NFL Makes Another Rule Change to Try and Stop the Patriots

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USA Today – Special teams players trying to block a kick might have to resort to a new set of tricks next season. On Tuesday, NFL owners voted to outlaw players from leaping over offensive linemen on field goal or extra point attempts. The competition committee’s measure was endorsed by the NFL Players Association, with union president Eric Winston saying at the scouting combine that the tactic put players at risk. Players previously were permitted to vault over the line of scrimmage so long as they did not land directly on another person or use their hands or arms to gain leverage.

Just when Belichick is starting to get the hang of something the NFL goes and bans it. Yesterday the league voted to prohibit players from jumping over the offensive line to block a kick.

Why you ask? Because apparently playing a game of leap frog is a tactic that “puts players at risk.” Bullshit. You know what is a tactic that puts players at risk? Slant routes across the middle of the field.

This isn’t rugby where you have to lock arms with other players with no way of protecting yourself if you fall forward. This is a bunch of 300 pound guys in armor that would rival the Kingsguard.

I’m sure they can handle someone trying to Air Bud over them. I mean maybe the NFL worries about the guy jumping over the line getting speared to the moon, but hey thats the risk you take when you play the most violent sport in America.

I still picture Bill Polian at these meetings openly petitioning against this play like he’s lobbying against Big Tobacco because its something that Belichick and the Patriots have gotten good at. Like the time Polian openly bitched and moaned (while on the NFL Competition Committee) after 2003 when the Patriots absolutely mauled Peyton Manning and the Colts in the playoffs. So much so that the league created the new rule Illegal Contact, which helped spawn the flag football league that we know today.

All in all pretty uneventful rule changes, but the league is getting rid of the replay monitor on the sideline. Starting next year referees will have a handheld device and won’t have to run over and get under the hood for 20 minutes to determine a replay. So thats a welcome change. One rule change that didn’t pass that sounded excellent:

  • A proposal that would have placed the ball at the 20-yard line (rather than the 25) if a kickoff went through the uprights did not pass.

That would be awesome. Sebastian Janikowski just BOOTING the ball to try and save his teams 5 yards of field possession. I feel like theres going to be a change made to touchbacks sooner than later though since Belichick and other coaches have figured out they just can kick the ball to the 1, force the return man to come out and still bring them down before the 25. So that kind of negates the intentions of that initial rule change.

But hey, you mess around with the rules and smart coaches are gonna figure out the best way to manipulate them.

Hot Off the Press – Proposed NFL Rule Changes for 2017

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ESPN – Stephen Gostkowski’s powerful right leg could become more valuable to the Patriots if an unconventional rule is passed at this week’s NFL annual meeting. The rule would reward kickers who boot kickoffs through the uprights by spotting the football at the 20-yard line for a touchback instead of the 25.

Fifteen potential rule changes are on the docket at the NFL owners meetings this week, along with several bylaw and resolution proposals. You can view them all here.

The proposed rule change that excited me the most was the proposal by Washington, that “moves the line of scrimmage to the 20-yard line for any touchback where the free kick travels through the uprights.”

This is such an easy tweak, I don’t know why no one thought to propose it sooner. I have no problem with the NFL moving kickoffs back up to the 35-yard line, and moving touchbacks out to the 25-yard line, to reduce the number of kicks returned and to incentivize touchbacks. That is an easy and relatively quiet way to improve player safety. It removes a few pedestrian, yet possibly dangerous, plays a games.

This proposal seems like an easy way to reward good special teams play without putting players in harm’s way (like eliminating the fair catch rule would). Sure, teams in domes and teams with good kickers would probably benefit more but that can already be said about those teams’ kicking games in general. Playing outside in the cold year-round has its own set of benefits. It is with great pleasure that The 300s heartily endorses this proposal.

Other proposed rule changes concern instant replay. The proposals include “granting a third challenge if a club is successful on at least one of its initial two challenges,” (as opposed to both), and another proposal eliminates limits on a team’s number of challenges and what it can challenge.

I’m generally opposed to expanding instant replay. [Except last Friday. Can’t argue when the system works for you.] If I could tweak the replay rules in the NFL, I wouldn’t vote for either of these proposals.

I would propose a system that allows unlimited challenges, as long as your challenges are successful. You would lose the right to challenge after a your first unsuccessful  challenge. That way you don’t get burned if you get hosed more than three times a game, but you can’t challenge everything just to get free timeouts. Alternatively, I would treat the whole game like they currently treat the last two minutes of the half. Let a neutral arbitrator take control of the situation. Coaches shouldn’t have to strategize the replay game.

The Competition Committee also proposed shortening overtime to 10 minutes during the preseason and regular season. I don’t see the point of that as it would only result in more ties. If you really want to shorten overtime in the name of player safety, why not just get rid of it all together? There was no regular season overtime until 1974, and college football didn’t add overtime until 1996. If 60 minutes isn’t enough to decide a game, maybe that’s okay. It would also eliminate the advantage gained from winning the overtime coin flip that everyone hates.

The last resolution proposal I’ll touch on, proposed by Philadelphia, “amends the NFL’s On-Field Policy to allow clubs to have an alternate helmet in a color to match their third uniform.” Hallelujah. The uni-verse would rejoice. Nike would sell more merchandise. Pat Patriot would return. Literally no one loses here.

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Dolphins Owner Throws Shade at Raiders Mark Davis Who Responds By Grinding His Feet Into NFL’s Couch

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ESPN – The only owner to vote against the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told reporters here on Monday that he believes Raiders owner Mark Davis did not use all of his options to get a stadium deal done in Oakland.

So yesterday the NFL owners made official, almost unanimously, the relocation of the Raiders to Las Vegas. Almost unanimous because the vote was 31-1 with the Miami Dolphins being the only team to vote against the Las Vegas Raiders. So naturally I shit on Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for being the turd in the pool.

But then something happened. Stephen Ross made a really good point that threw me off. Mainly because I’ve never heard an owner be that transparent and blunt about why so many teams up and move their teams; stadium funding.

“There’s very little public money available for teams today. And if you own a team, you should have the deep pockets to deliver.”

Stephen Ross throwing SHADE at Mark Davis for moving his team because he couldn’t afford a new stadium in Oakland himself. Had to go slumming in Vegas for a $750 million handout. Super, super waspy quotes like a shoving match at the country club, but hilarious nonetheless. FOH with yo broke ass, Mark Davis.

Ross is also probably just sour grapes because he just ate $500 out of his own pocket to upgrade the Dolphins stadium. I got a feeling that Mark Davis, the guy who sports a bowl cut, has meetings at Hooters and drives a rape van, doesn’t really care what Stephen Ross has to say. In fact I bet he’s pretty happy to have swindled a $750 million check to move his operation down to the desert. Davis’ response? Fuck yo couch, Stephen Ross.

Live look at Mark Davis:

NFL Owners Approve Raiders Relocation to Las Vegas 31-1

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ESPN – The Oakland Raiders will move to Las Vegas after garnering enough votes from NFL owners on Monday to relocate to Southern Nevada. The Raiders received 31 of 32 votes to approve the move, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Twenty-four votes were needed. The Miami Dolphins were the only team to vote against the move, a source told Schefter.

Talk about a lot of drama for nothing; the NFL just approved this controversial move 31-1! With the Dolphins being the only team to say idk about this guys. So now after what feels like years of speculation, the Raiders are officially moving to Sin City. Get me a Las Vegas Raiders hat STAT!

Now the brand new stadium on the strip won’t be ready for another 2 seasons so ironically the Raiders will still be playing in Oakland for the next 2 seasons on the baseball diamond field. So that should be a fun fan experience as the Raiders prep to get the hell out of dodge. But, if you haven’t seen the artists renderings that Sports Illustrated posted today, this place is gonna be sick.

Eat your heart out Stank Kroenke, you can have LA, the Raiders are gonna continue to be the bad boys of the league in the most diabolical city in the country; Las Vegas.

I Am SHOCKED the NFL Has Yet to Accuse the Patriots of Collusion for Potential Malcolm Butler Trade

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As much as I would hate to see the Patriots trade a young stud cornerback in his prime, this would be the ultimate wink-wink trade between Bill Belichick and good friend Sean Payton.

I mean, the Patriots trade their only 1st round pick to the Saints for Brandin Cooks, who was originally rumored to be demanding a much higher price tag. Then not long after that trade becomes official, the rumors start to fly about the Patriots trading Malcolm Butler to the Saints for a 1st round pick. The 32nd overall pick. The same exact pick the Patriots just traded to the Saints.

Basically, if this trade were to go through, the Pats essentially traded Malcolm Butler and a 3rd round pick to the Saints for Brandin Cooks and a 4th rounder, with the 32nd overall pick coming back to New England. With all the subtle shit the Pats try and pull to get around the rules, I cannot believe that I don’t hear people screaming from the rooftops about collusion.

Remember when the NBA just straight up nixed the Hornets’ Chris Paul trade to the Lakers just because? Legit just said, nope fuck that you’re not getting Chris Paul. Or even the more directly relevant situation, when the Celtics basically tried to trade Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to the Clippers for DeAndre Jordan and the NBA shut that down too. The NBA didn’t like the fact that the C’s were combining a player and a coach in a deal so they nixed the deal. The C’s later dealt Doc to the Clippers for a 1st round pick (with both KG and DeAndre being removed), but if Doc to the Clippers and KG to the clippers were two separate deals from the start no one would have said shit, but because they were combined into one deal initially the NBA didn’t like it and basically screwed the Celtics out of any shot of landing DeAndre for KG later because the league viewed it as collusion; a quid pro quo deal based around the Doc deal. Total horse shit.

Maybe thats what Belichick learned. The guy is an elephant. Separate the deals. Leave no room for opposition and then execute ruthlessly. Dude is like a Lannister really. I guess no one is bitching because Butler getting traded actually makes the Patriots worse, not better. But keep your ears open. The Patriots are “always cheating” so its only a matter of time until that narrative comes up again.

Joe Thomas Nails It On Why Colin Kaepernick is Still a Free Agent

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Joe Thomas is the beacon of truth in the NFL. He is beyond refreshing as a currently active and actually elite player speaking out on all kinds of issues. Obviously him roasting Roger Goodell on the absurdity of Deflategate created a whole new region of fans championing him. All that aside, I encourage every player to speak out, there’s nothing I hate more in sports than the bullshit canned responses from players that answer absolutely nothing. Regardess of how you feel about Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem doesn’t matter here. Joe Thomas hits the nail on the head as to why the former 49ers QB is unemployed.

Oh right, because he was on TV every single day. Not for highlight reel plays. Not for winning games. For personal reasons. And again whether you’re with Kaep or not isn’t the point here. NFL teams do not want to deal with media scrutiny, questions, protests, backlash etc. ESPECIALLY if you suck. If Tom Brady were drumming up all kinds of shit for, oh I don’t know, say an alleged cheating scandal, the team backs their guy or at the very least deals with it because he’s the GOAT.

Colin Kaepernick wasn’t even the best QB on his team while surrounded by bums like Blaine Gabbert.

So yea, NFL teams don’t want to hear any shit from a borderline starter in the league. But then Joe Thomas brings it home with the one thing that is true of all good teams, none better at it than the New England Patriots.

I think the whole “Patriot Way” thing gets blown out of proportion because of the Patriots level of success and their perceived arrogance. So when they go out and sign a questionable guy, everyone rails against them because apparently the Patriot Way means you only sign choir boys, when in reality it means you Do. Your. Job. The Patriots are a goddamn machine. We had assholes like Corey Dillon. We had bad dudes like Albert Haynesworth. We had media storms like TIM TEBOW. We had an (alleged) MASS MURDERER in Aaron Hernandez. Bill deals with it and moves on. No distractions. Just Do. Your. Job.

Being all over TV for a cause you believe in is admirable, but when you don’t have the leverage (being a good quarterback), then you aren’t going to have the same platform. Thats why Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a job.

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Lobster Poutine

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Boston Globe – In the past, Fenway Park has refrained from indulging in extravagant ballpark food trend, opting for tradition over Guy Fieri-esque creations.

But that might be changing this year, if ever so slightly. In addition to Chris Sale, Red Sox fans can look forward to a slate of exotic seafood concessions this season at Fenway.

The new 2017 menu includes a “Lobster Poutine Stak,” a New England take on the French-Canadian late-night delicacy. According to Fenway Park food vendor Aramark, the dish consists of steak fries, covered in fresh lobster meat, cheese curds, bisque, and chives.

I’m old enough to remember when people thought it was cute and funny that Fenway Park was selling clam chowder at April home games. I’m generally opposed to soup at ballparks, but  I’ll allow clam chowder at Fenway. It can’t be any worse than clam chowder out of the can from the supermarket, and it is a New England delicacy being served in New England. If I hear Cincinnati is selling clam chowder I may have a different opinion. Lobster Poutine is where I draw the line, though.

Fenway held its ground as long as it could offering up little more than hot dogs, popcorn, cracker jacks, soda, coffee and beer. The introduction of pizza, burgers and chicken tenders was a welcome sight. Clam chowder and craft beer were understandable. At least they weren’t serving deep-fried nachos on a stick or mac and cheese cones. While greatly overpriced, the concessions at Fenway still had some modesty. Not any more.

Poutine has to be the fastest growing appetizer in the food industry. The basic ingredients are easy enough – french fries, gravy and cheese – and it is also easy to upgrade and customize. With that in mind, Fenway is jumping on two bandwagons – poutine and the crazy ballpark food trend.

Call me skeptical, but I question the quality of ballpark lobster. I imagine it would be similar to gas station steak. At least with gas station steak all parties involved know what they’re getting into. In exchange for questionable meat you can make a steak for four bucks. Can’t wait to see what the actual retail price is for lobster poutine at Fenway. I’ll bid $23, Drew.

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The Stars Are Aligning to Make Las Vegas the Greatest Sports Town in America

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CBS Sports – “The Oakland Raiders are going to move to Las Vegas. I am finally convinced of it. After being a skeptic throughout this process and especially in the aftermath of owner Mark Davis’ deal with casino magnate Sheldon Adelson falling apart around the Super Bowl, there are too many people I trust telling me this has become basically a fait accompli for me to deny it any longer. By Monday night, Davis will be cracking open the bubbly and toasting to his future on the Strip, because with the NFL including a formal vote on Vegas on its official agenda for the annual spring meeting, there is almost no time for this to fall apart now.”

First there was the NHL, which sacked up with the Golden Knights who will be making their Las Vegas debut in the 2017-18 season. Now after all the rumors and speculation it seems like the Las Vegas Raiders might finally become a reality. We all know that the Raiders have basically been trying to get out of Oakland because their stadium is a shit hole. They play on a baseball field for christ’s sake.

And it seems like Oakland is all set on footing the $750 million bill for a brand new stadium. So lifelong fans and tradition be damned, Mark Davis is taking his ball and moving to Las Vegas.

Obviously this could go off the rails for any number of reasons, as it almost did recently when Goldman Sachs dropped out of the funding. But it seems like this is about as close to a done deal as you can get.

“This is going to happen,” said one well-connected league source who has been in close contact with many influential owners on this matter. “Enough people will hold their noses and pray for the best and vote this through. Oakland — and by Oakland I mean the government officials there — hasn’t stepped up nearly enough, and the league is ready to put this to a vote. And while there is some trepidation about this market, it is going to pass.”

So Vegas is obviously already the most debaucherous city in the world but now add in TWO professional sports teams? My god, the stars are aligning for this to be the greatest sports town in America. Picture this, flying in for a weekend gambling your balls off, then heading over to watch the Golden Knights, maybe place a (legal) bet 90 seconds before walking into the rink, then getting bombed at a hockey game in the desert and hitting the “casino” til 4 am afterwards. Sleep, wake up, grab some bloody Mary’s, head down the strip to see DA RAIDERRRRSS and day drink until you can’t feel feelings anymore. All after placing a few (legal) prop bets of course.

I heard someone mention this on 98.5 this morning and its 100% true. The Raiders are going to have the greatest home field advantage in the league. Just think about it, half of these guys can’t control themselves in shit holes like Atlanta and Jacksonville. Now you’re going to drop them in downtown Las Vegas? The ones who don’t get arrested for prostitution and cocaine are going to be hungover as balls on Sunday.

I demand a hockey/football/casino weekend the likes of a degenerate has never seen before.

Make it happen, NFL.

Friday Morning Randomness

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NCAA Tournament time seems like the perfect time to revisit this gem. Bobby Knight sounding a lot like me on Sunday night as my bracket crumbled like the Atlanta Falcons.

Boston College never should’ve fired Al Skinner. That being said, I wish they brought in Bobby Knight instead of the stiffs they did. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t watch that. All of sudden that BC/Vermont matchup on a Wednesday night in December looks a lot more interesting. You don’t know what Bobby Coach Knight is going to say or do next!

There are dozens of videos on YouTube with more classic Bobby Knight. Maybe the game has passed him by, but he always ran clean programs. If you can’t be good, you might as well be interesting and bring this guy in. Asses in seats, guaranteed.

Bruins Drop Fourth Straight Game; Time to Hit the Panic Button

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Are the Bruins really gonna do this again? Are they really gonna collapse down the stretch and miss the playoffs for the THIRD straight year?

Last night was an embarrassment as they legitimately could not hold a lead for more than 2 minutes. Every time they scored, the Lightning scored. Until the Bruins finally stopped scoring and Tampa Bay just kept right on, tuning them up for their 4th straight loss. That is some shitty hockey, amiright Barry?

Now with 8 games left the Bruins have slipped to the second Wild Card spot. They’re 2 points up on the Islanders as they cling to that final spot. And guess who the Bruins are playing tomorrow night? Yup, the Islanders. So if they lose yet again and blow their fifth straight then the free fall will be complete. The Islanders also have 2 games in hand over the Bruins so that’ll be fun to watch over the next two weeks. Look I did not sign up to do math equations and statistical probability. If I wanted to pretend to do math, I’d go back to playing Pokemon Red on my laptop during Math 110 in college.

Or we could ya know just start winning again and take back the 8 seed from Toronto, but with a loss to them the other night the B’s are now 3 points back and things are looking grim. I had 1/4 season ticket package last year and I swear the Bruins lost probably 8/10 of those games so naturally I didn’t renew. And now for the 3rd straight year we’re on the verge of this shit happening again.

The ONLY thing I ask is that Tuukka stays away from Buff’s Pub for the next 2 weeks because we cannot afford to have him bailing on games over a tummy ache.