13 Month NFL Season Continues To Steamroll The Competition

I know that the last time I wrote about how
the NFL season never seems to end I called it
an eleven month season, but after last night's
draft in NYC I find it only right to say to
you that I was wrong, and that thirteen months
is more like it.

I am exaggerating of course, but it is a mild
exaggeration at best. Keep in mind that last
night the draft had a much larger TV audience
then game seven of the New York Rangers, the
Ottawa Senators series in the NHL playoffs.
It's just the NHL you say? Well, the draft is
just like picking sides in a schoolyard pick up
game, game seven is GAME 7, in a sport that has
a reasonable size fan base in North America,
and was an actual game with scoring and stuff.
OK, did you even realize that is was the end of
the NBA season?, or that Kobe Bryant had a shot
at being the third oldest player ever to win a
scoring title, behind Michael Jordan, and, uh,
oh yeah, Michael Jordan? Catch any baseball
scores last night?

I'm certainly not trying to beat this to death,
but take a look around you and watch how many
of your fellow sports fans reference the draft
this weekend, and how many mention the playoffs
in the NHL or NBA, as well as the baseball season,
and that's when you'll realize that the NFL can
put almost any event head to head with any of the
other four or five major sports, and with about
70% of the time or more. What a cash cow !

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Eleven Month NFL Season & Draft Goes Twitter

Courtesy: Busted Coverage

Maybe it's not news to the great many of you who have
a Twitter account, and really, who doesn't? Very few,
that's who, but it is becoming more and more obvious
that everything NFL draft has gone a Twitter, so to
speak. You can't get away from it. Whether it's fans
asking guys prominent national scribes like Peter King
or Mel Kiper Jr. if their team has a shot at player A
in round 1 to player B in round 3, to asking more team
focused writers like Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa
Times or Christopher Hansen from Raidersblog whether or
not the new GM in Oakland Reggie McKenzie is going to
be able to do anything with the limited number of draft
picks he inherited.

The thing about this now is, the more time passes, the
more influence Twitter or the people on it are actually
having on the perception followers, and yes even writers
and team officials get. It's not news that players, and
even coaches constantly get their foot stuck in their
respective mouths for using bad judgement while
Tweeting, and in turn get fined, suspended, and even
fired, but this is now working to create spin too.

I recently saw where one writer suggested that a team
build up the guy expected to be available when it's
their turn so that they can then trade out that spot
and get better value for their pick. This is now not
only becoming the norm, but it's so subtle that you
don't even realize it's even happening.

I'm not surprised really, but have to admit that to me
it seems as though this is an evolution that the NFL,
and leagues have to love. Keeps them constantly relevant,
and constantly in the news. This type of free advertising
creates so much value that if the MLB LA Dodgers can sell
for $2.15Bil., then the NFL has to believe that any team
they decide to put in that very same market has to approach
a value of $3-4Bil. You just can't buy that sort of value
with so little an investment as Twitter has created.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Andrew Luck Or Peyton Manning?

Back in September I wrote a piece on how if the Colts
are in a position to draft first in the 2012 draft
and select Andrew Luck, they should pass. I said
trade the pick, get Manning a new weapon, and win now.
Now comes news that the Colts are in a bit of a bind,
in that they have to choose to either trade or release
Peyton by pre agreed to date March, or the Colts will
be on the hook for over 30 million dollars, and
Mannings health is not really getting much better.
It's possible that he may get a snap or two in December,
but is that really a good idea?

I stil think that sticking with Manning is the way to go,
if he's as healthy as he needs to be, but to play him in
order to make sure is a bad idea as far as I'm concerned.
He could get further injured, and just as bad, the Colts
might win a game or two. Why risk losing the top spot?
Whether you decide to pick Andrew Luck or not is pretty
much irrelevant here, what matters is that your season
stinks, and your fans deserve a reward. Choose Luck,
and he either gets to be an understudy to one of the
NFL's greatest or he has the same type of first season
Manning did his fist season, a stinker. Don't choose
Luck and trade down, get value, you have to go far,
team s like the Dolphins, and Broncos will be chomping
at the bit to get a shot at colleges golden boy,
either way you can take a team that wasn't so bad just
a year ago and put your team in a spot to compete again.

It's not an easy situation it's true, but there is a sea
of can't miss qb's in the NFL's past that missed, and
Missed pretty bad. Akili Smith, Tim Couch, David Carr,
JaMarcus Russell, Alex Smith, heck Ryan Leaf almost got
chosen ahead of Peyton Manning, do I need to go on?
You can draft a qb later in the first or second round,
pay less, and still wind up with a franchise qb.
Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Farve, when were
those guys drafted? Not number 1! I say let Manning
heal, put him on IR , and don' t go out of your way to
win. I'm not saying lose, but why jeapordize a spot
at truy stregthening your team for a long time?
"Don't SUCK for Luck", make your own luck!


Tweet Thank You Al Davis !