Goodell Apologizes For Ref's

Hey All,

Roger Goodell's words couldn't have sounded more heartfelt.

“Obviously, when you go through something painful like this, it’s painful for everybody,” Goodell said of the NFL's negotiations with the no longer locked out officials. “Most importantly, it’s painful for our fans. We are sorry to have to put our fans through that, but it’s something, in the short term, you have to do to get the kind of agreement for the long term and continue to grow the game.”

However, Commissioner Goodell wouldn’t say outright that the Green Bay Packers should have been awarded an interception, a determination that would have avoided Monday night’s fiasco in Seattle.

Goodell, however, clearly stated the botched call — actually two on the Seahawks game-winning Hail Mary — did one thing.

“It may have pushed the parties further along,” he told reporters on a conference call on Thursday. “We were really in intensive negotiations the last few weeks.”

The league and the NFL Referees Association came to an agreement early Thursday morning to end a lockout that began in June and resulted in replacement officials in the preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season. Missed penalties and misinterpretation of the rules followed, calls that infuriated players, coaches and fans alike.




Of course, there was no better example than when the replacement crew missed a clear offensive pass interference call on Seattle receiver Golden Tate and what appeared to be an interception by Packers safety M.D. Jennings. Tate, however, was given credit for the touchdown and the Seahawks won 14-12.

Goodell said he didn’t closely examine the disputed play from Monday Night Football, but added the missed pass interference call “was clearly a mistake.” The interception? Goodell said that “was a close call.”

“That’s the beauty of sports and the beauty of officiating, is that there are controversial calls and people see them differently,” Goodell said. “I understand that. That’s the beauty of sports.”

The regular officials are back starting with Thursday night’s game Cleveland Browns-Baltimore Ravens game with a crew headed by 10-year veteran Gene Steratore. Goodell said the decision to push regular officials into service so quickly — normally a process that includes added training and physicals — was made Wednesday night as the two sides inched toward an agreement.

“Of course, I was very interested in (getting the regular officials) back on the field as quickly as possible,” Goodell said. “The logistics of being able to do that within 24 hours was challenging. I think both parties worked very hard to make sure that got done.”

The new eight-year agreement runs through the 2019 season and includes:

-- Current officials will keep their pension plan through the 2016 season (or until the official has 20 years of service accumulated) before the plan is frozen. After that, the pension will be converted into a 401k.

-- Average pay will increase from $149,000 (the average from a season ago) to $205,000 by the end of the agreement.

-- The NFL will be able to hire full-time officials to accompany the current crop, which are able to hold full-time jobs.

“This wasn’t all about economics,” Goodell said. “Clearly, the pension was one of those economic issues. Getting to the point of full-time officiating was one of the last items discussed last night. That was the last piece of the agreement, to move to full-time officiating on a limited basis. It’s new. It’s different. I think that’s positive development.”

Until next time readers,As always readers you keep doing what your doing, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

To read more check out cbssports.com

Test For Arizona

Hey All,

Say what you will about Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb, but this week belongs to him. It doesn't matter if the Cardinals win or lose; Kolb is the story, and here's why:

Philadelphia.

The Eagles are next on the schedule, with critics ready to rehash the deal that sent Kolb to Arizona last summer. But they may not stop there, continuing on to regurgitate the events of this March when the Cards pulled out of the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes to make a $7 million commitment to Kolb.

So he better be good Sunday. Otherwise, get ready for a tsunami of I-told-you-so's.

Of course, that's often the drill with NFL quarterbacks, but it's not often you have one game to prove yourself to detractors. Kolb had one season last year, but injuries and uninspiring play (and a 3-6 record) put him in a competition a year later -- a competition he lost. But when John Skelton bowed out in the season opener, Kolb stepped in, and you know the rest of the story.

Arizona hasn't lost.

So there's a feeling that maybe, just maybe, Kolb has woken up and that Arizona might have found its quarterback to challenge San Francisco in the NFC West. I mean, the Cards have the defense to do it. They have the receivers, too. And they may finally have a running game. What they don't have is a reliable quarterback.

Until now ... maybe.

While it's too early to say Kolb has arrived, you look at his past four games with Arizona and the signs are encouraging. In that time, he has completed 62 percent of his passes for 455 yards, with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 101.5. He also beat Tom Brady in New England's home opener -- something nobody else has accomplished.

But beating the Patriots on the road might be easier than overcoming his former team and teammates at home. I know, Arizona has won its past six there and nine of its past 11 overall, but I remember what Brett Favre said about facing the Packers for the first time. He said he seldom was more nervous.

Then he beat them twice with stellar performances, throwing seven touchdown passes and no interceptions.

I imagine jitters will kick in with Kolb, too, though let's be honest: He didn't have the career in Philadelphia that Favre had in Green Bay. Nowhere close. Favre was an All-Pro, three-time MVP and Super Bowl winner with the Packers. He also was the face of the franchise. Kolb was the quarterback who was supposed to replace Donovan McNabb ... but didn't. Michael Vick did, replacing Kolb after he was hurt in the 2010 season opener vs. Green Bay.

Nevertheless, there must be an anxiety for Kolb that might be absent if he were playing, say, Cleveland or Washington. He knows Philadelphia fans will be tuned in, and I imagine he would like them to know that he's good enough to beat their team. But first things first, and first Kolb must prove to his own teammates, coaches and fans that what they've seen the past six quarters is the quarterback he is.

That sounds easy. I mean, just go out and be yourself, right? Except he's facing a lot of familiar faces Sunday, and I assume that would jack up anyone.

"I'm sure," said one NFC coach, "in the back of his mind he'd like to show them something. It's only natural to be excited. There's not a guy in this league who doesn't get geared up to play his former team. But it's not like he was driven out or they didn't respect the guy."

He's right about that. Eagles coach Andy Reid still talks fondly of Kolb and insists he wouldn't have parted with him if Vick didn't come along. Given the choice, Reid picked Vick and moved Kolb to Arizona. It's not unlike what happened to Philadelphia the year before when Reid moved McNabb to Washington and chose Kolb as his starter.

When McNabb returned, Eagles fans gave him a standing ovation in pregame introductions. Then the contest started and he was booed. McNabb wasn't particularly effective that afternoon (8 of 19 for 125 yards and a touchdown), but he got the job done under duress. Final score: Washington 17, Philadelphia 12.

Kolb isn't returning to Philadelphia. He's home, where he was booed at the team's annual "Fan Fest" in June. That was then, this is now, and now Kevin Kolb has a chance to show people everywhere that he and the Arizona Cardinals are a whole lot better than they thought.

"There's a lot of hidden talent on this team," Kolb told me last month. "I think there are a lot of guys people don't know about. We have weapons all over the place. We have three or four good running backs, and our receiving corps is as stacked as I've seen -- and that's coming from a very talented group in Philadelphia. And, obviously, our defense played well last year. If they can pick up where they were, I don't see why we couldn't win the division and more."

I do. The Cardinals must find a quarterback, and maybe they just did. This weekend will offer more clues, and it's hard not to root for Kolb. So much has been expected of him for so long, and now he holds center stage, with a chance to excel.

"You have the feeling that the time is right for you to emerge?" I asked him last month.

"It is," he said. "I feel that way. I feel the urgency, and I look forward to getting it done."

So does everyone in Arizona.

WVU Rolls Past James Madison

Hey All,

As fun as they are to watch, Geno Smith and his West Virginia receivers don't play Sam Huff football.

Too much finesse. Too many yards. Too many points.

It was only appropriate, therefore, that on the day the Mountaineers honored their legendary linebacker, the less-heralded defense had a couple of moments that no doubt did him proud.

Give Smith his well-deserved accolades for his five touchdown passes Saturday in the No. 9 Mountaineers' 42-12 win over James Madison, but don't fault the defense if it boasts a bit about a couple of goal line stands that might have looked right at home in the Huff days of the 1960s.

"I bet you he was pretty excited, wasn't he?" West Virginia defensive coordinator Joe DeForest said. "I hope so. I'd like to talk to him about it. ... What they did there, they showed like they're growing up."

With the Mountaineers playing at the Washington Redskins stadium -- they need to maintain an East Coast profile for recruiting now that they've moved to the Big 12 -- former Redskins Hall of Fame linebacker Huff served as the honorary captain and soaked up the cheers as he held up his long-retired No. 75 jersey during the quarter break in the first half.

By then, Smith had already staked West Virginia (2-0) to a 21-0 lead. He went to complete 34 of 39 passes for 411 yards, moving past Marc Bulger (8,153) to set the school record for career yards passing (8,191).

Smith's favorite targets, Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, both had 100 yards receiving by halftime. Bailey finished with 173 yards on 13 catches and three touchdowns, while Austin had 113 yards on 11 receptions and one score for the Mountaineers, who piled up 569 yards and improved to 13-0 all-time against FCS schools.

What could Smith have done better? Not much.

"I had five incompletions," the quarterback said. "I could've completed all five of those."

He added that he could have made better decisions when the offense hit a lull in the third quarter, but that's when the defense came through, stopping James Madison on four running plays after the Dukes had first-and-goal at the 3, then coming up with a third-down interception in the end zone after a first-and-goal at the 9.

"The two goal line stands were very impressive," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. "As a team we overcame adversity there in the third quarter. We've got to get used to that."

They won't have much if Smith keeps playing like this, working the no-huddle attack with creative tosses, slip screens and scrambles. It was a thing of beauty when he ignored the rusher in his face and draped a pass onto Austin's shoulder for a 24-yard gain in the second quarter.

Much of the time, however, the quarterback found receivers so open that his passes became easy target practice, including his 4-yard touchdown throw to Dante Campbell for the redshirt freshman's first collegiate catch.

Stedman's touchdown catches came in various shapes and sizes -- a 9-yarder on a screen, a 3-yarder on a fade in which no one covered him, and a 30-yarder that Smith lobbed perfectly into a seam between two defensive backs down the sideline.

The Mountaineers have scored 181 points in their past three games -- including 70 in last season's Orange Bowl and 69 in their opener against Marshall.

The Dukes (2-1), remembered for stunning then-No. 13 Virginia Tech two years ago, tried just about everything, but they were never in this one.

"They've shown potential to upset people," Holgorsen said. "I give our guys credit for not falling into that trap."

James Madison got called for 12 men on the field twice on defense in the first quarter, and then successfully converted a fourth-and-1 at their own 34 on the first play of the second quarter -- a ploy that managed to keep the Mountaineers' offense off the field for a least a couple of extra minutes.

"We didn't come out of the chute at all," James Madison coach Mickey Matthews said. "I can't show you why. We didn't show a lot of poise."

The Dukes were also missing leading rusher Dae'Quan Scott, who injured an ankle last week. Then they lost Daniel Brown to a torn ACL in his right knee on the first offensive play, defensive tackle Jordan Stanton to a concussion, and safety Titus Till to an ankle injury.

James Madison's fans roared when their team finally forced West Virginia to punt late in the first half, and again when the Mountaineers' Shawne Alston was tackled for a safety in the third quarter -- although the two points were a bittersweet consolation prize that came after the offense had been halted by the Huff-like stop at the 1.

"The goal line stands by them in the third quarter," Matthews said, "certainly kept it out of reach."

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Saints Win Appeal

Hey All,

The Saints players suspended for Bountygate won their appeal against the NFL, in a stunning turn of events on Friday.

CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reports that the three-page summary ruling from system arbitrator Stephen Burbank and an appeals panel allows suspended Saints players Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith and Cleveland's Scott Fujita to potentially play this weekend, but the element of for how long remains unknown.

"This puts the commissioner's discipline on hold," said one source who was reviewing the ruling, "but no one is sure for how long."

The letter indicated a more detailing ruling is to follow, but with Week 1 approaching this was issued for now. Vilma, who has not yet even taken a physical for the Saints as e was banned from the facility, could be placed on the PUP list, sources said; Smith is very likely to play while Browns coach Pat Shurmur has a policy that payers who miss all of practice do not play (the fourth suspended player, Anthony Hargrove, is a free agent).

The decision cites Article 14 and 46 of the CBA; the system arbitrator has control over matters in Article 14, which in this case would pertain to the issue of the alleged bounty program being a circumvention of the salary cap. Article 46 pertains to matters of player discipline under the commissioner's domain, and in this case the issue of whether this was a program designed to intentionally injure players.

Given the complexity of this issue, and with matters of both articles intertwined, in the view of this panel, the decision was made to "vacate the player discipline" and "remands the matter to the Commissioner for expeditious redetermination." Thus Roger Goodell is to put forth a new ruling on the matter taking into account these CBA nuances.

The NFL issued a statement on Friday stating they would do just that in an "expedited" fashion.

"Consistent with the panel's decision, Commissioner Goodell will, as directed, make an expedited determination of the discipline imposed for violating the league's pay-for-performance/bounty rule," the NFL said in a statement. "Until that determination is made the four players are reinstated and eligible to play starting this weekend."

There is still the possibility of the federal judge making a ruling on the players' appeal for an injunction on the suspensions.

In the meantime, with a lifted suspension the players would be eligible for Week 1 game checks, and, as vested veterans, those salaries become guaranteed for the season if they are on the roster at that time. So that could further complicate this already murky issue, with the players originally facing no payment while suspended and the possibility still existing that at some point they are suspended again.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.