Quotulatiousness

August 29, 2011

Vikings release ten players in first cut-down

Filed under: Football — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 12:17

All NFL teams have to cut their training camp rosters to 80 players by tomorrow, and to 53 players by Sunday. Most of the players waived in the first cut-down are third- and fourth-string players, but the players who survive the first cut will have one last chance to impress the coaches in the final preseason game. Today the Minnesota Vikings cut the following players:

  • S Chris Adingupu
  • G Conan Amituanai
  • TE Ed Barham
  • QB Rhett Bomar
  • S Simeon Castille
  • LB Jonathan Gilmore
  • WR Andre Holmes
  • LB Kyle O’Donnell
  • K Nate Whitaker
  • DT Colby Whitlock

There were no real surprises in this list, as Bomar was not given any playing time in the first three preseason games, indicating that the Vikings were not likely to retain him. Whitaker was mentioned as a possible “project” player for long-term development, but that was rendered unlikely with Longwell signing a multi-year deal.

NFL teams have to cut down to their 53 player regular season rosters in early September. Here’s my guesses about who makes the team as starters, who are the backups, and who the team is likely to try signing to their 10-man practice squad after the cut-down:

Position Starter(s) Backups Practice Squad
QB McNabb Ponder, Webb  
WR Berrian, Harvin, Jenkins Camarillo (?), J. Johnson, Aromashodu Arceneaux, Iglesias, S. Burton
RB Peterson Gerhart, Booker Davis, Robinson
FB D’Imperio (?)   Asiata
TE Shiancoe, Rudolph Kleinsasser, Dugan Reisner
OL Loadholt (RT), Hutchinson (LG), Sullivan (C), Herrera (RG), C. Johnson (LT) DeGeare, R. Cook, Cooper, Love Brown, Fusco
DL Robison (LE), Williams (UT), Ayodele (NT), J. Allen (RE) Griffen, Ballard, Awasom, Guion, Reed  
LB Greenway (S), E.J. Henderson (M), Erin Henderson (W) Brinkley, Farwell, Onatolu Homan
CB Winfield, Griffin C. Cook, Sherels, A. Allen (?) Parks, Torrence, B. Burton
S T. Johnson, Abdullah Sanford, Brinkley, Frampton, Carter Raymond
K Longwell    
P Kluwe    
LS Loeffler    
KR J. Johnson*    
PR Booker*    

An asterisk indicates a special teams player already listed on the roster in another capacity. A question mark beside a name indicates that the player is probably “on the bubble” to make the team, and might not be eligible for the practice squad.

August 28, 2011

Cowboys 23 Vikings 17 in 3rd preseason match-up

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 00:07

The game was not being broadcast in my area, so all the information I had was via Twitter updates.

Vikings’ scratches for tonight’s game were Asher Allen (CB), Toby Gerhart (RB), Kenny Onatolu (LB), Ross Homan (LB), Heath Farwell (LB), Visanthe Shiancoe (TE), and Kevin Williams (DT). No surprises in any of those names.

This was the first start for Anthony Herrera, who suffered a torn ACL late last season. I hope he gets back into his game quickly, as the offensive line has been an area of concern even before Bryant McKinnie was released. Letroy Guion took the first team snaps for Kevin Williams, who is suffering from a lingering foot issue (plantar fasciitis).

Some positions are still tightly contested, including two (or three) wide receiver slots (take your pick of Camarillo, Aromashodu, Arceneaux, Iglesias, and Jaymar Johnson), strong safety (Tyrell Johnson, Jamarca Sanford, and Mistral Raymond), and dime cornerback (Asher Allen, Marcus Sherels, and Tony Carter). If any of them distinguish themselves tonight, it’ll be a big step towards making the 53-man roster.

Among the folks not able to attend the game: Zygi Wilf, the majority owner of the team. He lives in New Jersey and was prevented from getting to the game by Hurricane Irene (it’s only the second home game he’s missed since purchasing the team in 2006).

The first score of the game was a 49-yard pass from Donovan McNabb to Bernard Berrian for a TD. Dallas defender Abram Elam nearly had the pick, but the ball went through his hands.

On the Cowboys’ next series, there was a scary moment for Vikings fans as starting cornerback Antoine Winfield went down after hitting Jason Witten. Winfield did not return to the field, but he described the injury as a “stinger”. Dallas scored a field goal on the drive, putting the score at 7-3 Vikings.

The Cowboys went ahead on a blocked field goal attempt when Kyle Rudolph missed a block on Orlando Scandrick. The ball was picked up and run in for the score by Alan Ball. 10-7 Cowboys.

On the following series, McNabb’s pass to Kleinsasser was tipped by defensive end Jason Hatcher and intercepted by safety Gerald Sensabaugh. Dallas turned that into a 17-7 lead on a TD by Felix Jones, powering through Tyrell Johnson and Cedric Griffin. (Tom Pelissero thought that Johnson may have lost his chance to stay with the team on a missed interception and poor tackling on the TD run.)

Cord Parks, who I was impressed with in the first two preseason games, has a nice return on the kick-off, putting the Vikings offence back in business on the Dallas 42-yard line. Unfortunately, Percy Harvin dropped a pass on third down, forcing a Ryan Longwell field goal to move the score to 17-10.

Christian Ballard got a sack inside the two-minute warning, to force a Dallas punt (his second sack in three games). At the half, the score was still 17-10 for Dallas.

The Vikings’ first team stayed in the game for one series, then gave way to the second team, led by Joe Webb. Dallas added a field goal on the following series. Webb completed a 43-yard pass to Manny Arceneaux, then followed that up with a rushing TD to move the score to 20-17.

Christian Ponder came in to the game with just over five minutes left to play, then had a bad exchange with center Brandon Fusco. Dallas moved the score to 23-17 on the next series, with a field goal by Dan Bailey.

That ended up being the final score. Significant stats were Donovan McNabb’s 12 of 18 passes for 164 yards, with one TD and one INT, Bernard Berrian with two passes for 64 yards (and a TD), and Adrian Peterson with 11 carries for 69 yards.

August 21, 2011

Vikings 20, Seahawks 7 in second preseason game

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 10:28

A much better game for the Vikings than last week, although the score somewhat flatters them. I think the game did provide lots of justification for not re-signing Tarvaris Jackson, who had a less-than-stellar game against his former team.

The Vikings had a long list of players who were inactive for this game, including Percy Harvin, Greg Camarillo, Anthony Herrera, and Visanthe Shiancoe. This provided some opportunities for less experienced players to get extended playing time and — in a few cases — give the coaches reasons to keep them on the roster after mandatory cut-downs.

Cedric Griffin started the game (although he was only on the field for part of the first quarter) and showed that he can still play at a high level. He may be the first pro football player ever to make a recovery from torn ACL injuries in both legs. He got involved in the very first play, breaking up a pass intended for Golden Tate.

Jared Allen had a great opportunity to sack Jackson during the first Seattle series, but somehow couldn’t wrap him up. A rare miss for Allen. The Vikings’ first team defence was getting very good penetration all through the first half, forcing Jackson to dodge and run more than Seattle’s game plan probably called for. He was elusive enough to avoid most of the pressure, however.

The Vikings’ first offensive series was brief, but eventful: Charlie Johnson let Seattle’s Raheem Brock get a clear run at Donovan McNabb’s blind side for a sack. The tight end on that side went immediately into a receiving pattern, and nobody touched Brock. Suddenly the left tackle position is up for grabs again. Jeremy Fowler reported on his Twitter feed: “LT Charlie Johnson on early sack on McNabb: ‘Yeah, I messed up. I own up to it. I went the wrong way'”. Minnesota only managed three offensive plays in the first quarter.

Marcus Sherels had a bad time on a punt return, fumbling the ball and giving Seattle another set of downs. He then more than made up for the error four plays later by catching a deflected pass from Jackson to Tate, and running it 64 yards for the first touchdown of the night.

The Vikings had a nice goal-line stand, keeping Seattle from scoring on four attempts from the 2-yard line. McNabb then led the attack on a nice drive, going 6 of 8 for 81 yards, but couldn’t get into the end zone, so Longwell kicked the field goal to make the score 10-0.

Christian Ponder took over after the next series, completing 4 of 9 attempts for 31 yards (plus some help on penalties) leading to another Longwell field goal.

Seattle finally got on the board early in the second half, with an Anthony McCoy touchdown after a bad snap — the second game that the Vikings’ opponent has scored on a bad snap. I somehow doubt that teams will add it to their playbooks, however.

Joe Webb took over from Ponder early in the fourth quarter, with the score at 13-7. Seattle saved a sure touchdown by Manny Arceneaux by punching the ball out just before Arceneaux could cross the goal line: the ball rolled out the back of the end zone for a touchback. Arceneaux was a stand-out wide receiver for the BC Lions, but is considered a rookie in the NFL. This is a rookie mistake that could keep him from making the team.

Another unknown hoping to make the final roster, Tristan Davis, scored a late touchdown on a nice 35-yard run to put the game out of reach for Seattle.

August 19, 2011

Excellent news for players of impact sports

Filed under: Football, Health, Technology — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 12:04

It’s becoming more a topic of concern for players (and especially for the parents of younger players) in sports which feature significant amounts of contact: detecting when a player has suffered a concussion. Football and hockey players are often determined to prove how tough they are by “playing through” injury, but concussions are not like bruises or other injuries — they can have long-term dangerous side-effects. There’s now a product available at the retail level that may help:

Over the next few weeks, a U.S. company called Battle Sports Science is making its Impact Indicator available throughout Canada and the United States. It is a sensor that is fastened to a helmet chin strap and detects when the user’s head undergoes an impact likely to cause a concussion.

Football versions of this device should be on the way to Canada in two weeks, said Battle Sports CEO Chris Circo, and one for hockey is expected to be available in late September or early October.

When attached and operating, a green light will be illuminated at the player’s chin. If the light turns red, it’s indicating that the player has been hit hard and should be evaluated before returning to play.

Once the technology is widely available, the professional leagues and the college and university teams should adopt them as standard equipment. Junior players would have less reason to resist using the device if all the top-level players were seen to be using them. It’ll take longer to retrain sports announcers to stop glorify big hits and featuring them on slo-mo playbacks while saying things like “He got jacked-up”, “They blew him up” and “He got his bell rung on that hit”.

August 14, 2011

Titans 14, Vikings 3 in first preseason matchup

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 15:45

I didn’t see the game live, but I caught about three quarters of it on NFL Network’s replay this morning. As anyone could have predicted, it was a sloppy game for both teams. Both Titans scores came off turnovers, while the Vikings quarterbacks and receivers still haven’t quite gelled (miscues and missed catches were far too common).

Here’s Judd Zulgad‘s summary after the game:

The Vikings unveiled what could be best described as a soft launch of their new offense Saturday night in their preseason opener against Tennessee.

It was far from a success.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb, making his Vikings debut, played two series in a 14-3 loss at LP Field. The Vikings’ only points came from a 37-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell in the third quarter. But no one in the visitor’s locker room expressed any concern — not with three preseason games and plenty more installation to go before the Sept. 11 regular-season opener at San Diego.

“I thought their effort was good, and the execution was good up to a point,” new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said. “We always want points. We’ll have to make bigger strides next time with that first unit.”

I tuned in just as McNabb was finishing his time on the field, and the time of possession seemed to be strongly in Tennessee’s favour, so Joe Webb played into the second half and Christian Ponder finished out the game (Rhett Bomar was supposed to play, but didn’t get a chance).

Several starters were held out or only made the briefest of appearances on the field, and some backups made good use of the extra playing time (Jaymar Johnson for one). Other players, unfortunately, lowered their stock by making mistakes (Chris Cook’s name came up far too often in the wrong context here, for example).

Just watching the players in game mode shows how different things are from seeing footage of them in team drills at camp: some players who were said to have had “great camps” were nowhere near as effective in the real game situations. On the other hand, the offensive line did better than expected given the training camp picture.

If nothing else, the coaches now have a lot of things on film to help evaluate players and fix problems that showed up during the game.

August 13, 2011

Vikings vs Titans tonight in first preseason game

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 10:49

I don’t know if I’ll be able to watch tonight’s game, as NFL preseason games are very much hit-and-miss for TV coverage (especially in Canada). It is likely to be even more sloppy for both teams than first preseason games usually are, due to the disruption through the lockout earlier this year. Both teams have new head coaches, new starting quarterbacks, drafted their respective “quarterback of the future” in the first round, and are still trying to sort out their playbooks. Due to the lockout, neither coach got the additional organized team activities before training camp that they would have been allowed to have in a normal year.

For the Vikings, one of the big question marks will be how well new left tackle Charlie Johnson will perform: he’s filling the very big shoes of Bryant McKinnie, who was cut from the team after arriving at camp nearly fifty pounds overweight and suffering from high cholesterol issues. Johnson is not a rookie — he spent the last couple of seasons protecting Peyton Manning’s blind side — but he looked distressingly vulnerable to pass rushes during training camp. It could be just that Jared Allen is having a great start to the year, or it could mean that the Colts got rid of Johnson because his skills were no longer sufficient for the job. If he doesn’t improve rapidly, the Vikings could end up starting Rhett Bomar as their quarterback for the regular season, due to accumulated blindside hits on Donovan McNabb, Joe Webb, and Christian Ponder.

McNabb is hoping to use this season to prove that last year was an just unlucky fluke and not the real McNabb. He’s signed for 2011 and will be a free agent next year. Christian Ponder, the Vikings’ first round draft pick, will be the third string quarterback for this game, and Joe Webb will be the second string. Although most pundits expect Ponder to move ahead of Webb on the depth chart, it’s still a tight race between the two.

Other changes include the replacement of Sidney Rice as number 1 wide receiver by Bernard Berrian (not a popular guy among the fanbase for his lack of production over the last two seasons) and the replacement of pass rusher Ray Edwards by Brian Robison (he’d backed up Edwards and signed a contract extension before the lockout).

The new coaching staff also means a change in the offensive play book: we’ve been told to expect a lot of two tight end sets to take advantage of the pass-catching abilities of Visanthe Shiancoe and second round pick Kyle Rudolph. The defence has less change, as the new defensive co-ordinator was with the team last year.

Tonight’s game will only feature the starting line-ups of the two teams for a couple of series, to be quickly followed by the second and third string players. Even the first quarter won’t be quality football, but expect the second half to be very sloppy indeed, as the players with only a faint chance of making their respective teams try to catch the eye of the coaches on big plays.

Update: Just checked in to Twitter, to see what the various Vikings media outlets are reporting. It’s halftime, with the score Titans 14, Vikings 0. McNabb came through fine, with some nice play in limited exposure. Berrian lived down to expectations by dropping a pass from McNabb. Asher Allen (starting for Antoine Winfield) was burned on the very first play from scrimmage. A fumble by Booker set up the first Titans score, and an interception of Webb (made worse by a holding call on Marcus Sherels) set up the second.

August 8, 2011

ESPN’s new attempt at a more accurate Quarterback rating system

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 17:25

The existing quarterback ranking is hard to understand and concentrates on the “passing” side of the quarterback’s job. ESPN is introducing a more broad-based ranking system:

The Total Quarterback Rating is a statistical measure that incorporates the contexts and details of throws and what they mean for wins. It’s built from the team level down to the quarterback, where we understand first what each play means to the team, then give credit to the quarterback for what happened on a play based on what he contributed.

[. . .]

Total QBR Basics

A quick primer on the fundamentals of Total Quarterback Rating:

Scoring: 0-100, from low to high. An average QB would be at 50.
Win Probability: All QB plays are scored based on how much they contribute to a win. By determining expected point totals for almost any situation, Total QBR is able to apply points to a quarterback based on every type of play he would be involved in.
Dividing Credit: Total QBR factors in such things as overthrows, underthrows, yards after the catch and more to accurately determine how much a QB contributes to each play.
Clutch Index: How critical a certain play is based on when it happens in a game is factored into the score.

Under the new ranking, Brett Favre’s performance gets a lot less impressive (if an average QB would score 50 points):

  • 2008 – New York Jets – 41.7
  • 2009 – Minnesota Vikings – 63.1
  • 2010 – Minnesota Vikings – 25.8

August 2, 2011

Ten years on

Filed under: Football — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 00:09

Korey Stringer

Ten years ago, Korey Stringer died at the Minnesota Vikings training camp in Mankato, MN. This year, the team is marking the practice field with (now retired) #77 in his honour.

August 1, 2011

Since 1992, the Vikings have made AARP stand for “Always Available to Retire in Purple”

Filed under: Football, Humour — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 11:01

I think it’s safe to say that Jim Souhan has missed football during the lockout. Here he is, discussing the Vikings’ long-term habit of bringing in older quarterbacks:

Our local football franchise has become the Mystic Lake Casino of NFL quarterbacks, bringing you the biggest names of the ’80s and ’90s today.

While other franchises roll the dice on unproven talent, the Vikings would rather comfort you with the football equivalents of Stevie Nicks and Foreigner.

[. . .]

Since Denny Green wrongly benched promising young Rich Gannon in the middle of the 1992 season in favor of the always regrettable Sean Salisbury, the Vikings have made AARP stand for “Always Available to Retire in Purple.”

[. . .]

Randall Cunningham won the Player of the Year that season, taking the Vikings to the NFC title game. That’s when he should have retired, again.

In ’99, Cunningham quickly lost his job to Jeff George, who coined the term “Slappy” for backstabbing backups, rallied the Vikings to the playoffs, and then was banished by Green.

In 2000, For the second time since Gannon’s benching, the Vikings gave the starting job to one of their own, Daunte Culpepper, who took them to the NFC title game and might have won it if not for the New York Giants stealing the Vikings’ plays and asking nicely that Wasswa Serwanga not cover their receivers.

[. . .]

Brad Johnson bridged the gap to another Vikings draftee, Tarvaris Jackson, who, understanding the Vikings’ role as a nursing home for decrepit quarterbacks, helped find playing time for Kelly Holcombe, Brooks Bollinger, Gus Frerotte (again!), and finally Lord Favre, King Of The Undead.

Since Brett Favre started his first game, Green Bay has used three starting quarterbacks (including Matt Flynn’s cameo). The Vikings have used 16, with the likes of Johnson and Frerotte serving multiple tours.

July 29, 2011

Free agency period so far for Minnesota

Filed under: Football — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 09:16

It’s been a busy week, with rumours flying fast, but this was the state of play as of last night, as compiled by Skol Girl at the Daily Norseman:

Right now there are so many rumors flying around the NFL it bears a striking resemblance to a high school cafeteria a week before prom. “Who’s he going with?” “What’s he going to wear?” “Did he really say that?” “He’s going with them? That’s not what I heard.” “OMG I didn’t even think he liked Darrell Bevell?”

Just yesterday the Vikings signed 14 rookie free agents, re-signed Ryan Longwell, lost Sidney Rice, released Jimmy Kennedy, and reached an agreement to bring Donovan McNabb to Minnesota. Today Madieu Williams, never fully recovered from a 2008 neck injury, was released. Nose tackle Remi Ayodele came to an agreement with the Vikings for 3 years and $9 million. The Vikings agreed to terms with special-teams ace Eric Frampton. Erin Henderson will sign his restricted free-agent tender. Rookie free agents Alexander Robison and Ed Barham were signed, but Derrick Locke failed his physical. As if all that isn’t enough to make your head spin, there are still a couple days for the Vikings to finish rounding out their 90-man training camp roster. And once they build up the training camp roster, the coaches get to steadily cut away at the roster until we’re back down to the 53-man active roster for the regular season.

NFL free-agency is always weird but this year it’s more like weird took a hit of mescaline and then watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. While it’s hard on teams and players to get deals in place in such a short amount of time, all this roster churn is hard on fans too. Fans have the luxury and hassle of being sentimental.

July 28, 2011

Rice cashes in: $1 million per TD over the last four years

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 12:42

I really like Sidney Rice, and I’m sorry that he won’t be with the Vikings this year, but I have to agree with Ryan Boser on this: Seattle overpaid to get him.

In four seasons as a Minnesota Viking, Sidney Rice scored 18 touchdowns. Yesterday, he was rewarded with $18.5M in guaranteed cash from the Seattle Seahawks. In a nutshell, Rice’s 2009 breakout was so impressive that agent Drew Rosenhaus found a sucker willing to anti up a gaudy five-year, $41M deal for a guy with one great season smashed between three injury-plagued disasters.

Rice’s first two seasons were marked by underachievement and knee injuries. After stealing his paychecks in 2007 and 2008, Rice showed his true colors on the heals of his 2009 breakout.

Assisted by what may have been Brett Favre’s greatest season, Rice tallied 83 catches for 1,312 yards and eight scores. With one year still left on his contract, Rice demanded a raise from the Vikings.

On the other hand, as has been pointed out by several people, an NFL player’s career can be cut short by injury so it’s hard to blame Rice for taking the bigger paycheck, especially the $18.5 million in guaranteed money.

July 27, 2011

Washington trades Donovan McNabb to the Vikings

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 07:17

I have to admit, I didn’t see this one coming: I’d expected the Vikings to either go with Christian Ponder or Joe Webb as the starting quarterback, not to bring in a big name veteran:

The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins have agreed in principle to a trade sending QB Donovan McNabb to Minnesota.

The deal is contingent upon McNabb taking a significant pay cut, but according to Jay Glazer, “FOXSports.com has learned the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to acquire McNabb in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft and possibly a conditional 2013 draft pick.”

That’s a much lower cost in draft picks than Washington was supposedly asking, so it works well for Minnesota in that dimension. It’ll be interesting to see how McNabb works with the two young quarterbacks in training camp.

Update: Of course, no trade will satisfy everyone, but this particular one has Ryan Boser incensed:

If you’ve read my work here, you’re well aware of my disdain for McNabb. At 10:15 tonight, Jay Glazer tweeted that the Vikings have agreed to send two sixth-round picks (2012, and a conditional 2013) to Washington for the 34-year old.

The deal is contingent on the egotistical vet taking a massive pay cut from the $12.5M he’s owed this season (he’s just one year into a six-year, $89.2M deal).

The optimist in me hopes that the delusional McNabb, who still thinks he’s elite, will put the kibosh on it. Realistically, it’s a lock that the Vikings will head into the season with their third (or fourth) choice under center.

[. . .]

He’ll obviously take a pay cut, but he’ll still cost a sub-.500 team chock-full of holes way too much cap space (in addition to the draft picks). Specifics for the restructured deal are expected tomorrow.

If the coaching staff were really worried about throwing first-rounder Christian Ponder (who’s been preparing like a maniac) to the wolves, then spend pennies on the backup mentor and let Joe Webb take the early-season starts.

Ponder’s the future, so you have nothing to lose by letting a sixth-round wide receiver be the sacrificial lamb. Who knows, you might just discover that you stumbled on to a gem. As it stands, you can stick a fork in Joe Webb, the quarterback.

Update, the second: Dan Zinksi has a bit of advice for McNabb:

The drama this time reportedly revolves around McNabb himself and his apparent hurt feelings over not being shown a level of deference comparable to that which the Vikings showed Brett Favre during their pursuit of him the last two seasons. As ESPN puts it, “McNabb was concerned Tuesday night about how the Vikings’ side of the situation was handled.” Evidently McNabb expected several Viking veterans to fly to his home in Zygi Wilf‘s jet bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh and possibly a six-pack, and was bothered when this did not happen.

[. . .]

Here’s my advice for you Donovan as you embark upon your new career as the quarterback the Vikings had to settle for because they lost out on Tyler Thigpen: Get your hands on that playbook as fast as possible. Also, get hold of Sidney Rice‘s phone number and start working on him to stay with the Vikings. You could have a nice array of weapons in Minnesota — better than you had last year in Washington for sure — but only if Rice stays. Third, try to be humble. Come in and say all the right things and do all the right things. And if your coaches ask you to wear a wristband? Remember that it’s for your own good and just wear the damn wristband.

July 19, 2011

Virginia Tech publishes football helmet safety rankings

Filed under: Football, Health, Technology — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 12:41

Gregg Easterbrook has the details from a Virginia Tech comparative study of football helmets:

Researchers at Virginia Tech have produced the first brand-by-brand, model-by-model ranking for the likely concussion resistance of helmets. A star-rating system modeled on crash safety rankings for automobiles, the rankings clearly identify the best and worst helmets. Virginia Tech researchers give high marks to these helmets: the Riddell Speed, Riddell Revolution, Riddell Revolution IQ; the Schutt Ion 4D and Schutt DNA; and the Xenith X1.The Virginia Tech researchers give medium grades to the Schutt Air XP and Schutt Air Advantage. The Virginia Tech rankings warn players not to wear these helmets: the Riddell VSR4 and the Adams A2000.

Now the chilling part: the VSR4 — Virginia Tech’s second-lowest-rated helmet — was the most common helmet in the NFL last season. The VSR4 is widely worn in college and high school, too. Immediately after the Virginia Tech findings were released, Riddell advised football teams to stop using the VSR4, long the company’s best seller.

(The new Rawlings line of football helmets was not on the market in time to be included in the study. Virginia Tech will rank Rawlings helmets — which from the start is promoting safety features rather than styling — next year.)

July 1, 2011

Duleep Allirajah: “The Most Pointless Sporting Argument Ever”

Filed under: Britain, Soccer — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 11:32

He’s quite right: this has to be the nadir of international sporting debates:

Where do you stand on the controversial issue of a Great Britain football team? Disgusted that the British Olympic Association is threatening the independence and proud traditions of the home football nations? Angered that the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish associations are trying to thwart the Olympic dreams of their young players? Or, like me, do you want to be woken up when The Most Pointless Sporting Argument Ever is over?

If you’re wondering why the proposal for a unified British football team has caused such controversy, let me explain. There has never been a single UK football association. Instead, all four countries — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have their own football associations. Each country is recognised by FIFA as a separate entity even though they are not sovereign nations. It’s one of the residual privileges enjoyed by the nation that invented the game. Although the Brits have minimal influence within FIFA, as the 2018 World Cup bid and the farcical presidential election demonstrated, all four UK nations are represented on the eight-member International Football Association Board (IFAB), which is the sport’s law-making body. The home nations also retain the right to appoint a FIFA vice-president. Although the English FA is keen on fielding a British team in the 2012 Games, the other national associations fear that their independence and FIFA privileges will be jeopardised as a result.

The debate took a farcical twist this week when the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced that an ‘historic agreement’ had been reached with all the home nations to field a Great Britain team at the Olympics. However, no sooner had the BOA made its announcement than the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland football associations angrily denied that any agreement had been reached. Oops!

June 26, 2011

How much did the salary cap change the NFL?

Filed under: Business, Football — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 13:14

If this analysis of the 1975 Minnesota Vikings roster by John Holler says anything, it shows that the biggest change in NFL history was probably the introduction of free agency and the salary cap:

Many players believe the 1975 Vikings were the greatest team in franchise history. But, in the free agency era, there would have been no chance they could have kept the team together. Fortunately for Vikings fans, those players were locked into contracts that didn’t allow them leave. But, what would the ’75 Vikings have cost in modern-day dollars? Too much. Consider the following:

Fran Tarkenton was nearing the end of his career, but had never missed a game and was viewed by many as the best quarterback in the NFL. Given the current wage paid the top QB, Tark could easily have been given $15 million or so.

Chuck Foreman would have been entering the third year of his rookie contract and, most likely, would have held out in order to get a better deal in the current era. The Vikings would acquiesce and he would sign a deal of about five years for $45 million, with $15 million or so up front. Current cap total about $30 million.

On the offensive line, Mick Tingelhoff would likely not be earning top dollar, but would still be worth about $3 million a year. Guard Ed White would likely be coming up for free agency himself and would probably cost another $5-6 million a year. Ron Yary, the first overall pick in the 1968 draft, would likely be in the second or third year of his second contract, which, given his five straight Pro Bowl appearances, would probably put him in the $12 million range. So far, five players would have the Vikings on the hook for about $50 million, without even touching the Purple People Eaters.

In short, free agency and the salary cap totally changed the economic side of the game, and ensured that more teams would be competitive over the long haul.

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