Manning goes from young Colt to big Bronco

The wait is over.  Peyton Manning is packing his bags and going to the AFC West.  The four-time MVP will be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.  

Manning is not just a great acquisition for Denver; he is a game changer.  However, Broncos fans should not reserve hotel rooms in the Big Easy for Super Bowl XLVII just yet.  The Broncos are a young team.  Manning has to go west and train a new offense to really block and stop bucking around.

The good thing for Denver is that Peyton is revered for his work ethic and skill.  His presence commands respect and he will not have any difficulty gaining trust in the locker room.  This is important because the offense is going to completely change from a run offense to a pass-first offense.  Plus, Manning’s play calling is unlike any other QB.  Listening and trusting is key.

I’m not really concerned with Peyton’s health.  Reports about his exams have been favorable.  It has been over a year since he played in a NFL game.  It will take him some time to get back to 100%, but he is a champion and ready to compete.  He is ready to get to work and will be in Denver next month for OTAs (organized team activities).  

One player does guarantee a Super Bowl, but a guy like Manning will surely improve Denver’s 8-8 record last season.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Peyton Manning goes team hunting

After 14 years with the same team, in the same city with the same fans, Peyton Manning is moving on.  Last week he and Colts owner Jim Irsay held an emotional press conference to announce that the 11-time pro bowl quarterback would no longer be the offensive leader of the Indianapolis Colts.  While it was a sad day in Indianapolis, it made a lot of other fans hopeful about the prospect of their team landing the quarterback.

I read that 12 teams were going after the future hall of famer, but not all of them were announced.  Over the weekend, Manning visited the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals.   

The Broncos rolled out the red carpet for Manning.  They sent a charted plane for him and provided a tour of the facility with team leadership.  It is widely know that he is close to John Elway, vice president of football operations for the Broncos and John Fox the head coach. 

The Arizona Cardinals were not out-done by Denver.  They held meetings, tours of the facility and had their all-pro receiver, Larry Fitzgerald join them for half of the day.  Manning has a good relationship with Arizona’s head coach, Ken Wisenhunt.

Peyton is back at his home in Florida.  He will continue training and weighing the options for his new team.  A visit to the Miami Dolphins has not been planned, but they are one of the teams who expressed interest in having the NFL’s biggest free agent join their locker room.  It is possible that Manning could “take his talents to South Beach.”

Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, did not attend either one of the visits.  It is clear that for Manning, the first step in the process is football.  When you are Peyton Manning, you know that the money will come. 

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Michael Vick’s past still haunting him

The NFL Network has been counting down the Top 100 players of the NFL 2010 Season voted by current players.  Yesterday, they revealed the 20^th player down to the 11^th player.  I was amazed to see Michael Vick at #20.  Number 20 is not justified for a guy who was not supposed to start and ended up not only starting, but also carrying his team to the playoffs. 

I’m not disturbed by Vick’s placement among his counterparts at the quarterback position.  Landing at #20 puts him in the Top 5 among quarterbacks.  Aaron Rodgers is#11.  Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are sure to be unveiled in the Top 10.  All of these guys are Super Bowl champions.  For some reason even though football is a team sport, a player’s skill level gains more respect with a championship.  So, it is to be expected that they would rank higher than Vick.

What is alarming to me is that when you take the quarterbacks out, there are 15 other players who are ranked higher than Michael Vick.  I have respect for all positions, but it isn’t a secret that the NFL is a quarterback driven league.  So how does a defensive end on a team that is ranked #23 in total defense rank higher than Michael Vick?  DeMarcus Ware is a beast.  He had 80 sacks, but the Dallas Cowboys didn’t even make the playoffs. 

I believe the ghost of Michael Vick’s past reared his head once again.  It is the reason that after a remarkable season he was not the league’s MVP, was runner up in the Madden 2011 cover contest and is now #20 on the NFL’s Top 100.   Michael Vick saved his team.  The same can’t be said for many of the guys in front of him.

The final 10 players will be presented on Sunday on the NFL Network at 8 p.m.  EST. Who do you think will be #1?

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Time to go quarterback shopping?

I read something yesterday that reminded me that Brett Favre was 35 years old when the Green Bay Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 NFL Draft.  At that point Brett was still “the man.”  He had just completed a season in which he threw for over 4,000 yards and led the Packers offense to the fifth ranked team in the lead.  The defense was bad (23^rd in the league); so, a lot of fans were disappointed to see Green Bay used their 24^th pick on a quarterback.  Well, that quarterback did not play during the entire time Brett Favre remained in Green Bay.  He was learning and developing into a NFL quarterback.  Two years after he finally played his first NFL game, he led the Packers to a Super Bowl Championship and earned Super Bowl MVP honors.

This led me to think about the top two “young” starting quarterbacks of the last decade.  Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are 33 and 35 respectively; both are not showing any signs of slowing down.  However, time flies.  For the last couple of years we have heard a lot about the “old” 40 year old Brett Favre.  It makes it difficult to believe that he was the same age as Peyton when Green Bay started preparing for his replacement.

I think that there is something truly valuable about having a new team member learn under one of the best at their job.  This training helps the new team member and organization succeed. 

Should the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts follow Green Bay’s lead and begin preparing for their next quarterback? 

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

“Perfect Tens” wasn’t so perfect for NFL and College #1s

On the date of Perfect Tens (10.10.10), the Kansas City Chiefs, the last team with a perfect record in the NFL, loss to the Indianapolis Colts and Alabama Crimson Tide, the former #1 ranked team in college football, loss to South Carolina and dropped in the rankings.

We’ll start with college.  The talk is about the SEC (Southeastern Conference) and Big Ten.  The Crimson Tide suffered a crushing upset from South Carolina, 21- 35 and dropped to #8 in the polls.  This left the SEC with two undefeated teams, Louisiana State (LSU) Tigers #7 and Auburn Tigers #8.  These teams will meet on October 23.  It’s tempting to move ahead to their meeting, but before Auburn can focus on the other tigers, they have to get pass Arkansas Razorbacks #12.  Arkansas loss earlier this season to Alabama, but it was a close game.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State Buckeyes #1 and Michigan State Spartans #13 are the only remaining undefeated teams in the conference.  Ohio State looked like they were scrimmaging against a high school team in their 38 - 10 win over Indiana.  Michigan State took advantage of a developing defense and beat Michigan at home 34 – 17.  Everyone is talking about the Buckeyes and Spartans winning or sharing the Big Ten Title, but I don’t think that you can count out the Iowa Hawkeyes #15.  The have one loss against a non-conference opponent, Arizona Wildcats #24.  As a result of the Big Ten’s rotating schedule, the Buckeyes and Spartans will not play each other this year.  However, Iowa will play both teams at home.  So, I think the Big Ten Champ will be determined in Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.

The most important ranking in college football starts next week.  The BCS.  It is the Bowl Championship Series ranking.  It determines who will play in the BCS National Championship Game.  After October 17, it is the only poll that you need to pay attention to. 

OK, on to the pros.

Kansas City was off last week.  I thought their game against Indiana yesterday would show me if they were serious.  The Colts won, but they were not impressive.  The scoreboard was only filled with field goals until the last quarter of the game when Mike Hart rushed into the end zone for a Colts touchdown.  It is embarrassing that Peyton Manning couldn’t get a touchdown pass or 300 passing yards at home.  (Again, the Colts are not playing to their potential.)  However, I have to give some credit to Kansas City’s defense for making Peyton scramble around the field.  The Chiefs are playing well and showing that they are serious.  The strong start also gives them confidence that they can compete. 

The Lions left Buffalo, Carolina and San Francisco in the losers circle.  They got their first win of the season.  It was a 44 – 6 blowout without Matthew Stafford.  Calvin Johnson is good.  REALLY good.  I’ve said it many times, but if he were even on a decent team, he would be a pro bowl receiver.  I think the Lions are better than their record reflects, but Detroiters should not get too excited. This victory was against the St. Louis Rams.  The Rams have pulled out a couple of wins, but they are building around injury prone, rookie quarterback, Sam Bradford.

A few quick hits ladies…

Baltimore’s defense handled business, limited Denver to only 17 points and led the Ravens to another victory, 31 -17.

The Redskins won in overtime 16 -13 against Green Bay who has the 2009 defensive player of the year, Charles Woodson. 

Kevin Kolb played for injured Michael Vick and Philadelphia barely beat San Francisco 27 – 24.

Eli Manning threw three touchdowns and the Giants gave the Houston Texans their second loss of the season.  Final score was 34 - 10.

Time for MNF!

Tonight the New York Jets play the Minnesota Vikings in their second Monday Night game of the season.  A few weeks ago, Brett Favre was throwing interceptions and this match up didn’t seem worthy of a Monday Night game.  Last week all of that changed.  The Vikings have been resuscitated.  They now have 7 time pro bowl receiver, Randy Moss.  Exactly the weapon that Favre needed!  However, Favre and Moss need a couple of weeks to get acclimated to each other, so I’m going with the Jets tonight.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Vick is Back!

Week 2 in the NFL gives teams a second chance to impress fans.  Win, and fans believe they were just rusty last week.  Lose, and fans begin questioning when they are going to win.  Before I move into the highlights of the second week, I have to go back to Week 1 and Calvin Johnson’s touchdown. 

Last week, I shared the rule on a player going to the ground with a catch and noted that according to this rule, Johnson’s touchdown was incomplete.  After a reader blasted me for not being the critical thinker he has come to know through my blog, I had to revisit the play and the rule.  I will not say how many times I looked at the replay, but let’s just say if I were given a dollar for each time I reviewed it, we would all be getting Louboutins, heading to Nice and cruising the Mediterranean, ON ME!   

Anyway, after reviewing the play, the catch was a touchdown.  Again, the rule is:

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

I want to point out this part of the rule, “If he loses control of the ball.” Calvin Johnson never lost control of the ball.  He caught the ball with two hands and moved it to one hand, but he still had control of the ball.  (Think of it as a one-hand catch.)  The ball was not rolling around in his hand.  He had a tight grip on the ball and maintained control when his body hit the ground.  As a result, it was a touchdown.

Now on to NFL Week 2.  Some teams had a better second day at school.  Others you can expect are going to start using the old “the dog ate my homework” excuse.  

Becoming a star pupil  - Michael Vick, started as a NFL Quarterback for the first time since December 2006 when he was an Atlanta Falcon.  (He missed the entire 2007 and 2008 seasons because he was incarcerated for his involvement with dog fighting.)  Building on a solid performance last week of over 65% passing completions and 103 rushing yards against Green Bay, the former pro bowler displayed that he has shaken off the dust.  With 284 passing yards, 37 rushing yards, deep passes and quick moves to avoid the defense, he led the Eagles to their first victory of the season in a win over the Detroit Lions.  While Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid says that there is not a controversy over the quarterback position, I expect that Eagles fan will start one if Kevin Kolb struggles next week.  A little secret: the Eagles offensive linemen are quietly hoping for Vick to start as well.  For 11 years they have protected a quarterback who is mobile.  They are not accustomed to holding off the defense for a quarterback to take an entire class period to throw the ball.  Vick fits Philadelphia’s O-line perfectly.

Not meeting expectations – The Cowboys and the Vikings were predicted by many to compete for the Super Bowl.  Now both teams are still hoping to get their first win.  The problem for the Vikings is that Brett Favre was not in training camp and they are in need of wide receivers.  The Cowboys on the other hand, have all of the pieces, but they are not prepared.  Both of their losses were due to tons of mistakes.  Since 1990, only 22 teams that started off 0 – 2 made it to the playoffs.  The New York Giants won the Super Bowl in 2008 after beginning the season 0-2, so there is hope for these teams.  I think Minnesota will see their first win at home against the Lions next week.  Things are looking gloom for the Cowboys.  They play an undefeated Houston team on the road next week and are off the following week.  I see the Cowboys not getting their first win until October.

Sibling rivalry – “Manning Bowl II” was no contest, AT ALL.  Big brother, Peyton, showed little brother, Eli, how to lead an offense and dominate.  Unfortunately, for the younger Manning, his big bro was totally focused on avenging a disappointing loss to Houston that opened the season.  The Giants could not do anything to stop the Colts offense.  It was truly over when the Giants were still scoreless in the 3^rd quarter and the Colts kept Peyton in to continue beating up on his kid brother’s team.  The Colts win it easily, 38 – 14 and Peyton remains undefeated against his brother.

Name off of the chalkboard - The Jets stopped talking and just did their work.  The offense was… an offense.  The line blocked, Mark Sanchez threw the ball, Dustin Keller and Braylon Edwards caught the ball and LaDainian Tomlinson ran the ball.  See how productive a unit can be when everyone just does there job?  Their defense limited Tom Brady to just 2 touchdowns.  One of those was an awesome catch by Randy Moss, but it was not enough.  Jets win it 28 – 14 at home.

On the college gridiron, another team from the state of Michigan entered the top 25 after beating Notre Dame.  Michigan State is now 3-0 and #25 and #23 on the AP and USA Today Polls respectively.  In the USA Today Poll, they are right behind Michigan #22.  This adds more fuel to the intra-state and conference rivalry.  Their meeting on October 9 at the Big House, well BIGGER House, will be a battle!   This week’s game to watch is Alabama #1 against Arkansas #12.  This will be a test for both teams.  Arkansas looked great in a victory on the road against Georgia, but their defense will have to slow down Heisman winner, Mark Ingram.  Alabama has dominated in their first three games, but this will be their first game on the road against a ranked opponent.

MNF – Tonight the reigning Super Bowl Champs, New Orleans Saints, will play the San Francisco 49ers.  Last week the 49ers gave up 31 points to the Seattle Seahawks.  Surely their defense will not be able to hold off Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.  Who Dat Nation will see their team remain undefeated.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

The NFL’s best wide receivers are in Texas, Not Ohio

Yesterday we looked at running backs to draft on a fantasy team.  Today, we will explore wide receivers.  Remember, this is not about the team’s record, but the performance of the player.  Look at the player’s ability and the potential he has to get a lot of time and passes thrown his way.

Silent assassin – Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions) is a phenomenal athlete.  His height and speed make it difficult for cornerbacks and safeties to cover him.  You may not have heard of him, but you should get familiar with him.  You will not see him talk smack on headline news or on the sideline, but he gets the job done.  If he were on a better team, he certainly would be a pro bowler and household name.  The Lions do not have a strong running game, so you can expect that they will pass a lot.  Johnson can score major points for your team.

Old faithfuls – Randy Moss (New England Patriots) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts) are veteran wide receivers on good teams.  Randy is definitely more talented than Reggie, but they both put up over 1,200 receiving yards last season.  They have good chemistry with their quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning respectively.  Enough said.

Good, but questionable – Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) is a great receiver.  After two consecutive years of over 1,400 receiving yards, he only had 1,092 yards last season.  He sprained his knee a couple of weeks ago and it has not been confirmed whether he will be able to play at the start of the regular season. 

Nasty Nati Boys – Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are both in Cincinnati now giving Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer two strong options.  Ochocinco is still the #1 receiver in Cincinnati.  With Antonio Bryant out of the way (he was released over the weekend), there is no question that T.O. is going to get a lot of time.  T.O. did not get a job until training camp, so I think that he will want to show the other 31 teams that he is still good and can make any team better.

Lone Star Superstars – Miles Austin (Dallas Cowboys) and Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) are the top receivers on their teams.  Miles had a very impressive season last year and looks to build on that this year.  Andre is the highest paid receiver in the NFL.   In the past two seasons he has accumulated close to 1,600 receiving yards.  This is the reason that the Texans ensured that he was going to stay in Houston.  You should consider applying the same reasoning to your team.

OK, it’s going down on Monday.  Heels & Helmets Fantasy Football League Draft on September 6 online at noon!  Who will you pick?

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Building a fantasy football team: Quarterbacks

The office chatter about fantasy football has already started.  Which fantasy league are you in?  When is your draft?  Ochocinco may not get a lot of points with T.O. in town.  In some cases you will hear more about fantasy football than real NFL games.  What’s all the hype about? 

Fantasy football allows a lot of football fans to have their ultimate fantasy job – own, manage and coach a professional football team.   Just like a NFL general manager, you get to draft the players that you want and trade them throughout the season.  You also get to put on your coaches hat and select your starters each week. 

Most fantasy football leagues are set up so you draft a quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver, kicker and one team’s defense.  Some leagues use individual defense players (IDPs) instead of team defenses.  Scoring is based on how your players perform in their actual games.  You will get points when one of your players completes a positive action such as scoring a touchdown or sacking.  You will lose points when a player does something negative like throws an interception.  (See the complete list of scoring opportunities.)  In the Heels & Helmets fantasy football league on NFL.com, the team rosters will include: 1 Quarterback; 2 Running Backs; 3 Wide Receivers; 1 Tight End; 1 Kicker; 1 Defensive Team; and 6 Bench players.  We are using the NFL managed scoring setting.   

When drafting players for your fantasy football team, do not base it on how well you think a team will perform.  Review individual statistics and consider how much playing time a player is anticipated to have this season.  Watching preseason games will give you an idea of who the top players are and how they are performing.  It also gives you a glimpse at the depth each team has because you will see second and third string players play.  To put this into practice, let’s look at some options at the quarterback position.

Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) and Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) are at the top of the league.  They have strong passing options in Marques Colston and Reggie Wayne respectively, that they are comfortable with.  They also are leading offenses that they know well.  I will give an edge to Brees because Peyton had neck surgery during the offseason, but either one of these guys are good picks for your team.

Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings) is back.  Seriously.  He played in the preseason game yesterday, so forget the rumors.  It was a rough start for the super veteran, but he knows the game.  While he has appeared a little indecisive the last few years, no one questions how tough if he is.  He will take the majority of the snaps for the Vikings and this gives him plenty of opportunities to pass to his star young receiver, Percy Harvin or hand off to Adrian Peterson, running back and 3-time pro bowler.

Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) is healthy, but due to his suspension he will not play in the first six regular season games.  You do not want a guy who will miss out on almost half of the regular season as your starting quarterback.  Big Ben is a good option to have on your team later in the season.  Consider drafting him and putting him on the bench.  Just be mindful that he no longer has Santonio Holmes as a receiving threat. 

This brings me to the young New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez.  In his rookie year, he led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game.  He is young and still learning, but he has a solid offense with experienced players like Holmes, Braylon Edwards and LaDainian Tomlinson.  Therefore, he doesn’t have to be great to be a superstar and get points for your team.

Here are a few other quarterback situations to watch in the preseason as you prepare for your fantasy draft: Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) is not on a good team, but Calvin Johnson is one of the leagues top receivers; Tom Brady (New England Patriots) is past his knee and fingers problems; Eli Manning (New York Giants) suffered a head injury in the Giants preseason game against the Jets last week; Donovan McNabb (Washington Redskins) is still adjusting to a new offensive line and receivers; and Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals) now has the dynamic receiving duo, Ochocinco and T.O.

Tonight in preseason action, the Arizona Cardinals will play the Tennessee Titans at LP Stadium at 8 p.m.  Catch some of the game on ESPN and see how quarterbacks Matt Leinart (Arizona) and Vince Young (Tennessee) perform.  Will they show you something to make you want to draft them? 

Heels & Helmets Fantasy Football League Draft on September 6 online at noon!  Who will you pick?

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Not Sure Why, But McNabb is A Redskin

Donovan McNabb is trading in philly steaks for crabcakes.  He is leaving “Liberty City” for the “Capital City.”  He is hanging up his green and white jersey for a burgundy and gold one, but he is not leaving the NFC East.  Yes, it’s imminent; the 6- time Pro Bowler is now a Washington Redskin.

I think that this is a great move for the Redskins, but I am really shocked that the Philadelphia Eagles allowed it to happen and Donovan wanted to go there.  The Redskins needed a quarterback and they run a west coast offense.  McNabb is like synonymous with west coast offense, so the Redskins have just improved their team.  However, their offensive line has struggled, so this addition does not make them Super Bowl contenders.  This is why I am surprised that a veteran quarterback entering his 12^th season with only one Super Bowl appearance, would go to a place that has one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.   I thought that he would want to go to a team that was… let’s just say, a little closer to reaching the Super Bowl. 

What surprises me even more is Philadelphia letting him go to a divisional rival! They have to play the Redskins twice during the regular season and if both teams end up in the playoffs, they could meet each other for a third time.  All of these meetings could be vengeful.  I also think that they made a mistake trading a proven quarterback at this time, to pass the leadership to a quarterback that has only played in a couple of NFL games in 3 seasons.  At 33, McNabb is old in the NFL, but he is not ailing.  He is not as fast as he was when he left Syracuse, but he is still quick and does not have any problem throwing the ball.  He is only behind Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in most wins among active quarterbacks. 

The Redskins are definitely going to do better than 4 wins this season.  They solidified the key position of quarterback and are headed in the right direction.  Now to make the playoffs and go deep in the post season, they must make some major improvements to their offensive line.  McNabb is really good, but he cannot block or tackle for himself.  The game begins at the line of scrimmage and a team with an offensive line that is in the bottom four of the league is not going to hoist up the Lombardi Trophy.  Great move, Coach Shanahan, now compliment it with some good offensive tackles.

Ciao!

Heels &  Helmets

Super Bowl XLIV Champs Are...

This Super Bowl is going to be a high scoring game!  As you saw this week, both offenses are superb with very talented quarterbacks.  This game is about the #1 Offense going against the #2 team in passing yards.  So you can expect that they both will put up a lot of points.

Many people think that this game will only be about the offense.  I am excited to watch because I know that Drew and Peyton are going to put on a great show!  However, I agree with Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and still believe that defense wins championships.  The teams are equally matched up on defense.  While both defenses have struggled this season, it did not stop either team from reaching the Super Bowl.  The Saints have an All-Pro Free Safety, Darren Sharper to watch out for Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon.  The Colts have an All-Pro Defensive End, Dwight Freeney who is #3 in sacks in the league and will focus on chasing Drew.   Whichever defense steps it up gives their team an edge.

So, with equally matched teams, who does the advantage go to?  I don't have "a team."  I just enjoy watching the game.  If this were the regular season, I would just pick the team with the most former Michigan players to have someone to cheer for.  However, these two teams are equal there too!  The Colts have Mike Hart (Running Back) and Marlin Jackson (Defensive Back).  The Saints have Jonathan Goodwin (Starting Center) and Adrian Arrington (Wide Receiver).  Congratulations guys, GO BLUE!

With anything, I believe half of it is what you do and the other half is how you approach it.  I think that the Super Bowl Champs will be the team that has the experience and the right mentality.  This will allow them to be poised under pressure.  This team is focused and understands that business for this season is not over until Sunday, the championship game.  This was displayed when they won their conference title.  One team celebrated as if the goal had been accomplished.  This mind set will cause them to feel proud just to be in Sun Life Stadium.  The other team did not celebrate as if they had reached their goal.  They were enthusiastic about another win, but ready to prepare for the next game.   

So, the 2010 Super Bowl Champs and winner of the Vince Lombardi Trophy are the Indianapolis Colts with a final score of 42 - 35.

If you need a reminder on any parts of the game that we have discussed go back to a previous post.  Otherwise send an e-mail to heelsnhelmets@gmail.com.

Enjoy watching the game!

Ciao!

Heels &  Helmets

A Pro Bowl Without Peyton Manning Isn't A Pro Bowl!

The NFL's Pro Bowl is tonight at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida. Congratulations to all of the Michigan Men - Tom Brady, Steve Hutchinson, Jake Long and Heisman Trophy Winner Charles Woodson - that were selected to this years Pro Bowl! GO BLUE!

The Pro Bowl is the NFL's "All Star" game featuring the best players from the NFC and AFC. Well... almost the best. This year, fans will not see players like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Reggie Wayne or Darren Sharper because they are busy getting ready for next week's Super Bowl. We know that these players can not chance getting injured, but how does the NFL have an "All Star" game without them? A Pro Bowl this year is not a Pro Bowl without Peyton Manning!

Since 1980, the Pro Bowl has been played in Honolulu two weeks after the Super Bowl. However, in an effort to generate more interest and kick off Super Bowl Week, the NFL made some changes to its Pro Bowl. It is now played one week before the Super Bowl at the same location of this championship game.

I understand wanting to improve the game and engage more people (I am a huge advocate of continuous improvement) and despite the NFL doing a pretty great job of this, their Pro Bowl needs some work. But, having a Pro Bowl without Peyton Manning is an oxymoron, not the solution. How can they call it a Pro Bowl without Peyton Manning?

I have a few suggestions for the NFL. OK, I know that I am dreaming of a perfect world without injuries in the first two, but here they are:

1. Move the Pro Bowl to Thanksgiving week. Like the Super Bowl they could get all eyes on one program. This would be a great way to showcase their stars and allow fans to truly see the best players.

2. Host the Pro Bowl after the season in late February or early March. This is a slow time for the NFL. Sure the Scouting Combine happens, but fans do not really follow this. Generate more interest in the combine and lead into the draft.

3. Allow fans to Select "All Star" players, but do not play the game. Fans already recognize that the players are not really playing at their best to prevent injuries, so eliminate the game. Plan a fan event that acknowledges the players and interacts with the community. (I have already given options for free, so don't expect the details on this event.)

If the NFL, does not like any of those options, I suggest that they change the name. Fans can't buy into a game promoted as an "All Star" game when the starters are actually back up. Again, a Pro Bowl is not a Pro Bowl without Peyton Manning!

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets