Photo Credit: nfl.si.com/AP

The Buffalo Bills shocked many when they pulled the trigger on Florida State Seminoles quarterback EJ Manuel with the 16th pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Manuel, a 6’5, 240 pound athletic freak, was suspected by many not even to be a first round pick. In fact, many analysts had Manuel going in the third round, and also predicted the Bills to draft former Syracuse Orange quarterback Ryan Nassib given the connection between Nassib and new Bills coach Doug Marrone, who coached Nassib at Syracuse before being hired by Buffalo this year. However, Marrone and the Bills instead went with Manuel, who will now compete with recent addition Kevin Kolb for the starting job.

Marrone has decided to institute a West-Coast offense with the Bills, and Manuel could not be happier about this, even going as far as saying the offense is easier to learn than his previous offense with Florida State. Here are some comments from Manuel courtesy of ESPNNewYork:

“The funny thing is it’s easier to learn than the offense I had at Florida State,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It’s a true West Coast-type progression offense. That’s really what I wanted when I was coming through the pre-draft process. I wanted something that I could just go in and say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, check it down and run it. That’s it, it’s that simple. I love it.”

He said he spent extensive time during the Bills’ rookie minicamp and organized team activities working with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

“I’ve done great. The learning curve for me is a lot shorter simply because of what I had at Florida State. [The Seminoles' offense is] more complex and a little bit harder to catch on and learn. This offense is very simple. I’ve done a great job with it,” he said in the interview.

That statement must be music to Bills fans ears, along with the coaching staff. Manuel has the physical abilities to be something special in this league, given the proper chance to develop at this level. However, just as important as comprehending the teams offense is being able to read the opposition’s defense, which is the true adjustment for most young quarterbacks.

It will be interesting to see how the Bills handle Manuel’s progression. Many teams that use a first-round pick on a quarterback feel pressured to throw him right into the fire, but it may be better for the Bills to let Kolb start the season until Manuel is ready to play at an NFL level. Coach Marrone has come out and said he is still open to both possibilities, so an official decision may not come until closer to the start of the season.

By: Frank Santos

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After being suspended for 4 games by the NFL and issuing an official apology, Bruce Irvin took to Twitter to apologize directly to his fans (Credit: AP Photo)

On Friday, Seattle Seahawks line backer Bruce Irvin was suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league’s performance enhancing substance policy. Following the news of the suspension, Irvin issued an official apology that looked similar to most apologies we see when players get in trouble.

“I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Seahawks fans for making a mistake when I took a substance that is prohibited in the NFL without a medical exemption. I am extremely disappointed in the poor judgment I showed and take full responsibility for my actions. I will not appeal the discipline and instead will focus my energy on preparing for the season so I can begin earning your trust and respect again. I look forward to contributing to the team the moment I return.”

However, unlike most players, Irvin took to Twitter to apologize directly to his fans. This apology seemed a little more from the heart than the earlier one.

“It’s crazy to see your name run across the ticker for negative things. I messed up and I feel so bad and have been depressed for weeks now. I’ve had sleepless nights because I knew when this came out, I would let so many people down, including myself. I have worked so hard to rebuild my image and it takes another blow. I see the negative comments and I see the positive and both drives me to come back and have a incredible season. To my real fans, I see the comments and I really appreciate it during this tuff time. Just shows people only love you when your on top, but when adversity hits they show their true colors. Once again, I’m sorry and take full responsibility for my actions. I will take this on the chin and move forward to become the best person on and off the field. 12th Man I’m sorry I let you down but I promise you when I come back — all hell will break loose! West Virginia, I love u always and know you have my back and always will. Love on my fans and shout out to my haters I know you loving it right now! #comebackkid #12thman #WVU”

Irvin had 8 sacks, 17 tackles and 1 forced fumble last year for the Seahawks.

Seattle added two defensive tackles in the draft and will surely miss Irvin for the first four games of the 2013 NFL season.

If Seattle wants to continue to contend with the 49ers in the NFC West, they will have to get the most out of their defense and hope Irvin builds on his momentum from his rookie season.

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“I think the biggest thing is just his (Palmer) experience level, He’s tough as nails. As good a deep-ball thrower as I’ve ever seen. I mean really accurate on the deep ball. He still has it. What he did last year with the Raiders, in a crazy situation, I thought was very, very impressive.”

Bruce Arians is heading into his first year as the Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals and made the switch from the quartet of Quarterbacks who had NO success in 2012, with the exception of Kolb and his 4-2 start, to the much maligned Carson Palmer. As a Cardinal fan I look past what many Raider fans say, that he was horrible, despite his 22 TD’s and 4018 yard season.

The biggest factor for Palmer to succeed won’t be the receiving unit which he lacked last year, or the running game which was non-existent, but for the Offensive line. The Cardinals gave up 58 sacks last year, 27 over a three game span. Palmer was sacked frequently in Oakland, but far less than 58. The Cardinals upgraded their O-Line in the draft, selecting OG Jonathan Cooper to replace Adam Snyder. LT Levi Brown is returning from a torn triceps injury suffered in the preseason last year, and the Cardinals are targeting Steelers OT, Max Starks, to come in and be a security blanket if Brown is unable to go. Bobby Massie looks ready to go after allowing a plethora of sacks early in the season, only to allow none over the final eight games of the season.

Will Palmer succeed? We’ll find out in a few months, but he is lined up for success.

USA Today Sports

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The Utah Blaze defense leaves the Barnstormers dead to rights in the second half

The Utah Blaze are typically known for their offensive dominance, but when they’re not firing on all cylinders, things can get ugly.  This was not the case in Salt Lake City Saturday night as the defense comes up big in the second half to put the Blaze at .500 for the season.

Blaze quarterback Tommy Grady had a bit of an uncharacteristic night, adding further to his interception total for the year.  The star QB threw two interceptions, one being a pick-six.  Grady hasn’t thrown this many interceptions in a season since his rookie year with the Blaze.  Grady’s woes however did not affect the outcome as the defense really showed up.

The Iowa Barnstormers are known to come out of halftime on fire.  It was clear that the Blaze were aware of it, and took the stat as a challenge as they headed back out for the second half of play.  The Blaze defense held Iowa to 150 yards of offense and forced 4 turnovers.

Rookie defensive back Maurice Leggett, former Chiefs man, came away with two interceptions on the night, one of them being a 19-yard pick-six.  He nearly had a 3rd had a penalty not negated the interception.  Defensive end Caesar Rayford also made some noise with two sacks, including a pass breakup and a forced fumble, along with forcing  a safety.  Safety David Hyland led the Blaze in sacks posting six total, along with six pass breakups.

While much of the attention deserves to go to the Blaze defense, Grady did manage to find ‘Super’ Mario Urrutia 8 times.  The two connected for 3 touchdowns total.  Urratia leads the team in touchdowns with 19 for the year.

The Blaze will now carry this momentum into a nasty 3-game road trip, which will also include a 5-day turn around from San Antonio to Chicago.  If the defense continues this dominant performance, and the offense returns to true form, no team in the upcoming weeks will want to host this hot Utah Blaze team.

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Milliners former agent released this statement: “I know that everything was done to ensure that Mr. Milliner would be drafted as high as possible,” Fleming said to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Thursday, “Dee was the first cornerback selected, and he was drafted ninth overall to the New York Jet. This is a tremendous accomplishment. I wish Mr. Milliner future success in his professional career.”

To me this is just a load of garbage. There is no denying your talent, but the fact that you are willing to fire your agent just because you weren’t drafted where many pundits expected you to go is an unfair assessment of your talents, nor is it your agencies fault. None of the teams in the top 5 felt that, after watching your film, and interviewing you that they would take you then. Some of those teams didn’t even need a player from your position in those top 5 selections. This shows immaturity on Dee Milliners part, as it does on Geno’s behalf.

The Alabama Alumni is expected to replace Revis Island, playing opposite of Antonio Cromartie. The guy has talents beyond comprehension and I expect him to go far in his career, but his maturity is in question now.

(Photo: Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)

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In an interview with the Arizona Republic, Fitzgerald finally spoke out about last seasons mishaps, “It was the most frustrating season, or time, I’ve ever had. Professionally … or even in college, I’ve never had a year like that. It was tough mentally, physically it was tough, but it builds resolve. I know I never want to go through a season like that personally, or as a team, and I’m going to do everything in my power to not ever repeat that.”

The Cardinals produced a litany of sub-par quarterback play following Kevin Kolbs injury, whether it be John Skelton, or 7th round rookie selection Ryan Lindley. Neither could move the offense, even when the O-Line solidified and allowed only a handful of sacks in the second half of the season. They made poor decisions on nearly every pass attempt, combining for a meager 2 TD to 16 INT’s and 1184 yards passing. The Defense held it’s own, but the Offense could not produce.

Bruce Arians came in and cleaned up the train wreck of quarterbacks, all of which on last years roster found new homes (Kevin Kolb to the Bills, Skelton to Cincinnati, Brian Hoyer to Cleveland), only Ryan Lindley remains on the roster, and replaced them with Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton. While Fitzgerald didn’t praise these guys last year, with the exception of Kevin Kolb following the demolition of the Eagles in Week 3, Fitz had this to say of Palmer:

“It’s important, it’s just stability. That’s all you can ask for in this game, is just stability. Someone who knows what he’s doing, who’s accountable, who’s reliable. I mean from the first day he stepped in the huddle … he has a tempo, he has a mentality, a demeanor in the huddle that demands respect of his peers. When you look in his eyes, you know he’s a leader. … I’m excited to be playing receiver for him.”

Palmer is coming to an end of his career, but while most people will say he’s quit and he’s garbage, he did manage to survive most of the 2012 Season behind a horrible Oakland O-Line, and toss for 4000 yards. Whether or not having Larry Fitzgerald to throw to will have a huge impact on his game, is to be determined, but the Fanbase and the team are hopeful that Carson Palmers arrival will signify the new Regimes ability to build a competitive team, even in the dangerous NFC West.

Fitzgerald Runs a Route
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

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David Garrard may have a different future in store with the New York Jets. (AP Photo)

Earlier this week, David Garrard was forced to retire from the New York Jets, telling general manager John Idzik that his left knee was not holding up in a way that would allow him to keep playing. While that eliminates the possibility of Garrard playing for the Jets this season, it won’t rob him of the opportunity to mentor the younger quarterbacks on the Jets roster.

Jim Corbett of USA Today reported Thursday that the Jets have offered Garrard a quarterback coaching “internship” where he will mentor Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith as they duke it out for the Jets starting quarterback gig. So what does Garrard think about how the race will play out this offseason? When asked about the future of Geno Smith, Garrard sounded extremely optimistic.

“I think Geno’s going to be great,” Garrard told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. “He still has a lot to learn in the NFL. He definitely has to work. But he has what it takes. Now he has to go out and prove it.

“The one thing the kid has is he’s definitely the guy of the future. He’ll get a whole lot more attention from the fans, because they definitely want to see that new guy, especially since Mark has had a rough (52 combined turnovers) couple of years.”

Garrard says that, despite the many negative reports that have surfaced around Smith, he saw a kid in workouts who was ready to play and make a name for himself in the NFL.

“Geno had none of the signs of the negative things the media was talking about him. He didn’t try and big-time you. He was very attentive, never shrugged you off. He told me he was excited to work with me. He definitely had the makeup I saw in college — worked his butt off and was a field general out there.”

Not much of this bodes well for Mark Sanchez, who despite being only 26 years old may have already lost his title of quarterback of the future with the New York Jets. A strong showing in offseason workouts and training camp will be essential for Sanchez to regain the starting authority, but even that might not be enough. The court of public opinion has labeled Sanchez largely as a bust, as seen in Steve Smith’s comments about Sanchez earlier this week.

While Garrard would probably have made the Jets’ 53-man roster come August, he would have been hard pressed to beat out Smith and Sanchez for the starting job. Now as a coach on the sideline, the door is open for either Greg McElroy or Matt Simms to stick with the team, while Garrard mentors from the sidelines rather than the field.

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Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano has had quite the turbulent season. After starting his first season as Colts head coach, Pagano was diagnosed with a treatable form of leukemia. The Colts team and Indianapolis community rallied behind Pagano, starting the CHUCKSTRONG campaign to support the coach’s recovery. On the field, the team shocked the football world by going 11-5 behind rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and earning a playoff berth a year after going 2-14.

If this past season was any sort of a wild ride for Pagano, today’s events had to be a piece of cake in comparison. At today’s Pole Day events in preparation for the Indianapolis 500, Pagano got the chance to take two laps around the 2.5-mile track as a passenger of Mario Andretti, winner of the 1969 Indy 500 race. The experience was a truly unique one that Pagano surely will never forget, according to Larry Hawley of Fox 59 Indianapolis.

“It’s one of those bucket list deals you check off,” said Colts head coach Chuck Pagano of his day on Saturday in Speedway. “It’s one of those things you’d never thought you would have a chance to do.”

Pagano was thrilled at the opportunity to take a ride on one of the greatest racing tracks in the whole sports, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Unbelievable, exhilarating,” said Pagano of the ride. “The speeds, the excitement of sitting behind Mario Andretti, the all-time great. It was just fabulous.”

Following an excruciating recovery from leukemia, Pagano surely enjoyed this ride for the ages. His next big ride starts September 8th, when the Colts open their regular season at home against the Oakland Raiders.

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First, he was released from the Detroit Lions, just two seasons after the team drafted him in the second round. He had a me-first attitude, and it didn’t seem to phase him when they let him go.

Shortly after his release, the receiver-needy Rams brought him in to give him a second chance – but that didn’t last longer than a weekend before they realized they were in too deep and gave him walking papers.

Since his second release, he’s been booked and arrested four different times. Ranging from robbing a convienience store, to attempting to steal his car back from an impound lot after a DUI.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that he has some issues, and many have suggested that he get help.

According to  ex-teammate Stephen Tulloch, Young is aware of his issues, and had opened up about them in the past.

“He’s aware of the situation that he’s dealing with and he showed me a paper and we went over it and I looked over it, and I understand it,” Tulloch told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press via ProFootballTalk. “A lot of people laugh about it and ke-ke-ke about it, but it’s real. He has head issues, and the Titus Young when he came in as a rookie and the Titus Young now is two different people. It’s kind of like when you look at him, he’s looking through you. It’s different. You can tell there’s something going on in his mind, in his head, and I hope that he can get help.”

The career of Titus Young is up in smoke, but the receiver knows that he needs help. (Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE)

It truly can be a scary situation  While it makes my job easier as a sports writer for content to write about, it’s never good to see someone struggling. Struggle can take it’s toll on any human being, and that at times can lead to unfortunate deaths.

“We had some long discussions and he showed me some things and I was like, ‘All right.’  The fact that before he didn’t realize it, now he realizes it. He just needs help. Basically he’s reaching out for help. He’s asking questions and he wants to be cured. And it’s tough when people laugh at him and think it’s a joke. ‘Oh, Titus did this.’ Obviously, he’s dealing with a mental issue that he needs help and people need to reach out and help him.”

It’s good that Tulloch is reaching out, it could be a step in recovery for Young who knows he needs the help. It could be a long process, but if he has the support he needs, he can turn things around and keep his name out of negative publicity.

Young is currently incarcerated in a California jail, where he is being held on eight different charges. If he is convicted he will face up to seven years in prison.

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According to ultimatetexans.com and USA Today, Houston attorney Larry Buzzbee says that the ring legally belongs to his client and that Williams has serious emotional instability issues.

“Texas law says that if the man breaks off the engagement, the woman keeps the ring,” Buzbee said. “Mr. Williams experienced dramatic mood swings throughout the engagement. It was during one of his low points that he broke off the engagement for the last time this past December. It was only after Ms. Marzouki refused to take him back that he became angry and filed this frivolous case. He should have not filed a case out of anger. Ms. Marzouki will not be bullied. In the court system, no matter how rich you are, everyone is treated equally.”

The statement Buzzbee released about ‘dramatic mood swings’ is what’s concerning.

On Friday, he released a three-page series of text messages sent to Marzouki’s phone in which Williams wrote on Nov. 11, “I took 3 hydrocodones this morning and no one knows” and “I’m going to take 2 more on the plane and fade away.” He also texted “No money in the world should leave me with suicidal thoughts.”

In the text message conversation, Marzouki seems to be begging Williams to get help, at one point saying  ”The way you are handling it us (sic) incredibly self destructive.”

the messages from her also read: ”Why don’t you talk to someone? Clearly you’re not happy & if your takin (sic) pills that’s bad,”

Williams apologized to her via text in the conversation, saying that he was furious and shouldn’t have texted her “in this state”

If the text messages are indeed true, Williams’ engagement ring is the least of his concern. If he is having suicidal and emotionally unstable thoughts, he needs to seek help.

Issues like that go beyond football.

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