Official NFL Thread: 2014-2015 Season

Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:22 am

How independent will Robert Mueller be?
Posted by Mike Florio on September 11, 2014, 10:14 AM EDT

When the NFL announced that an independent investigator had been hired to explore the league office’s poor-at-best handling of the Ray Rice case, I thought the league had taken a clear step in the right direction.

When I saw that two old-guard owners would oversee what would otherwise be an independent investigation, I became a little concerned that the investigation wouldn’t truly be independent.

When I realized that the man hired to do the investigation works for WilmerHale, the law firm that helped the NFL recently negotiate a multi-billion-dollar contract with DirecTV, any hope of true and genuine independence evaporated. As explained by ESPN.com, the firm previously has represented Washington owner Daniel Snyder, and several members of the firm have taken jobs with NFL teams.

One such former WilmerHale employee is, coincidentally, Ravens president Dick Cass, who joined the club after thirty-plus years at the firm.

While the tentacles aren’t as numerous as those connecting the league office to a law firm like Covington & Burling, the NFL-WilmerHale linkage suggests that Robert Mueller isn’t and won’t be truly independent. At some level, Mueller possibly will be influenced by his firm’s separate relationship with the NFL. Even if he isn’t, the appearance of a potential influence makes it impossible to fully trust the independence of the investigation.

That’s why the best choice would have been (and still could be) to give former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue a significant role in this process. Who knows the inner workings of the league office better than the man who presided over it for twice as long as Goodell has? Two years ago, Tagliabue displayed his ability to be independent and objective when scuttling Goodell’s suspensions of various players for the bounty case.

If the goal is to not only get to the truth but to create the impression that a truly independent effort has been undertaken to find the truth, Mueller is the wrong choice. Tagliabue ultimately could be the right one.
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Week Two Picks:

Pro Football Talk: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... o-picks-5/

CBS Sports: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/features/w ... aight-up/2

Sporting News: http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2 ... lers-bills

Bleacher Report: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2193 ... chup-guide

SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/9/10/6 ... os-packers

ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks
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Preview of tonight's game--Steelers at Ravens:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201409110 ... ab=preview

Ravens favored by 2.5, but you gotta wonder....

Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:03 pm

Optics are bad when you have two owners as part of the "independent" committee.

Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:48 pm

Wow, wait months for the NFL season to start and WHAM, its an afterthought (as it should be). This story has become quite the spiderweb of directions.

IMO, the worst part of it IS and ALWAYS will be Ray Rice knocking his fiancee Janay out in the elevator and then dragging her out etc...

How, if, when the NFL may have investigated this is important but its as much for the future, IMO. There have been so many HUGE scandals involving the NFL over the past few seasons. This is one where the league operations itself are having lights shined in their dark corners. I mean we had Bountygate, Bullygate and now this. The Bounty scandal and Bully scandal certainly have shown how culture in/around the NFL has changed. One of the results of this Rice incident is regardless of who/what/when/why etc... the issue of domestic violence and NFL culture will be evolving in a positive way as a result, IMO. There are too many eyes watching so the right thing must be done........

Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:50 pm

by the way who won the Steelers/Ravens matchup anyways....

Ravens kinda had to and its not surprising, IMO, that they rebounded from a short week with lots of extra turmoil thrown in to win.......

Thu Sep 11, 2014 11:05 pm

notahomer wrote:by the way who won the Steelers/Ravens matchup anyways....

Ravens kinda had to and its not surprising, IMO, that they rebounded from a short week with lots of extra turmoil thrown in to win.......

Didn't catch the game, but, from the recap, looks as if the Ravens pretty much controlled the game, winning 26-6. One interesting thing: the two Ravens running backs, Bernard Pierce and Justin Forsett ran all over the Steeler defense. Forsett's an interesting story. I remember him from his days with the Seahawks, although he didn't stick with them. He's built like Tim Brown and seems to be experiencing a rebirth with the Ravens. So, with Pierce and Forsett, it doesn't look as if Ray Rice will be missed much at all. And Flacco must have had a decent night too. I think everyone was thinking that, with all the turmoil in Ravenville this past week, they come out disorganized and get beaten up by a physical Steeler team. Didn't happen. Sometimes adversity brings a team together, and it's an "us against the world" performance. Seems as though this was the case tonight, although, as I mentioned, I didn't watch the game. Actually, I dislike both teams, so tonight was a natural "night off" (of football) for me.

Here's the recap for anyone interested:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201409110 ... &tab=recap

Thu Sep 11, 2014 11:13 pm

South Pender wrote:
notahomer wrote:by the way who won the Steelers/Ravens matchup anyways....

Ravens kinda had to and its not surprising, IMO, that they rebounded from a short week with lots of extra turmoil thrown in to win.......
Didn't catch the game, but, from the recap, looks as if the Ravens pretty much controlled the game, winning 26-6. One interesting thing: the two Ravens running backs, Bernard Pierce and Justin Forsett ran all over the Steeler defense. Forsett's an interesting story. I remember him from his days with the Seahawks, although he didn't stick with them. He's built like Tim Brown and seems to be experiencing a rebirth with the Ravens. So, with Pierce and Forsett, it doesn't look as if Ray Rice will be missed much at all. And Flacco must have had a decent night too. I think everyone was thinking that, with all the turmoil in Ravenville this past week, they come out disorganized and get beaten up by a physical Steeler team. Didn't happen. Sometimes adversity brings a team together, and it's an "us against the world" performance. Seems as though this was the case tonight, although, as I mentioned, I didn't watch the game. Actually, I dislike both teams, so tonight was a natural "night off" (of football) for me.

Here's the recap for anyone interested:

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201409110 ... &tab=recap

I hate both of the teams too, just hate the Ravens a little less. I would have caught the game but had to work and the game had just ended when I got home. I have no doubt that 'us against the world' concept worked just fine thank you very much. I often wonder if thats how the 2011 Lions got through their rough start to their season that year....

Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:54 pm

Fri Sep 12, 2014 3:13 pm

And now a whole new off-field mess for Roger Goodell to deal with. Guess we'll have to wait for the video....

Peterson presents first test to post-Rice NFL
Posted by Mike Florio on September 12, 2014, 6:02 PM EDT

Before the Ray Rice video emerged, a player arrested or charged on a Friday routinely would play on Sunday, barring unusual circumstances. After the Ray Rice video has emerged, the usual has become the unusual, and the indictment of Adrian Peterson presents the first test to the league’s new approach to players who have been accused but not convicted.

Whatever that new approach may be.

With increased cries for 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald and Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy to be benched, suspended, or cut before their legal rights have been exhausted in the days since the Rice video, the NFL and the Vikings may not feel comfortable putting Peterson in uniform only two days after his indictment for child abuse.

On one hand, the fact that Peterson’s indictment occurred late in the week may make it harder for any outcry against Peterson playing to percolate. On the other hand, the team and the league don’t have much time to make a decision, and some of the quick decisions made by the NFL this week haven’t been great decisions.

And here’s the wild-card. If photos of the injuries to Peterson’s child exist, there’s a chance those photos will at some point be leaked.

So while Peterson may be available to play, the Vikings or the NFL may decide that the best move is to not let him play. Which would make it a lot easier for the Patriots to win.
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Vikings “gathering information” on Adrian Peterson indictment
Posted by Josh Alper on September 12, 2014, 5:39 PM EDT

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been indicted in Texas for reckless or negligent injury to a child, which means that he’ll need to turn himself over to authorities.

That puts his status for Sunday’s game against the Patriots in doubt, although the Vikings didn’t address it in a short statement released on Friday afternoon.

“The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson. At this time, we will defer further questions to Adrian’s attorney Rusty Hardin,” the statement reads.

Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that the team is meeting to determine his playing status for Sunday. Given the nature of the indictment and the current atmosphere in the NFL, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings opted to go without Peterson this Sunday but there’s a long time for more developments to arise between now and kickoff.
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Adrian Peterson’s indictment for swatting son with a switch
Posted by Darin Gantt on September 12, 2014, 5:06 PM EDT

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s indictment on reckless or negligent injury to a child stems from a case of old-school corporal punishment.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the incident in question stems from “disciplining of a son with a switch.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the Southern vernacular, a switch is a flexible tree branch used to swat a child across the backsides.

How you view that — as an act of parental discipline or as child abuse — depends largely on your age and geographic location.

We can already tell the comments on this one are going to be special.
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Adrian Peterson indicted, charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child
Posted by Michael David Smith on September 12, 2014, 4:40 PM EDT

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has reportedly been indicted in Houston.

Fox 26 in Houston reports that Peterson was indicted in Montgomery County for reckless or negligent injury to a child. The incident in question reportedly stems from “disciplining of a son with a switch.”

The Vikings issued the following statement Friday afternoon: “The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson. At this time, we will defer further questions to Adrian’s attorney Rusty Hardin.”

Peterson missed practice on Thursday and the Vikings did not explain why, although they did say he was not injured. Peterson was back at practice today, and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Peterson gave no indication anything was wrong and was laughing and joking at the team facility.

Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that Peterson will now have to turn himself in to Texas authorities, which makes his status for Sunday’s game against the Patriots unclear.
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Here's a report by a Minnesota TV station with what they say are pictures of the injuries suffered by the 4-year-old boy:

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/09/1 ... ild-abuse/
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And a little more....

Report: Peterson admitted to “whooping” son with a switch
Posted by Michael David Smith on September 12, 2014, 6:39 PM EDT

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who was indicted today for injury to a child, reportedly admitted that he hit his 4-year-old son with a switch, causing cuts and bruises.

Nick Wright of 610-AM in Houston reports that Peterson told police he gave his son a “whooping” in a May incident in Spring, Texas. According to the report, Peterson said he did it to punish the child for pushing another one of Peterson’s children while they were playing a video game. The report says Peterson grabbed a tree branch, removed the leaves and struck the 4-year-old repeatedly.

The child’s injuries reportedly included cuts and bruises to the child’s back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, along with defensive wounds to the child’s hands. According to the report, Peterson texted the boy’s mother and acknowledged what he had done and that she would be “mad at me about his leg. I got kinda good wit the tail end of the switch.”

Peterson also allegedly texted the child’s mother that he “felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I [sic] thigh. . . . Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n I’m all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories!”

According to the report, the child told authorities, “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face” and said he feared Peterson would punch him in the face if he found out police knew about the incident.

The boy’s mother reportedly took him to a doctor, who reported the injuries to authorities, saying they were consistent with child abuse.
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This is starting to look pretty bad....

Fri Sep 12, 2014 3:48 pm

More black eye for the NFL. Will it ever end ?

Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:22 pm

The story continues:

Lawyer: Adrian Peterson regrets the “unintentional” injury to his son
Posted by Michael David Smith on September 12, 2014, 7:05 PM EDT

The attorney for Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has acknowledged that Peterson’s son was injured in the events that led to Peterson being indicted today. But Peterson’s side of the story is that he was just trying to discipline the boy.

Attorney Rusty Hardin released a statement saying that Peterson only intended to spank his son, the same way Peterson himself was spanked as a child, and did not want to hurt his son.

“Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child,” Hardin’s statement says. “The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter. Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas. Adrian has never hidden from what happened. He has cooperated fully with authorities and voluntarily testified before the grand jury for several hours. Adrian will address the charges with the same respect and responsiveness he has brought to this inquiry from its beginning. It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.”

The Vikings have announced that Peterson will not play on Sunday. He is expected to surrender to authorities in Texas soon.
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And now this:

After indictment, Adrian Peterson will not play Sunday
Posted by Michael David Smith on September 12, 2014, 6:51 PM EDT

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will not play on Sunday against the Patriots after he was indicted on a charge of injury to a child.

The Vikings announced the decision to deactivate Peterson on Friday, two hours after news broke that he had been indicted by a grand jury in Houston.

The move comes during the same week that the NFL has come under withering criticism stemming from the video showing Ravens running back Ray Rice beating up his wife. The Ravens released Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely.

It’s far too early to know whether the Vikings could release Peterson — a notion that would have been absolutely unthinkable a few hours ago — or whether the NFL could suspend him indefinitely. But in this week like no other in the NFL’s history, nothing can be ruled out.

Meanwhile, other players accused of domestic violence, notably Panthers defensive lineman Greg Hardy and 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald, will play on Sunday. The Panthers and the 49ers have cited due process, saying it wouldn’t be fair to deactivate players before the legal system plays out. The Vikings have decided that some accusations are serious enough to warrant immediate action.
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I guess, after the beating the league has taken over the Ray Rice case, this suspension was inevitable. If he's out for any length of time, the Vikings' season will be down the crapper.

Just the worst week for off-field bad news for the NFL. Is it all just elevated testosterone?

Sat Sep 13, 2014 12:03 am

WOW!

Big changes in culture are in part why, IMO. Bullying? Who cares, not that long ago. Its taken various videos, violence and suicides to bring about a massive shift and there is still a long way to go, IMO. Domestic violence? Ditto.

Now this. I was the oldest child and physical punishment was still acceptable in the home. In fact, one winter I spent in Alberta, my parents warned me it was actually still acceptable by the principal to use a paddle at school. By the time my younger sisters got to the age where they did things I had been STRUCK for, my parents had already chosen to STOP this method of parenting.

Bad week for the NFL but it probably shows that much of their planning is needed (security departments etc....). For example, I learned this week EVERY SINGLE NFL TEAM has open contracts with TWO seperate Private Investigation firms to help with issues that arise in the various cities. So my favourite seventies PI James Rockford could have been hired to look into various undertoward issues that arise in professional sports

.....(IIRC, the Rockford Files did have one episode involving a nefarious QB playing for a semi-pro team).

Sat Sep 13, 2014 2:24 pm

I read an article similar to this one in a greasy spoon restaurant. IIRC, it was a copy of the NY Times but I posted this link to show it is the latest excuse du jour and IMO, it will hurt Goodell's reputation more than help it........

http://www.salon.com/chromeo/article/ro ... st_excuse/

IOW, Goodell didn't want to put Janay in the limelight or have her character in question as a result. IF so, he's failed rather dramatically as things have turned out. And, more importantly, I feel its a ridiculous idea anyways. Protecting her would have meant other things, other offers of support and effort. Not trying to get this to go away simply because IT SEEMS she wanted it go away too....

I know vacuums are often fuel more speculation but IMO, many of the owners and people around the NFL just need to ZIP IT and let the 'investigation' run its course. Goodell did not actually release this excuse, it was one passed on by someone, IMO, trying to help defend him. Just be quiet, let the investigation run its course. Goodell and the NFL had their chance to control how this was handled now its a full fledged scandal that they don't need to add to by trying to backpedal, IMO......

Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:03 pm

Good points, nota. The psychology of the victim of domestic abuse is very complicated. It explains why so many women stay with abusive men, always thinking that the man will stop the abuse, but knowing deep down that it will probably never stop. It's hard to know just how Rice's wife really sees this, but, as you note, this apparent perception should not have played any role in how the beating was dealt with. It's just a mess now, and it's hard to see how Goodell and the league can come out of it without looking very bad--for putting team interests ahead of doing the right thing for Rice's wife and women in general. The NFL had a chance to stand up for an end to domestic violence and failed miserably. One outcome will probably be heavy punishment doled out to Adrian Peterson lest the league be seen as being soft on child abuse as well as wife abuse. Just a sad day all around.

On the child abuse issue, I think society is divided on the use of corporal punishment, but those in favor would, I'm sure, stop well short of what Peterson did. Again I think that the pictures will be the catalyst--they're pretty horrifying and go way beyond the point where parents would normally stop. A spanking with an open hand is probably acceptable to many parents, but whipping a 4-year-old with a tree branch, leaving open wounds all over him is going to be seen as completely unacceptable. You have to think that Peterson is in a world of trouble over this....

Sun Sep 14, 2014 1:44 pm

For thos who are watching the Seahawks-Chargers game right now, who else is surprised that the NFL with its great technologies didn't correctly review and overturn Percy Harvin 51-yard touchdown - unlike last night's Lions-Blue Bombers game in which a video review correctly overturned whether the ball carrier stepped out of bounds.

Sun Sep 14, 2014 4:49 pm

Robbie wrote:For thos who are watching the Seahawks-Chargers game right now, who else is surprised that the NFL with its great technologies didn't correctly review and overturn Percy Harvin 51-yard touchdown - unlike last night's Lions-Blue Bombers game in which a video review correctly overturned whether the ball carrier stepped out of bounds.

I missed the actual call but the announcers were going on/on about it. Apparently Harvin's TD shouldn't have been like you stated, he stepped out of bounds........

Video review may have caught and overturned a call but it DID NOT follow the process I thought gets followed. There have been close calls at the goal-line THAT DID NOT GET REVIEWED. If every close call gets reviewed then THERE WILL be changes in terms of more scoring that was NOT RULED A SCORING PLAY ON THE FIELD.

That review in the Bomber/Lions game should have been upto either coach to challenge. If Benevides wants the single point and loss of yards, LET HIM THROW the flag. IMO, it would have made sense for O'Shea to toss a flag hoping his guy had stepped out.

I think the Central Command for the NFL is a lot more challenging than the CFL. There could be, in theory, a few challenges going on at the same time due to the full slate of games. I"ve watched that one 'replay show' on NFL network (maybe NFL REPLAY?) where they go off of time and different games will have scoring plays in different cities AT PRETTY MUCH THE EXACT SAME TIME.

Rivers and the Chargers did an awesome job on that Seahawks D, IMO. Gates was amazing, making catches with a Seahawk or two HANGING OFF OF HIM.

Late in the game, I'm surprised they didn't go for it on 4 &2. The Chargers were full value for this win, IMO. THe Hawks will have to adapt and get people scared about their defence again......

Official NFL Thread: 2014-2015 Season

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