Official NFL Thread: 2014-2015 Season

[South Pender]

I found this interesting--in part because Steve Young is a bright guy (in addition, of course, to having been a great quarterback).

Steve Young: Coaches have told me RG3 doesn’t put in the time
Posted by Michael David Smith on November 18, 2014, 12:50 PM EST

Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young says he knows the problem with Robert Griffin III: He doesn’t work hard enough.

Young said on the Michael Kay Show that he has spoken with coaches who have worked with Griffin, and those coaches told him that Griffin simply doesn’t spend the long hours studying film that an NFL quarterback needs.

“I’ve talked to his previous coaches, people I really trust and admire, that know quarterbacks. He doesn’t put the time in,” Young said.

Young didn’t mention any of those “previous coaches” by name, but it’s not a leap to infer that he’s referring to Mike Shanahan, who was Washington’s head coach for Griffin’s first two seasons. Shanahan was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator from 1992 to 1994, when Young was having his three best seasons as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. Shanahan and Young have been close for years.

According to Young, it’s the mental side of the game that makes a good quarterback in the NFL, and Young believes that Griffin needs to spend more time developing the mental side of the game during the offseason.

“Success is really about expertise,” Young said. “May, June, July work, and going to school.”

Much like Griffin, Young was once an athletic quarterback who needed time to learn how to be a pocket passer. Young thinks it’s harder for great runners like Griffin to develop as passers because they always assume they can fall back on running if they need to.

“Guys that can use their legs, it’s like they’re not desperate. Guys who can’t use their legs are more desperate so they’ll put more time in,” Young said.

And according to Young, Griffin isn’t putting the time in. That’s what’s holding him back.
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RGIII's lack of hard work in the film room has shown up in his play this season--particularly in last Sunday's 27-7 loss to the woeful Bucs in Washington (well, strictly speaking Landover, Md), where he threw two interceptions. The best quarterbacks put a lot of time into game-film study. Probably the best example of this is Peyton Manning, but Russell Wilson also spends long hours in film study and game planning. I think Young has made a good point about the tendency for really mobile quarterbacks to fall back on their running ability, rather than mastering the mental aspects of the game. For those interested, here`s the recap of the Washington-Bucs game:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411160 ... e=boxscore
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For Seahawks`fans, it has seemed as though the injury situation couldn`t get worse...but it has: center Max Unger is out for a month with a high ankle sprain. As a result, the `Hawks have just signed Lemuel Jeanpierre from the Falcons`practice squad, a guy who filled in for Unger last year and played well. In addition, with nose tackle Brandon Mebane out, and his absence depressingly obvious in the Seahawks`inability to stop the run on Sunday against the Chiefs, they`ve signed DT Travian Robertson also from the Falcons`practice squad. Here`s more on these signings:

Seahawks sign Lemuel Jeanpierre, add Travian Robertson from Falcons practice squad
Posted by Curtis Crabtree on November 18, 2014, 10:21 PM EST

With starting center Max Unger set to miss close to a month due to a high-ankle sprain, the Seattle Seahawks re-signed center Lemuel Jeanpierre on Tuesday.

In addition, Seattle signed defensive tackle Travian Robertson off the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.

Seattle placed Jeanpierre on injured reserve with a neck injury in September and released him with an injury settlement. Due to league rules, Jeanpierre wasn’t eligible to re-sign with the Seahawks until this week. He’s been a free agent to the rest of the league for the last six weeks and had been on at least four visits to other teams before returning to the Seahawks.

Jeanpierre had served as Unger’s backup the last three seasons and started eight games over that span.

Seattle was essentially down to their fourth-string center in Patrick Lewis with Unger injured, Jeanpierre gone and Stephen Schilling on injured reserve.

Robertson was the Falcons seventh-round selection (249th overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played in 12 combined games with four tackles (all solo) from 2012-13 before being released after training camp this year and signing to Atlanta’s practice squad on Aug. 31.

Robertson adds depth to Seattle’s defensive line after being gashed by Jamaal Charles and the Kansas City Chiefs in the running game last week without nose tackle Brandon Mebane.

The Seahawks released tackle Andrew McDonald and safety Steven Terrell to make room on the roster for Jeanpierre and Robertson.
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And on the light-hearted side, there`s this story about the Eagles-Packers game last Sunday. My theory is that Rodgers was chuckling about the Packers`throwback uniforms (which you can see in the picture in the full article linked below.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... amusement/

Eagles do not appreciate Aaron Rodgers’ amusement
Posted by Mike Florio on November 18, 2014, 5:49 PM EST

The Packers had plenty of fun on Sunday against the Eagles. The Eagles think they had too much fun.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers allegedly laughed too much for the visiting team’s liking.

“Hell, yeah. That sh-t pissed me off,” linebacker Brandon Graham said, via Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. “I wanted to get him. But at the end of the day, shoot, he was doing his job. More power to him. I guess we would be laughing if we were sacking him.”

“[H]e was smirking,” cornerback Nolan Carroll added. “He’s always been like that. You’ve seen it many times. He’s just one of those guys that jokes on the field. Whatever you present to him, whatever you show him, it doesn’t surprise him much.”

There’s a simple solution for it. The Eagles could have shut him up by beating him.

“It’s just one of them things where you want to smack that smirk off his face,” Graham said. “But I mean they definitely came to play. I’ve got to take my hat off to him. That’s the first time I have ever seen that.

“We started talking about it toward the end. We were like, ‘He’s been laughing at us all day.’ He’s a good quarterback, man. I would love to see him in the playoffs.”

Apparently, Rodgers would love to see the Eagles in the playoffs, too.

[notahomer]

As for RG3, IMO, he showed a lot by how the previous coaching staff made it clear they were in charge. IMO, it seemed as though he had lots of answers and didn't respect the differences these coaches seemed to have with him. For e.g. the benefits of him being able to learn a system during the off-season (due to injuries/labour disputes he'd never had a full off-season, IIRC). But all-knowing, all-star RG3 knew better than Shanahan who'd won Superbowls with Elway but .....

I like the reaction I heard from RG3's new coach. Apparently RG3 made some dispariging remarks about the play,in general, of his team-mates and Coach Gruden just threw him under the bus. This was obviously done, as the talking heads on NFL network eloquently stated, to send RG3 a clear message. "WHEN WE LOSE ITS ABOUT ME but WHEN WE WIN its ABOUT WE". RG3 has to understand he is just a piece of the puzzle. He can be an important piece of that puzzle but the fact he's RG3 isn't going to win him many football games anymore. He needs to lead that Washington team, , to victory and then talk about how it was really his teammates that won the game for them all......

IMO, the Washington team would do better to let his replacement have the keys..............
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Hitting that stretch of the NFL where the contenders and pretenders are being sorted out. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this weeks version of the Cowboys plays. Looked solid all season but we'll see......
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Also, its time for the Seahawks to turn that corner back to the team that was playing a year ago. IMO, at this time last season the Seahawks OWNED football games. Now, the games they win, they work hard for and there are games that seem to show, if the Seahawks make the playoffs, they probably won't be in them for long. Sure hope I'm wrong. Injuries for sure are part of the equation but there is a mystique that was there last season that seems to have worn off.....
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Still can not believe one of my all time favourite recievers, Larry Fitzgerald is starting to look like he might get another shot at a Superbowl ring. He played well enough to win in his only previous trip to the big game but BigBen actually played well in that game and took the Steelers on a drive that I'll never forget. I'm a huge Seahawks fan but if they can't win, I'd like to see the Cardinals take their place.......

[South Pender]

Still can not believe one of my all time favourite recievers, Larry Fitzgerald is starting to look like he might get another shot at a Superbowl ring. He played well enough to win in his only previous trip to the big game but BigBen actually played well in that game and took the Steelers on a drive that I'll never forget. I'm a huge Seahawks fan but if they can't win, I'd like to see the Cardinals take their place.......

Yeah, I like the Cardinals too. They've lost their starting QB, but are still potent. I like HC Bruce Arians; he's a no-nonsense guy and, in my opinion anyway, the obvious choice for NFL coach of the year. This year's edition of the Cardinals reminds me of the 2013 Seahawks--dominating, playing like a team of destiny.

[notahomer]

RG3 had another interesting presser, IMO, today. Every question was answered with Well we gotta focus on SanFran. IOW, if he'd been asked ANYTHING, those words came out.

I am kinda neutral I guess on all of this. Media people are just doing their job when asking questions. RG3 doesn't seem to mind holding court when coming off a big win. Why not just let everybody do their job with respect?

Trying to put myself in his shoes I guess I could see his approach but it just seemed a bit hollow too. RG3 had some negative things to say about his teammates (and said some snarky things about the last coaching regime) and I do think he's part of the reason why his team is struggling. Can he lead his team to win and have future success? Sure, it makes sense hes capable of it but when a guy like Steve Young is saying 'I'm hearing he doesn't put the work in' , I'm not surprised his team is struggling. I do think RG3 is one of those blessed guys whose succeeded at every level due to natural talents and a mixture of newness to his style. By taking the time he'll certainly be able to succeed by building upon those talents and putting in the effort that the Mannings/Bradys/Rodgers put in.

[South Pender]

RG3 had another interesting presser, IMO, today. Every question was answered with Well we gotta focus on SanFran. IOW, if he'd been asked ANYTHING, those words came out.

I am kinda neutral I guess on all of this. Media people are just doing their job when asking questions. RG3 doesn't seem to mind holding court when coming off a big win. Why not just let everybody do their job with respect?

Trying to put myself in his shoes I guess I could see his approach but it just seemed a bit hollow too. RG3 had some negative things to say about his teammates (and said some snarky things about the last coaching regime) and I do think he's part of the reason why his team is struggling. Can he lead his team to win and have future success? Sure, it makes sense hes capable of it but when a guy like Steve Young is saying 'I'm hearing he doesn't put the work in' , I'm not surprised his team is struggling. I do think RG3 is one of those blessed guys whose succeeded at every level due to natural talents and a mixture of newness to his style. By taking the time he'll certainly be able to succeed by building upon those talents and putting in the effort that the Mannings/Bradys/Rodgers put in.

RGIII was just channeling Bill Belichick after the Patriots lost badly against the Chiefs and stood at 2-2. At that time, Belichick answered just about every question with "it's on to Cincinnati" (their next game). As for "on to San Francisco," RGIII had better tighten up his chin strap and be ready for a real beating.

RGIII has had far too much adulation shown towards him from high school ball up to the pros. He really thinks, I believe, that he's so great that it's unnecessary for him to put in the time, work, and effort that lesser quarterbacks have to. I don't see him ever developing the humility that would motivate him to work hard between games like Russell Wilson (and Peyton Manning, for that matter) to be successful.

[notahomer]

.....RGIII has had far too much adulation shown towards him from high school ball up to the pros. He really thinks, I believe, that he's so great that it's unnecessary for him to put in the time, work, and effort that lesser quarterbacks have to. I don't see him ever developing the humility that would motivate him to work hard between games like Russell Wilson (and Peyton Manning, for that matter) to be successful.

I couldn't agree MORE, SOuth P. You've done a better job of saying what I was trying to say. Far too much adulation from high school upto and INCLUDING his first season in the PRO's. I think that first year success is whats holding him back too. And the injuries. These are all the kinds of things that only help a guy say 'IT'S NOT ME' but it is..........

Next season I hope he's fully recovered and ready. I think he'll find that teams are ready for him in a way they were NOT ready in year one of his career.

[notahomer]

Missed a lot of it but was stunned when I turned on tonights "NIGHTER". Unlike a lot of NIGHTERS this season, it ended up a close one. When I turned it on it was 17-3 FOR THE RAIDERS (versus KC). Then I watched Alex Smith lead his team to two solid TD drives and it was looking like the Raiders could cough up another hairball leading to their defeat.

Thankfully for the good of everyone (save the Chiefs) the Raiders hung on to win 24-20! I say for the good of everyone, even those Raters (Raider-haters) need teams that are not complete laughingstocks. Okay the Raiders now have ONE WIN for the season, big WHOOPEE! But believe you me, that one win is huge. Is it going to turn around the franchise...? Probably not but in a few seasons or so I highly doubt it will take until the last week of November for the Raiders to collect win number one for the season......

I can't really say who my least favourite NFL team is. Successful one? I'd go with Steelers. Certainly respect them but think its their turn to have a short stay in the division cellar. Regardless though, I wouldn't want them to go WINLESS........

[KnowItAll]

Missed a lot of it but was stunned when I turned on tonights "NIGHTER". Unlike a lot of NIGHTERS this season, it ended up a close one. When I turned it on it was 17-3 FOR THE RAIDERS (versus KC). Then I watched Alex Smith lead his team to two solid TD drives and it was looking like the Raiders could cough up another hairball leading to their defeat.

Thankfully for the good of everyone (save the Chiefs) the Raiders hung on to win 24-20! I say for the good of everyone, even those Raters (Raider-haters) need teams that are not complete laughingstocks. Okay the Raiders now have ONE WIN for the season, big WHOOPEE! But believe you me, that one win is huge. Is it going to turn around the franchise...? Probably not but in a few seasons or so I highly doubt it will take until the last week of November for the Raiders to collect win number one for the season......

I can't really say who my least favourite NFL team is. Successful one? I'd go with Steelers. Certainly respect them but think its their turn to have a short stay in the division cellar. Regardless though, I wouldn't want them to go WINLESS........

least fav is easy, steelers, cowboys, and giants.

hoping for a first time winner this year. Lions, Eagles, Cardinals, Browns, Bengals...

[South Pender]

From the That's Why They Play the Games file, we have a real upset, as you guys have noted. The Chiefs beat the Seahawks last weekend and then go out and lose to a 0-10 team. Go figure. Here's the recap:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411200 ... &tab=recap

Hmm...least favorite teams. Let's see (that didn't take long): Cowboys, Washington, Steelers, Ravens. Faves: Seahawks, Packers, Patriots, 49ers (odd since they are the Seahawks' nemesis, but I've liked them since the Bill Walsh days).

[South Pender]

NFL Week 11 Previews and Odds:

1. Sunday, Nov. 23, 10:00 a.m. PST:

Browns at Falcons: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Odds: Falcons by 3

Titans at Eagles: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Eagles by 11

Lions at Patriots: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Patriots by 7

Packers at Vikings: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Packers by 9.5

Jaguars at Colts: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Colts by 14

Bengals at Texans: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Texans by 2

Buccaneers at Bears: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Bears by 6

2. Sunday, Nov. 23, 1:05 or 1:25 p.m. PST:

Cardinals at Seahawks: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Seahawks by 7

Rams at Chargers: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... ab=preview; Chargers by 5

Dolphins at Broncos: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411231 ... ab=preview; Broncos by 7

Washington at 49ers: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411231 ... ab=preview; 49ers by 9

3. Sunday, Nov. 23, 5:30 p.m. PST:

Cowboys at Giants: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411231 ... ab=preview; Cowboys by 3.5

4. Monday, Nov. 24, 4:00 p.m. PST:

Jets at Bills (Ppd from Sunday because of weather; to be played in Detroit): No preview yet; Odds: Bills by 2.5

4. Monday, Nov. 24, 5:30 p.m. PST (the regular Monday nighter):

Ravens at Saints: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411240 ... ab=preview; Saints by 3.5

Byes: Panthers, Steelers

Some Game Notes:

1. Of the morning games, that between the 7-3 Lions and 8-2 Patriots should be a good one. The Lions have a great defense, but will they be able to stop Gronk? The Patriots picked up bad boy, LeGarrette Blount, this week after he was cut by the Steelers for leaving early from the game against the Titans. Anyway, With Blount, a 250 lb. battering ram (who picked up a 5.0 yards/carry average with the Patriots in 2013), in the fold now, along with Jonas Gray, who picked up 200 yards rushing against the Colts, and Stevan Ridley, the Patriots have serious power on the ground. Blount reminds one of Marshawn Lynch: a big, tough, hard-running RB with authority issues.

Packers should be able to handle the Vikings, who would have liked to have AP back, but that's now out of the question for 2014. Bears should cruise at home against the Bucs and the return of Lovie Smith.

2. The big afternoon game has to be the Cardinals at Seahawks. Hard to fathom the 7-point spread favoring the 'Hawks in this one, given that the Cardinals are, at present, the best team in football. Can the 12th man at CLink be that much of an advantage? Should be a great game, with two good defenses duking it out.

[South Pender]

Time running out on RGIII in Washington?

Gruden says the “clock’s ticking” on Griffin
Posted by Mike Florio on November 21, 2014, 8:07 PM EST

Two years ago, Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III took the NFL by storm with a combination of running and passing that kept defenses off balance and guessing all year long. Until he was injured while running.

Since then, an effort has been made to make Griffin more of a passer and less of a runner. And it hasn’t worked.

Now? Coach Jay Gruden sounds willing to consider having Griffin run some more as a last-ditch effort to make him more productive.

“It’s a production-based business,” Gruden told Albert Breer of NFL Media. “We haven’t won many games lately with him. We gotta figure out a way to get in the end zone. We just have to score. I don’t care how we do it. If it’s running the zone-read, I don’t care. Quarterback sneaks, I don’t give a damn. We gotta find a way to utilize him where we can get productive drives and stay away from negative plays and have some consistency.”

Consistency and the absence of negative plays could help Griffin rebuild his shattered confidence. Which Gruden may have further shattered while discussing Griffin’s shattered confidence on the record.

“His biggest thing, he’s been coddled for so long,” Gruden said of Griffin. “It’s not a negative, he’s just been so good, he just hasn’t had a lot of negative publicity. Everybody’s loved him. Some adversity is striking hard at him now, and how he reacts to that off the field, his mental state of mind, how it affects his confidence, hopefully it’s not in a negative way. I read Drew Brees said after a couple interceptions, ‘I’m never gonna lose confidence, I’m gonna come out firing all the time.’”

And then Gruden may have stomped the shattered pieces of confidence into powder.

“He’s auditioned long enough,” Gruden said of Griffin. “Clock’s ticking. He’s gotta play. We’ll see. . . . We want Robert to excel, we really do. But the last two games, it hasn’t been very good, anywhere. We gotta play better around him. And the biggest thing for us as playcallers, and for him, we just have to come together and jell with plays he’s comfortable with. That takes time. But we don’t have a lot of time.”

Griffin’s time could run out because of the backup who won two games before Griffin returned from injury.

“We have a guy behind him that played pretty well, and people are looking, ‘OK, he’s 2-0,’” Gruden said regarding Colt McCoy. “There’s always pressure on the quarterback to perform. And if you don’t perform, like any other position, somebody’s behind you pushing you.”

The way Gruden has been talking lately, maybe McCoy will end up pushing Griffin to the bench. Or maybe right out of town.

Unless Griffin pushes another head coach out of town first.
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Interesting dynamic shaping up in Washington. Gruden seems to have soured somewhat on RGIII (and who could blame him?). But recall that colossal a**hole owner Dan Snyder was cozying up to Griffen off the field and has singled him out for special treatment. So, if push comes to shove, who is expendable in Washington? Tomorrow's game against the 49ers in SF could shed some light on this.

[South Pender]

You snooze, you lose, at least in New England. Jonas Gray rushes for 200 yards against the Colts last Sunday, but sleeps in, is late for practice, is sent home from practice by Bill Belichick, and doesn't get into today's game. No problem: LeGarrette Blount, all 250 lbs. of him (and 4.59 speed, yikes!) gets picked up by the Patriots midweek and rambles for 78 yards. I thought the score (34-9) slightly flattered the Patriots, but they were definitely the dominant team today. Matthew Stafford had a number of good passes dropped or muffed by his receivers, and even Megatron couldn't get untracked. I admire Belichick for benching Gray, something a lot of pro coaches wouldn't have done. But the message is clear: you put the team first, or you're benched. Looks now as if the Patriots are the class of the AFC. The trade involving Logan Mankins to the Bucs--widely criticized at the time by Patriots fans--now looks like a stroke of genius on Belichick's part. The guy they got in return, Tim Wright, has been great, catching 5 balls today. They're back to the dynamite double tight-end capability with Wright and Gronk both huge, tough, good-pass-catching TEs. Here's the recap of that game:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... &tab=recap

Seahawks come out guns blazing today at the CLink and take it to the Cardinals 19-3, again a score that I thought slightly flattered the 'Hawks. This was a brutal defensive game. The Seahawks' run game was less effective than usual (but the Cardinals have just a great front seven), but, once again, Russell Wilson did enough to pull out the win. The Cardinals are definitely for real, and look like favorites at this point to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks are getting some of their guys back from injury now, and the presence of Byron Maxwell back in the Legion of Boom seemed to make a real difference today. Still, they have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFC and will be lucky to even make the playoffs. As I've said before, they need a big, sure-handed, fast No. 1 receiver. They really miss Zach Miller, I think. In addition their O-line gave up an awful lot of sacks today; good run blockers, not so good pass-blockers. Here's the recap:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... &tab=recap

49ers squeak out a win at home against Washington, despite turning the ball over three times. RGIII was very ordinary, completing 58% of his passes for 106 yards total and running for only 11 yards. Washington now 3-8 and, once again, out of it in the NFC-East. Couldn't happen to a nicer team (just my opinion, LOL). Here's the recap of that one:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411231 ... u=gameinfo

Packers seem to have had their hands full against the Vikings in Minny, squeaking out a 24-21 win in a game I completely missed. Eddie Lacy, who's a load, rumbles for 125 yards, but Aaron Rodgers passes for only 209 yards. The Vikings, playing without AP, seem to be a much-improved team over last year's edition, with first-year HC Mike Zimmer obviously doing something right. Teddy Bridgewater seems to be the quarterback the Vikes have needed. Here's the recap of that one:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... e=boxscore

Bears win their second in a row at home against the Bucs, spoiling Lovie Smith's return to Chicago. Cutler passes for 130; Josh McCown passes for 341 in the loss. Bucs almost double the Bears offensive output but still lose 21-13. Recap:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201411230 ... &tab=recap

[notahomer]

This is going to be an interesting TURKEY day for our American cousins who also enjoy NFL football. I have to work much of the day so I'll probably be missing this years awarding of the "galloping gobbler".

IIRC, the Cowboys are hosting the Eagles in a NFC division battle where the winner will slide into the drivers seat for the division title.

The Seahawks will be leaving the Golden Tate Bridge behind as they battle the 49ers for second....

and even the Bears/Lions game will be worth catching, IMO. For a few years, IMO, some of the Thanksgiving matchups were not much but this COULD be a tasty slate of games to take in...... Too bad, I'll probably catch ONE, maybe TWO of them.....

Why not go out on a limb and take the road teams? They'd be the teams I'd want to win.....

[South Pender]

Hilarious interview of Marshawn Lynch after yesterday`s win over the Cardinals. Lynch had been fined $100K for refusing to talk to the media after the previous game; guess he didn`t want to lose another $100K (which seems like a ridiculous fine for refusing to answer what are usually inane questions--like "What tunes did you listen to on the way to the stadium ?"). I think I'd be a little leery about talking with the media too; so many interviews are just attempts to get some words out of the player that they (the reporters) can then string into dramatic, over-the-top (and usually completely inaccurate) stories. I don't know whether Lynch's interview after yesterday's game will save him $100K or not, though, as it consisted, for all but a few questions, of "yeah."

http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/v ... 8a0c0d31bc

[sj-roc]

Hilarious interview of Marshawn Lynch after yesterday`s win over the Cardinals. Lynch had been fined $100K for refusing to talk to the media after the previous game; guess he didn`t want to lose another $100K (which seems like a ridiculous fine for refusing to answer what are usually inane questions--like ``what tunes did you listen to on the way to the stadium``). I think I`d be a little leery about talking with the media too; so many interviews are just attempts to get some words out of the player that they (the reporters) can string into dramatic (and usually completely inaccurate) stories. I don`t know whether Lynch`s interview after yesterday`s game will save him $100K or not, though, as it consisted, for all but a few questions, of ``yeah.``

http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/v ... 8a0c0d31bc

If there's language in the CBA and/or his contract about having to follow both the letter and just as importantly the spirit of his media obligations they'll probably ding him. Or, absent that, this wouldn't surprise me: they might try claiming his interview conduct is detrimental to the league. If one guy can string together a bunch of "yeahs" just to circumvent a fine then they all can, and this would not help business. So from this POV I could see making an example of him. I'm sure players get plenty of counsel behind the scenes on how to handle interviews and that they're expected to apply these lessons.