Scouting the NFL after the draft ...
Spygate continues to generate a lot of headlines, but the real news in all of this is the NFL could be at risk of losing its federal anti-trust exemption, which basically allows it to be a monopoly. ...
There are more and more reports of unrest at the Players Association, and more and more signs that the league's labor agreement is on thin ice (can't resist a hockey reference). For a league that prides itself on its labor peace (one factor that makes it attractive to advertisers and networks), this is not good news. ...
The league also continues to have a multitude of off-the-field behavior problems with its members. ...
See where this is going? ...
It's no better on the money front. Giants DE Michael Strahan once again is playing the will he or won't he retire game. Reportedly he wants a contract upgrade to return to the Super Bowl champions.
Things aren't much brighter in the Second City, where Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher is threatening to hold out if his contract isn't reworked, a contract he's less than halfway through
and averages more than $5 million per year.
Then there is Cleveland TE Kellen Winslow, who also has made references to missing minincamps, etc., because - you guessed it - he wants his contract reworked. I saw this one coming in February when for some strange reason the Browns decided to give WR Donte' Stallworth an outsized free-agent contract to leave the Patriots without regard to up-and-coming stars Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards. I'm not condoning Winslow's antics, but the Browns should have expected this. ...
If you're hoping for a post-draft analysis, look elsewhere. I believe it's pointless to evaluate teams' drafts before players have even played one preseason down. In fact, I think it requires about three years before one can objectively evaluate a team's decisions on the final Saturday in April.
Enjoy the offseason. Camps open in two months.
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