going to help the Redskins since he'll just be Snyder's hand-puppet. Besides, his employment history includes the Raiders and the Bucs?! He hasn't really built franchises that last, has he?

Doesn't take long to destroy one.

[ColdWizard]

And now there's reports of Shanahan engaged in talks about being head coach.

[SlowwHand]

Former University of Nebraska player makes good.

Ex-NFL RB Phillips gets 31 years in jail (AP)

Ex-NFL running back Lawrence Phillips has been sentenced to more than 31 years in prison for attacking his girlfriend and driving his car into three teens. Phillips, 34, was sentenced Friday in San Diego for assault and other crimes. Phillips told the judge he didn't get a fair trail and he'll appeal.

[Imran Siddiqui]

And down go the Saints!

[SlowwHand]

I think it will help them in the long run that they lost. I think next week, they come out breathing fire.

[Tuberski]

That was, by far, the best game the Cowboys have played this year.

The Saints still could have won the game.

ACK!