Joe Namath says Hard Knocks was a mistake, Patriots are "stronger team" than Jets

In the debut of The Broadway Blitz on Sirius NFL Radio with Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath and Adam Schein, Schein asked Namath whether it was a mistake for the Jets to be the subject of this year’s Hard Knocks.

“I think so,” Namath said.  “I think it is for any team that’s going to work to do their best to get to be their best.  It’s what we call ‘distractions.’  You’re going to spend more time away from thinking about your position, your job, and the details of it when you’ve got other things going on around you that you’re partaking in.  It has to be a distraction and you can’t have spent as much time on your mental preparation and homework as you would have without the distractions.  So, yeah, I don’t think it was a positive.”

Namath attributed the team’s offensive struggles on Monday night to execution and not play-calling, and he thinks that quarterback Mark Sanchez was “harried” due to age and inexperience.

“Granted he played last season, but a second year quarterback is certainly not as wily as he is going to be in his fourth or fifth year having experienced a whole lot of things that he hasn’t as of yet,” Namath said.  “The game will slow down to him.  He’s running a game at a faster pace, certainly in his head, than Tom Brady is running in his head as far as feeling the speed.  Brady is thinking of more things than Mark Sanchez at a comfortable mode, a mode that he has practiced, rehearsed, and done again and again over the years of experience.  Mark Sanchez, the only flaw he has is his age and his experience at this point.”

Namath also believes that the Patriots are a “stronger team” at this point.  “[T]hey are balanced on both sides of the ball,” Namath explained. “The big question mark about the Patriots, other than [Wes] Welker’s knee coming into the season offensively, was their young defense, so to speak.  New England had a fortunate game last week and [were] able to create a couple of things to build up a fast lead, so school’s still out a bit on their defense.

“I still have to see the Jets offense be able to put up some points because the defense is overworked out on that field.  If Brady can keep the Jets defense out on that field anywhere close to what Baltimore did, they’re going to be a tired bunch and the Patriots will outscore the Jets.  For the Jets to win that game, they’ve got to play their best with the special teams scoring something as well.”

It’s a good thing that Namath led the Jets to their only Super Bowl title.  Otherwise, plenty of Jets fans would conclude based on his attempt to objectively assess the team that he in fact “hates” them.

Getty Images

At a time when pro sports teams are having a hard time getting public money, the Redskins finagled a brand-new training camp location in Richmond, Virginia.  According to the Mechanicsville (Virginia) Local, the $10.8 million facility is scheduled to be completed by June 30.

The project has been fully funded by the Richmond Economic Development Authority, which initially approved $10 million for the facility but recently had to come up with an additional $800,000.  The Redskins are contributing nothing but their presence, which is expected to attract $8.5 million annually in tourism, hotel, and restaurant dollars.

It’s amazing that more teams don’t make similar if-you-build-it-we-will-come offers to the communities in their home market.  All it takes is one city to say yes and, voila, the team has a free-of-charge place to conduct training camp.

And if they need any appliances or other accessories that can be purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond, the Redskins need only ask their starting quarterback to open up a new registry.

Getty Images

Joe Theismann’s prostate gives him fits.  He thinks LeBron James could do the same to NFL defenses.

According to Chris Thomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com, Theismann believes LeBron could play quarterback in the NFL.

Not now, but when LeBron is done with playing basketball.  After all, most franchise quarterbacks are on the wrong side of 30, with more than a few north of 35.

“I would love to work him out and also serve as his agent,” Theismann said.  “I’ll go wherever he wants this summer.  He could play another four years in the NBA before seriously trying the NFL. . . .  There are not a lot of 38- or 39-year-old basketball players, but there are 38- and 39-year-old quarterbacks, so there’s always time for him.”

The comments flow from LeBron’s recent musings about whether he could have played quarterback.

“I wouldn’t count him out,” Theismann said.  “He’s the most tremendous physical specimen in all of sports.  I think he’s certainly talented enough.  He’s intelligent.  He’s like the quarterback on the Miami Heat, but there are so many things [to being an NFL quarterback].

“There’s reading defenses. There’s throwing the ball with touch. There’s throwing a spiral in the wind.  Maybe his hands are too big.  The football is a different shape, and a basketball is obviously a lot bigger than a football.”

So why is Theismann willing to help James?  “I need a job,” Theismann said.

Apparently, hawking prostate pills doesn’t pay as much as you’d think.

Getty Images

We applauded Colts owner Jim Irsay for contributing up to $25,000 in matching donations to the tornado relied effort in Oklahoma.  So we need to at least mention that Texans owner Bob McNair has pledged $100,000 to the effort, too.

Specifically, McNair and his wife, Janice, made the donation to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma Disaster Relief Fund.

“We were very concerned about what’s happened up there,” McNair said, via the Houston Chronicle.  “It’s total devastation.  The group that we’ve dedicated these funds to, they go in and they have mobile kitchens; they go in and provide meals, water, bedding and all kinds of everyday kind of support that you need.

“We just wanted to reach out to them and let them know that we’re concerned about them.”

Two Texans are Oklahoma City natives — defensive end Antonio Smith and safety Deji Karim.  One of Smith’s cousins lost a home in the tornado.

Let us know if other teams or owners have made contributions.  We want to be sure to give the proper credit for those who have showed charity.  Not because they should be doing it for the credit, but because the generosity hopefully will inspire others to do the same.

AP

Much like his boss, Chip Kelly, Jeff Stoutland had absolutely no NFL experience before he was hired as the Eagles’ offensive line coach. But Stoutland says that’s no problem.

Stoutland was Alabama’s offensive line coach the last two seasons and has also coached at Miami, Michigan State, Syracuse, Cornell and Southern Connecticut. In all those years in college, Stoutland says, he had a philosophy of coaching physical football, and he thinks his approach will translate well to the next level.

“I don’t think you have to change anything,” Stoutland said, via Philly.com. “I think the reason Chip brought me here, Chip likes physical football. I think the perception of this type of offense is that it’s not physical. Even my former players were joking about it. But this stuff is no different than what I was teaching at Alabama. Football is a game of angles. It’s all angles. I don’t care if you’re run-blocking or you’re pass-setting. You’ve got to calculate your angle based on what’s in front of you. And you gotta hit it 100 mph. I haven’t changed one bit.”

When a reporter asked whether it was really true that Stoutland hadn’t changed a thing from the way he coached in a more prototypical offense at Alabama to coaching in Kelly’s faster-paced offense, Stoutland insisted that he has changed nothing.

“I haven’t. I swear to you,” Stoutland said. “That’s the perception, but it’s not true. We run a lot of the same plays here that we ran there.”

And Stoutland will coach the same way in Philadelphia as he did at Alabama. Where he coached the best offensive line in college football.

Getty Images

As Browns owner Jimmy Haslam periodically opts to talk confidently about the legal issues embroiling the truck-stop company he runs, the prosecutors assigned to the case have remained eerily silent.

Eventually, they’ll speak via indictments and, ultimately, evidence introduced at trial.  Haslam’s tightrope routine, balancing his company’s business interests against his personal legal predicament, has created the impression that, yes, something happened but that, no, he’s not responsible for it.

Whatever happened, David Lewen and Francis “Trey” Hamilton are working to get to the bottom of it.  As explained by John Caniglia of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the pair of young, aggressive prosecutors quietly are leading the investigation.

“They’re excellent prosecutors, very knowledgeable and very diligent,” said Hugh Ward, a defense lawyer who previously worked with both men in the Knoxville U.S. Attorney’s office.  “Both are good people, personally.  They’re top of the line.”

Lewen, 37, has prosecuted drug crimes involving complex hierarchies.  Hamilton, 41, prosecutes white-collar crime, like the ones that eventually could be alleged against multiple employees of Pilot Flying J.

John Sammon, a former IRS agent and retired federal prosecutor, explained the key similarity between complex drug crimes and white-collar prosecutions:  “You work from the bottom to the top.”

With one Pilot Flying J employee already quoted in an affidavit as saying Haslam knew about the alleged rebate/discount scam, the prosecutors could be searching for and/or piecing together evidence that would prove conclusively that Haslam or other key employees at the precipice of the Pilot Flying J pyramid either condoned the alleged fraud or ordered it.

And that possibility should send a chill from the bottom to the top of Haslam’s spine.

AP

Notre Dame starting quarterback Everett Golson has been kicked out of school for academic reasons, but that doesn’t have him thinking about the 2014 NFL draft.

Instead, Golson says his goal is to be back at Notre Dame in 2014.

“I have been informed by the University of Notre Dame that due to my poor academic judgment that I have been suspended from the University for the 2013 Fall Term,” Golson said in a statement. “I want to thank the University of Notre Dame for the opportunity already granted and also the opportunity going forth to regain my eligibility in the winter of 2014.”

Golson is only two years out of high school, so he wouldn’t be eligible for this year’s supplemental draft even if he wanted to head to the NFL. It’s still possible that he could change his mind and enter the 2014 draft, but Golson has some work to do as a passer before he’d be considered a strong NFL prospect.

So Golson is wise to keep his focus on regaining his college eligibility. If he’s ever ready for the NFL, it won’t be until 2015, at the earliest.

Getty Images

His time with Jets coach Rex Ryan over, safety Jim Leonhard opted last month to join the team that includes Rob Ryan on the coaching staff.  Leonhard quickly learned that these fraternal twins don’t simply look like they’re identical.

“Personality-wise, they’re very similar,” Leonhard said recently, via the Baton Rouge Advocate.  “It’s scary.”

The coaches, who can be fiery and combative, both preach to players that football should be enjoyed.

“It’s a lot of fun playing for them because they keep things interesting,” Leonhard said.  “They make football fun; that’s their biggest thing.  Rex always said that it’s a game for kids, and Rob uses the same kind of [motivational] stuff.

“They say that you’re very fortunate to be playing, so you should have fun doing it.”

But it’s not always fun listening to Rob Ryan.

“[H]e knows what we have to do, and he’s been very blunt and very in your face about it,” Leonhard said.  “There are going to be expectations of the defense, so he laid it out there on Day One.”

The good news for the Saints flows from the bulk of last year’s bad news.  With an historically bad defense in 2012, it won’t take much improvement to propel the Saints back to the postseason.

“There’s a bunch of guys in here with a bad taste in their mouth,” Leonhard said.  “They know what winning feels like, and they want to get back to that.”

With Rob Ryan there and coach Sean Payton back and quarterback Drew Brees still in place, we’ve got a feeling that they will.

AP

New Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace says arriving in Miami has been like going back to school.

Wallace said the Dolphins have a lot of young guys in the locker room who are enthusiastic and spirited, and that reminds him more of his college days at Ole Miss than his four seasons with the Steelers.

“Everybody has a college mentality around here,” Wallace told the Miami Herald. “It’s a lot different than where I came from. Everybody’s hungry. Everybody wants to get better, get to where we need to be — that’s a winning record.”

The Dolphins are obviously enjoying themselves this offseason, with Wallace sounding excited, Ryan Tannehill saying Wallace is the fastest player he’s ever thrown to, and Brian Hartline saying the Dolphins have the best receivers in the division. What remains to be seen is whether that college atmosphere translates to winning NFL games.

Reuters

In the wake of the Lions’ 4-12 finish last season, there was a lot of talk about the need for more accountability and leadership from the team’s younger players.

The leadership need is even more acute now that the Lions have said goodbye to veterans like Jeff Backus, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams this offseason. One player that the Lions are looking at to fill that void is defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and coach Jim Schwartz thinks that Suh is making steps in that direction.

“That’s something he’s embraced,” Schwartz said, via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “He’s been working very hard and he’s sort have been, I don’t want to say waiting for that opportunity, but when he came in as a rookie, he came in to a group that had a lot of veteran players, guys that had a lot of experience in the league and he did a good job learning behind those guys. But now that he’s a young veteran, it’s time for him and a lot of other guys to start showing that leadership and that comes from this time of year, comes from training camp, it comes from the regular season. Yeah, it’s time for guys like that to step up into some of those roles.”

McCosky includes the quote from Schwartz in a column urging the Lions to let Suh focus on playing with the hope that he turns into a player whose play makes him a leader “by deed” instead of words. McCosky references Calvin Johnson as another player who does that for the Lions and thinks Suh can have a similar impact on the defense. Linebacker Stephen Tulloch agrees with that assessment of the style that best suits Suh.

“No, he’s a quiet guy, you know how Suh is,” Tulloch said. “But I will say this, he’s very dominant. I can’t get mad at him. He can be as quiet as he wants. He’s probably the most dominant defensive tackle I’ve ever been around.”

If Suh can be as dominant as Tulloch says, it would make little difference whether or not he’s a rah-rah guy in team meetings or a Ray Lewis-type emotional leader in the huddle. The Lions should prioritize getting Suh to play at that level while letting the naturally vocal leaders on the team find their voices.

AP

Call it the Kenny Vaccaro effect.

With a rookie first-round safety in the fold, veteran safety Roman Harper has opted to re-do his deal in a way that creates major cap savings for the team.

Per a source with knowledge of the contract, Harper’s cap number for 2013 has plunged from $7.15 million to $3.66 million.  That equates to a cap savings of $3.49 million.

Harper’s base salary was converted from $5.25 million to a guaranteed salary of $840,000, and $2.91 million of the salary has been shifted to a signing bonus.  Previously, only $2.6 million of Harper’s salary for 2013 was guaranteed; he emerges with $3.75 million guaranteed for the year.  However, his total cash for 2013 has dropped from $5.35 million to $3.85 million.

Harper’s cap number for 2014 also has dropped from $7.9 million to $5.87 million, via a reduction in the money he’s due to earn from $6.15 million to $3.15 million.

The new deal extends Harper’s contract by one more year, via a base salary of $2.7 million, a roster bonus of $650,000, and a workout bonus of $150,000 in 2015.

If Harper is cut next year with a pre-June 1 designation, the Saints would carry $2.72 million in dead money in 2014 and $970,000 in 2015.

Getty Images

Gantt recently pointed out that 49ers center Jonathan Goodwin reduced his salary from $3.7 million to $2.5 million.  But he created even more than $1.2 million in cap space for the team.

Per a source with knowledge of the deal, Goodwin also gave up $665,000 in so-called “likely to be earned” incentives, which while not vested nevertheless counted against the cap.

As a result, Goodwin’s cap number of $5.016 million has dropped to $3.166 million, creating $1.85 million in cap space.

In exchange for giving up $1.85 million in potential earnings this year, $1 million of Goodwin’s base salary is now fully guaranteed.

In 2011, Goodwin signed a three-year deal with a $2 million signing bonus and $4 million guaranteed.  The new deal was signed on May 23.

Getty Images

The Steelers ponied up the cash to match the Patriots’ offer for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders this offseason, assuring that the team would not wind up losing two of their top three receivers to other AFC clubs.

Keeping Sanders beyond this year is still up in the air, however. Sanders is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013 season and said during an interview with 93.7 The Fan   last week that contract talks are going on with the team right now. Sanders’ agent doesn’t expect those conversations to amount to a deal, however.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Jordan Woy said that he believes unrestricted free agency is likely for Sanders and that it would take a “very good deal” from the Steelers for his client to pass up the opportunity to talk to other teams.

Sanders has said that he wants to remain in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers aren’t likely to pay Sanders for what he might do in an expanded role in the offense now that Mike Wallace is in Miami. Based on what Woy said, Sanders seems equally unlikely to agree to a deal that pays him based on his production to this point in his career, which could set up a situation where a breakout year for Sanders windes up making him less likely to return to Pittsburgh in 2014.

Getty Images

It’s rare to see a player rework a contract a little more than a month after initially signing it, but that’s just what Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman did this week.

In Thursday’s release of transactions around the league, the NFL announced that Edelman and the Patriots had agreed to a renegotiated deal. Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com reports that the restructuring shifted $40,000 of a $50,000 workout bonus to a roster bonus that Edelman will receive if he is on the roster for the first week of the season.

Edelman is still recovering from the foot injury that ended his 2012 season and has not been able to participate fully in the team’s offseason workout program as a result. Shifting the parameters for the bonus allows him to recoup some of that money despite his injury as long as he doesn’t wind up getting cut as the Pats make their way to 53 players. It’s easy to understand why Edelman would agree to the tweak and the move acknowledges that the Patriots would have expected a healthy Edelman to be fully engaged during the offseason schedule.

None of the money in Edelman’s contract is guaranteed and Yates reports that there were also some slight alterations to incentives available to Edelman based on how many receptions he winds up with next season. The maximum potential value of the deal remains $1.015 million.

AP

There’s been some talk this offseason that the Ravens were forced to part ways with players like Dannell Ellerbe, Ed Reed and Anquan Boldin because the contract extension given to quarterback Joe Flacco ate up too much cap space.

That may be true, but Flacco’s agent says that the blame should go to the Ravens rather than Flacco. Joe Linta told Jim Corbett of USA Today that contract extension talks with the Ravens broke down in 2012 over a difference of $1 million in non-guaranteed base salary in the final year of what would have been a six-year deal. Linta said that wound up costing the Ravens $35 million over the life of the deal and he wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts about the Ravens’ decision-making.

“I’ve never in my life seen a dumber move. I guess people can say, ‘Well, Joe was dumb, too.’ It could have been (dumb), God forbid, if he got hurt. But $1 million to Steve Bisciotti six years from now? That’s like 100 bucks for you or me today,” Linta said.

Linta also isn’t sympathetic about the fact that the Ravens will almost certainly have to restructure the deal in three years to avoid a cap number of $28.55 million for Flacco in the 2016 season.

“I’m not apologetic for the fact this is really a three-year deal, there’s no way they can afford $29 million a couple of years from now,” Linta said. “I’m not apologetic. They chose to walk away.”

Now that the dust has settled on a busy offseason for the Ravens, the moves they made haven’t left the team looking too much worse than they would have if everyone returned from the championship team. Things likely would have played out differently if Flacco had signed last year, but it will be some time before we can know whether their “dumb” move hurt the team in the long run.

AP

The Dolphins spent a lot of money on receivers this offseason as part of an effort to boost their offensive production in 2013.

There were a lot of people who thought they needed to address left tackle as well after Jake Long left for the Rams as a free agent and the Dolphins certainly flirted with possibilities, including a trade for Branden Albert of the Chiefs. They never acquired anyone at the spot, though, and then signed Tyson Clabo to play right tackle after the draft. That means Jonathan Martin will be manning the left side of the line and the early returns on his work in practice are good.

“He’s more fluid over there,” center Mike Pouncey said, via the team’s website. “You can tell when he’s kick sliding that way he’s more comfortable being in a left-handed stance. Obviously, he wanted to play over there last year but he was forced to play the right side and I think he’s going to do a great job.”

Right guard John Jerry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill gave similar reviews of Martin’s performance, although any talk of May practice work must be tempered with the large grain of salt that comes with football played at something less than full speed. The ultimate result of those other big offseason moves will have much to do with Martin’s ability to live up to these early notices because the best receivers in the world won’t help Tannehill if he doesn’t have time to throw.