Other NFL News

[blizz01]

If it were a global map perhaps we could take England within 1-4 years....

I think the biggest opportunities stretch deeper into the panhandle & toward central florida.

[I-10east]

LMAO
www.theonion.com/video/new-orleans-police-struggle-to-contain-rioting-ray,31157/

[BridgeTroll]

The NFL officially loses one of the good guys today...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/donald-driver-shone-on-field-and-off-n48ljtr-189937481.html

Donald Driver shone on field and off

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool Green Bay Packers fans for 14 years.

If there had been a fake bone in Donald Driver's body, if there had been a superficial smile or a flippant remark or a moment of insincerity along the way, we'd have seen it.

Driver never let down his guard because he had no guard to let down. What you saw was what you got: a man of character and integrity, a man whose rare athleticism on the field of play was surpassed by his compassion off it.

"A lovely human being," said Jerry Kramer, a right guard in the Packers' glory years.

"I don't know if the good Lord gives out the total package all that often," said player-turned-broadcaster Larry McCarren, "but with Donald, he did."

Think about it. Is there anything not to like about Driver, who symbolically will hang up his cleats Wednesday in the Lambeau Field Atrium as the most prolific receiver in franchise history?

Even the nit-pickiest fan would be hard-pressed to find fault in a man who transformed himself from seventh-round draft choice to go-to receiver, a man who so obviously loves his family, a man who cares so deeply about his team and his community.

"He's almost too good to be true," said Gary Ellerson, who played for the Packers in the mid-1980s and is a radio personality on SportsRadio WSSP-1250. "He's absolutely awesome.

"It's tough nowadays in sports to get a guy like that. They just don't come along very often."

A Packers Fab Four

If there were a Mount Rushmore for the most popular players in Packers history, gentlemanly quarterback Bart Starr would be on it, front and center. The leader of the great Lombardi teams has been the face of the franchise for 50 years.

Starr likely would be joined by the late Ray Nitschke, a bear on the field and a teddy bear off it, and by the principled Reggie White, who helped put the team over the top in the 1990s and was admired by friend and foe.

Arguably, Driver would round out the Fab Four. In October, Forbes named him one of the 10 most popular players in the NFL based on a survey from Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research.

Packers fans have long appreciated Driver for his effort and production on the field and for his fun-loving and charismatic personality off it. From a national perspective, it didn't hurt that he played on a Super Bowl championship team and won the mirror ball trophy on "Dancing With the Stars."

"In the time I've been around, since 1973, Donald and Bart Starr are the most popular players I've seen," McCarren said. "The relationship between Donald and the general public, I don't think that is a paint-by-the-numbers project. You are either that way or you or not. At the end of the day it's got to be in you."

Everyone has a story

Brian Lammi has been Driver's marketing agent for 11 years, so there is a natural skepticism when Lammi describes his client thusly: "As good a human being as anyone I've ever met."

But the overwhelming anecdotal evidence supports Lammi. Almost everyone who has spent any amount of time with Driver has a story that illustrates his warmth, his charm or his ability to light up a room with that incandescent smile.

"One of the things I have observed is that he will stop, look you in the eye, shake your hand, say hello and pay attention to what you have to say," Kramer said. "He's not too busy or too egotistical or too in love with himself.

"Donald gives of himself and is comfortable doing it. There is an innate decency and politeness and character."

Kramer tells a story to back it up. Out celebrating in Green Bay the night William Henderson and Marco Rivera were inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame, Kramer befriended a man in a wheelchair who had won a medal at the Paralympic Games.

Driver walked past, and Kramer called him over.

"I introduce him and Donald is his normal polite self," Kramer said. "I said, 'Donald, this kid won a gold medal in the wheelchair Olympics.' Donald said, 'Wait a minute. What's your name?' The kid told him, and Donald said, 'Hey, I bought your jersey in an auction! It's at home hanging on my wall. You're an inspiration to me.'

"It was such a wonderful thing. Donald made this kid's day, his week and his month and maybe a whole lot more."

Pat Boelter, the chief marketing officer for Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, had a favorable impression of Driver the day she met him in March 2003, when he stayed 90 minutes beyond his contracted time at an autograph session because he didn't want any fans to leave disappointed.

Boelter has witnessed countless other interactions between Driver and fans over the 10 years the player has represented Goodwill.

"I have seen him at the crack of dawn and well into the evening," she said. "What you see is what you get. Not only is he one of the best receivers in Packers history, but he's a caring and kind human being off the field.

"He believes that everybody is somebody and he has an ability to connect with his fans in a very humble and gracious way."

Lammi said that when Driver has back-to-back appearances scheduled, he's often late for the second because "one more question turns into 53 more."

"Part of it is Donald is just so outgoing with people," Lammi said. "I wouldn't be able to be as constantly 'on' with fans as he is. He's the Energizer Bunny."

None of it would matter if Driver couldn't play a lick. There were serious doubts about his future in the NFL when he showed up in Green Bay in 1999 as the second of the Packers' two seventh-round picks, a skinny kid from Alcorn State who'd had a difficult childhood in Houston.

As a receiver, Driver was as green as grass. What were the odds he'd play 14 years? What were the odds he'd someday own the franchise records for receptions (743) and yards (10,137), score 61 touchdowns and rank second in regular-season games played with 205?

Incalculable.

"I remember where he came from," said Wayne Larrivee, the radio voice of the Packers since Driver's rookie season. "He was just a guy making the team because he could play special teams. He really worked on it and eventually gained Brett Favre's trust.

"He's self-made in so many ways, as a person and certainly as a player."

Limited role in 2012

Driver's final season as a Packer was not an easy one. The team was loaded at wide receiver, and he did not have a major role in the offense, catching just eight passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

Jeremy Ross, signed off the practice squad, was active ahead of Driver in the team's final regular-season game at Lambeau Field.

But Driver never publicly complained about his lack of playing time or criticized the coaching staff or organization. Come to think of it, has he ever put his foot in his mouth?

"You look at this season, Donald could have made things difficult for the organization, and he took the high road," Ellerson said. "That's from his upbringing. He wasn't raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, and I think he understands how far he's come. A lot of that stuff is just character."

What's next?

Driver, who turned 38 on Saturday, almost certainly will capitalize on his popularity in his post-football career.

Lammi said he and Driver have had "good conversations with folks about broadcast opportunities, both in sports and entertainment" and added that there was a "good chance (Driver) is going to be co-hosting a national show."

"We're awfully excited about the future," Lammi added. "We're not looking at this as an ending, but as the beginning of his next career."

Bob Dorfman, a sports analyst with Baker Street Advertising, said he could see Driver being successful as a sportscaster or TV personality, especially in Wisconsin.

"He's a guy who has a big following in the region and would be respected and appreciated," Dorfman said. "He can deliver a line, and I think he's fairly charismatic on camera."

Wherever he goes and whatever he does, Driver will represent the Packers just as he did for the 14 years he played for them - with grace and humility and class.

"Whether it's a formal sense or Donald just being Donald, he will always be an ambassador for the Green Bay Packers," McCarren said. "Always."

[duvaldude08]

So the Raiders have the second smallest stadium in the NFL.. and they are tarping seats. It will be reduced to 53,000!! SMH

Raiders will lower seating capacity

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 6, 2013, 2:07 PM EST

Getty Images
The Raiders are taking a page out of the Jaguars’ playbook, not on the field but in the stands.

In what is being termed a “capacity adjustment,” the Raiders are planning to block off many upper-deck seats, CSNBayArea.com reports. The move is reminiscent of the tarps the Jaguars have put up in their stadium, blocking off thousands of seats that they’re unable to sell.

Although it is not yet known how many seats the Raiders will block off, it will likely give the Raiders the NFL’s lowest seating capacity. The Raiders already had the second-lowest capacity at 63,132, higher only than the Bears, who can seat 61,500 at Soldier Field.

The Raiders are expected to close “Mount Davis,” the upper deck addition that was part of the deal that got the Raiders to move back to Oakland from Los Angeles in 1996. That addition, which blocked the view of the Oakland hills that was long considered one of the nicest features of the Oakland Coliseum, has long been controversial, and the “Mount Davis” nickname was a shot at the late Raiders owner Al Davis.

The Raiders have frequently struggled to sell tickets in Oakland, and most of their home games have been blacked out. In 2012 they had only one blackout, thanks in part to the new NFL rule that allowed teams to lift blackouts while selling only 85 percent of their tickets.

[KenFSU]

Looks like the Jets are going to bring in David Garrard.

Good for David.

I'm going to miss seeing him around town.

People in Publix always try to get him to knock Blaine Gabbert, but he never has anything but nice words about the guy.

Hope things work out for him up there.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Looks like the Jets are going to bring in David Garrard.

Good for David.

I'm going to miss seeing him around town.

People in Publix always try to get him to knock Blaine Gabbert, but he never has anything but nice words about the guy.

Hope things work out for him up there.

I also hope the best for David Garrard he is a good man. 

[duvaldude08]

Yeah Garrad's cool. I hope he does well, but with the Jets depleted WR core, it gonna be tough. I hope they bring in some weapons for him if he gets the starting job.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Yeah Garrad's cool. I hope he does well, but with the Jets depleted WR core, it gonna be tough. I hope they bring in some weapons for him if he gets the starting job.

What happens to Tim Tebow?

[spuwho]

Yeah Garrad's cool. I hope he does well, but with the Jets depleted WR core, it gonna be tough. I hope they bring in some weapons for him if he gets the starting job.

What happens to Tim Tebow?

He gets interviewed by Stephen Dare for MJ.

Stephen gets a signed photo of him with his shirt off.

[I-10east]

Tim Tebow is still under contract with the NY Jets, but he is expected to get cut. So the Orlando Predators owner welcomed Tebow to play for that arena football team, but the Predators coach (in a Caldwell-esque move) blocked the motion by saying that both of the current roster QB's are better than Tebow. Ouch. It's not even fun picking at Tebow anymore, it's pretty sad that he can't even make the AFL.

[thelakelander]

wow!

[blizz01]

Former Dolphin Mark Duper arrested in Jacksonville

This guy used to be one of my favs (all-time)....

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2013-03-21/story/former-dolphin-mark-duper-arrested-jacksonville

[tufsu1]

Super Duper?  I bet lakelander is crushed

[thelakelander]

Although one of my all-time favs, nope. Not one bit.  I'll still be sleeping like a baby tonight.

[I-10east]

The Jags aren't the only FL NFL team that's decided to change their logo. Here's a link with the new Phins leaked logo below.

www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/27/3308215/armando-salguero-buzz-rises-over.html