Hernandez denied bail

By: Michael Tellier

The now former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was denied bail by Superior Court Judge Renee Dupuis on Thursday, for his alleged involvement with the death of 27-year-old semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd.  Let me say that I couldn’t be happier with this decision.

It’s about time our justice system starts treating athletes like real people, instead of acting like they are above the law.  Dupuis felt as if Hernandez may be a flight risk if he was granted bail, but I say that the guy has been charged with first degree murder so let him sit in jail.  It’s pretty clear that the guy was involved with this murder in some way.  Authorities removed about 15 or 16 bags of evidence from his house.

I also love that the Patriots decided to release Hernandez, which I thought at first was a bit too soon, but with Hernandez now gone along with Wes Welker, the Patriots may be facing a bit of a rebuilding season.  Not to mention the fact that I don’t think that they will be able to use Gronkowski nearly as much as they have in the past due to all of the surgeries that the TE has undergone in the offseason.

It’s going to be interesting to see where the Patriots wind up at the end of the upcoming season.  But I think that Hernandez can pretty much kiss his NFL career good bye, because despite the fact that he is a solid player, I’m not sure any team would want to take a chance on him after this.

Lions sign defensive end Israel Idonije to one year deal

By: Michael Tellier

According to ProFootballTalk.com, the Detroit Lions have signed defensive end Israel Idonije to a one year contract. 

I personally think that this was a smart deal for the Lions because Idonije has a lot of experience and talent, and could really help the Lions defense out.

I also like the fact that the Lions signed him to a one year contract.  I feel like players always work the hardest when they are on their contract year.  And despite the fact that Idonije is 32-years-old I still feel like he can make a difference for the Lions.

Idonije has been solid in the last three seasons with 20.5 sacks.  He has also proven to be very versatile going from the left side on running downs, and moving inside as a pass rusher for the nickel packages.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Idonije performs alongside rookie Ziggy Ansah, veteran Jason Jones and rotational end Willie Young this coming season.  It will also be interesting to see how he performs against his former team (Chicago Bears).

Jake Locker is not a franchise QB

  

By: Michael Tellier

In the past week or so many articles have been written talking about how genuine and kind Tennessee Titans QB Jake Locker is.  His teammates all support him and want him to succeed, but I think the bigger question is whether or not Locker can get the Titans to the playoffs.  I would have to say no to this.

Locker is entering in to his third season in the NFL, and I must admit that during the five games that he played as a rookie in 2011, I became a fan and thought that the Titans organization might be on to something.  He proved to be a fairly mobile quarterback, with a decent arm and had a no quit attitude.

However, in 2012 he threw for only 10 touchdowns on the season with 11 interceptions leading the Titans to a 6-10 record; which did not improve on the team’s 9-7 record in 2011.  It could very well be that he just had a sophomore slump type of season, but I think that maybe Locker played above himself in his first season.

It’s really too bad because I like Locker as a player.  I think he’s a good teammate and a hard worker, which believe it or not is not an easy trait to find in a lot of NFL players these days.  But I don’t think that he will become the franchise QB that the Titans are hoping for.  I also think that if Locker doesn’t put on a solid performance this year, he could be sitting the bench; whither it is for the Titans or someone else.   

Patriots woe’s continue

By: Michael Tellier

 New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick should be concerned with the upcoming season.  Despite the fact that pre-season games haven’t even started yet, problems in the Patriots organization continue to come up.

Not only are the Patriots dealing with TE Rob Gronkowski’s current surgery situation, but now they also have to deal with TE Aaron Hernandez’s legal problems as well.  Police recently paid a visit to Hernandez’s home in Massachusetts to question him about connection to a homicide.  And now Hernandez is facing a civil law suit.  The suit claims that on February 13 Hernandez got in to an altercation with another man at a strip club.  The complaint later goes on to say that while driving Hernandez discharged a weapon that struck the man, causing him to lose his right eye amongst other injuries he sustained.

Now I’m not saying that Hernandez is going to wind up in jail, but I do think that the league may suspend him a few games for being involved in something like this.  I have seen many situations that were less serious than this, result in players being suspended for 4-6 games. 

I personally thought before all of this happened that the Patriots might be in a little trouble offensively with all of the surgeries that Gronkowski has undergone, but if they lose Hernandez for three of four games during the regular season, their offense could be in serious trouble.

I don’t think that Belichick should hit the panic button just yet, but he does need to be concerned with the way things are going.

Forget about Te’o’s fake girlfriend scandal

By: Michael Tellier

People need to forget about Te’o’s fake girlfriend story.  Was it wrong of him to make up such a ridiculous lie? Yes it was, but the guy is in the NFL now and what people should be worrying about is how he conducts himself from now on.

I mean if he wouldn’t have been drafted because of the scandal I would have understood that and frankly I wouldn’t have felt sorry for the guy, because the lie he made up was terrible.  However, the San Diego Chargers clearly see something in him.

Ever since mini camps began the media has questioned players about the scandal.  QB Philip Rivers recently spoke on the matter and said that people need to just drop the issue and basically stated that it is yesterday’s news.  And I agree with him.

Plain and simple the story is old, and in my opinion Te’o made the lie up in the first place to get attention, so stop giving it to him.  Let him play the game and hopefully mature in to a solid NFL player.  

Chad Johnson will not return to the NFL

By: Michael Tellier

The latest news in Chad Johnson’s downward spiral is that he will be receiving 30 days in jail.  Johnson playfully slapped his lawyer on the butt right before the judge was going to approve the former WR’s no-jail plea.  After the judge saw Johnson slap his lawyer’s backside, she felt he wasn’t taking it seriously and sentenced him to 30 days in jail.   

Now I’ve seen the video of Johnson on ESPN.com like three times, and it didn’t seem like he was really being over the top unprofessional; as a former pro athlete that kind of stuff happens on the field all the time and it seemed like this was just his way of saying good job to his lawyer.  But when you’re in court obviously you should know not to do things like that. I think that after this, Johnson has made sure that he won’t return to the NFL.

I can’t for see any team wanting to put up with him for any length of time.  The guy always has to have attention, and in his last few seasons in the league, he was anything but spectacular.  Now you tack on the fact that he is a problem off the field as well.

Plain and simple, I think the NFL has grown wise to Johnson’s antics, and if the league is smart, no one will ever bring him back to the NFL.

Patriots make terrible Move signing Tebow

By: Michael Tellier

Why on earth did the New England Patriots sign QB Tim Tebow.  Last time I checked the Patriots already have a pretty good QB.

In my opinion the only way Tebow is going to fit in to any offense, is if he is the starter and the offense adapts to his Florida offense style.  Bringing him in every thirteen plays to run the same exact run over and over again isn’t going to get the job done (which is exactly what happened in New York).

According to NFL sources, Tebow signed a two-year contract that includes no guaranteed money.  Emphasis on the no guaranteed money part.  This is an experiment that is going to go nowhere.  The Patriots have arguably the best QB in the league to begin with, and don’t need a guy coming in off the bench to disrupt the flow of their offense just so he can run the same play over and over again.  By now teams have to know that there is at least an 85 percent chance that the guy is going to run the ball.  I mean come on; he has trouble throwing a 15-yard pass.

Tebow was a success in Denver because he was the starter and the offense adapted to him, which will never happen in New England, because unless Brady gets hurt, Tebow will not start.

Plaxico Burress can make a difference inside the red zone

By: Michael Tellier

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Plaxico Burress still thinks he can be a dominant force inside the red zone, and I believe him.

At 35-years-old I think it’s safe to say that his best days are behind him, but let’s not forget that the guy is 6 foot 5 which will make him a huge offensive target inside the red zone.

In his past two seasons in the NFL, Burress’s numbers have gone down drastically, and like I said before, I believe his best days are behind him; but I think that if he is used the right way inside the red zone, that he can be very efficient this coming season.

As tall and big as he is defenders will have no choice but to guard him tight, which could help free up other receivers.  So, even if he isn’t scoring as many touchdowns he can still be used as a valuable decoy.  I think the Steelers will play it smart and not use him too much going down the field, but inside the red zone, I think they would be stupid not to use him.  If used correctly, I think Burress could have seven to 10 touchdowns this season.  

I wouldn’t recommend you put him on your fantasy team, but definitely look for Burress to have a good season with the Steelers.

Chiefs could turn the corner this season

By: Michael Tellier

The Kansas City Chiefs have been pretty busy in the offseason.  With the acquisitions of QB Alex Smith, TE Anthony Fasano and former Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid.

Last season Smith led the NFL in completion percentage with the San Francisco 49ers, before losing his starting spot to Colin Kaepernick.  This season I believe Smith will try to solidify his place in Kansas City, as the starting QB and the face of the franchise. 

I’m not saying that these three additions will be enough to turn the Chiefs (which went 2-14 last season) in to a playoff team, but having Fasano and Smith on offense can certainly help take some weight off the shoulders of RB Jamaal Charles.  Not to mention the fact that Smith is a much better QB than Matt Cassel is.

Obviously the Denver Broncos will be the favorite to win the AFC West Division, but I think second place will be up for grabs since the rest of the division has struggled the past few seasons. 

I think it’s very possible for the Chiefs to finish around 7-9 this coming season, which would be a huge leap from the way they performed last season.

Reggie Bush Will make a difference in Detroit

By: Michael Tellier

After leaving Miami and landing in Detroit some have said that RB Reggie Bush is just hype.  However, I think Bush could make a big difference in Detroit.

Despite finishing 4-12 overall last season I think one of the main key factors that Detroit was missing is a run game, which Bush can help them with.  Also, as of right now QB Matthew Stafford is throwing the ball sometimes more than 50 times a game, which in my mind makes him predictable.

With Bush on the team it will allow them to have a fairly solid run game, not to mention the fact that Bush has proven to be a good receiver as well, which can help throw the defense off.  Now I’m not saying that Bush has the presence to turn the entire organization around, but he could help change the team dynamic, and keep other teams defenses on their toes. 

I have always liked Stafford, and I think that if they can limit him to throwing the ball half as much as he is now it will really benefit the offense.  Plain and simple Bush’s presence will help the Lions offense, not only because Bush is an above average RB, but also because if he is used correctly it will completely change the Lions offense.

Rob Gronkowski may not be the same player this season

By: Michael Tellier

New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has proven in the past to be one of the most effective offensive weapons for the Patriots.  But, will he be the same dominant player this coming season that he has been in the past?

Since last November, Gronkowski has had four surgeries on his left forearm which he broke twice during the course of last season.  And now According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, he will be undergoing back surgery in mid-June, which will most likely keep him sidelined for part of the Patriots training camp.  So in my opinion, I think that Gronkowski may have a pretty good year, but I don’t think he will be the player he was before.

I’m not saying that the guy’s career is over, but I do think that something like a back injury is nothing to take lightly.  Not to mention the continuous problems he has had with his forearm.   The fact that this isn’t Gronkowski’s first back operation has also lifted some eyebrows as well.  In 2009 he missed the entire season at the University of Arizona because of a disc issue that he needed to have surgery on.

I have always thought of Gronkowski as an aggressive player who’s throws good blocks and isn’t afraid to take a big hit just to gain a few more yards for his team.  These are great qualities to have in a player, but will the Patriots choose to be more cautious with him this season? It wouldn’t surprise me. In fact I think it would be smart, because even a Gronkowski that is at 50 or 60 percent is better than not having him at all, which is what may happen if they decide to go crazy with him, and not let him heal properly.