NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was on the Hill Wednesday talking to Congress about "Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries." So, naturally, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) used the forum as an opportunity to grill Goodell about Rush Limbaugh's interest in becoming part owner of the St. Louis Rams.
Video after the jump, but here's all you need to know: After King warmly welcomed the commissioner he got right down to business.
Rush Limbaugh, radio personality, has made a handsome living out of spreading his brand of conservatism. Bart Scott is an NFL linebacker, outspoken about most things, including politics.
During the 2006 mid-term elections Scott, then with the Ravens, spoke about his political philosophy with USA Today's Skip Wood.
"We get a break by that, but then our family members are overtaxed. You know, tax cuts for the rich. Well, it's a Catch-22. Do you want to save more of your money, when you can afford to pay the taxes, or do you want your families to save more of their money, when sometimes maybe they're really being burdened? A lot of guys say, 'Now that I've got money, I'm going to have to vote Republican, but I'll go back to being a Democrat when I retire.' To me, that's just selfish."
Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then Ballhawkin' is for you. Here, we pick out a few Individual Defensive Players that could have huge weeks and are possibly sitting in your free-agent pool.
Justin Durant had a great IDP game against the Cardinals, putting up nine total tackles and forcing a fumble for 13 points in my league. The rest of our picks for Week 2 were just average, and Tamba Hali was actually far worse than that, with a pass defensed being his only contribution to an IDP statline.
Ready to check out some little-owned IDPs that could help you to big Week 3s?
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
In 2007, the New York Giants found a way to peak at the right time. After barely making the playoffs, Eli Manning led his charges on an amazing ride, one that included three straight road wins and an upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots in the Super Bowl. 2008 wasn't so great for the Giants. A nightclub shooting took out their best receiver, crippled the passing game, and left the team vulnerable for the Philadelphia Eagles, who ended their season in the NFC Divisional Playoff.
The NFL season is four weeks away, so FanHouse is at Giants training camp for Stop 5 and Mile 996 of Dan Graziano's five-camp, 1,100-mile road trip.
ALBANY, N.Y. -- There is professional pride and there is the truth, and there are times when the former must step aside for the latter. That's what's happening here at Giants training camp, where the defensive line is throwing a twice-daily party in 11-on-11 team drills. They bat and intercept throws. They crash through holes. They live in the backfield. They mix up formations as if the base 4-3 has become too easy and no longer holds their interest.
It's difficult to remember the play, considering it was the first game of the season, but do you remember the very last play of Game 1 in 2008? Chris Samuels got beat by Mathias Kiwanuka and appeared to either dive or fall on the back of Kiwanuka's ankle, nearly injuring him in the process. In the aftermath, Kiwanuka declared the play dirty.
Despite what I said above and the fact that it's been three months, Kiwanuka himself has not forgotten the play. He is also making sure everyone knows that he's not going to go out and pick a fight or play dirty himself:
"That was the last image I had, the last play, the last image I had for the whole game, so, yeah, it will be in the back of my mind, but I am not going to do anything stupid."
"You don't want to focus on it? No. There are so many other things," Kiwanuka said. "I think you use it as a motivating factor and past that you just let it go."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been tough on player's off-field activities and is now extending his get tough ways with on-field behavior. According to Adam Schefter, Goodell sent an emailed memo today to all the teams telling them that illegal or dangerous hits may be subject to discipline, even on the first offense:
Player safety on the field is important to all of us in the NFL. Football is a tough game and we need to do everything possible to protect all players - offense, defense, and special teams - from unnecessary injury caused by illegal and dangerous hits. From this point forward, you should be clear on the following point: Any conduct that unnecessarily risks the safety of other players has no role in the game of football and will be disciplined at increased levels, including on a first offense. Playing by the rules shows respect for your fellow players. No one wants to see unnecessary injuries. Let's have a safe and exciting 2008 season.
Hmmm, sounds like a good idea in theory, but seems to be something harder to put in practice. Often what gets attention as an illegal hit is a hit that actually hurts someone. There are tons of tough hits, some maybe border line dirty, that don't get attention at all.
It will be interesting to see what sort of discipline is given, whether it is given out equally no matter the star power of the players or team involved, and whether punishment is harsher if actually injuries happen.
Every Tuesday with Between The Lines, I'll pick out some aspect of line play to try to focus on the part of the game that often gets overlooked by television announcers. To begin this year's series, I looked at the Giants defensive line, as the Super Bowl champs try to recover from the loss of Michael Strahan (retirement) and Osi Umenyiora (injury). As we all know, the Giants shut down the Redskins in the season opener last Thursday, but how did the rebuilt defensive line do? Read below to find out.
Overview
Last year the Giants rode a dominating defensive line to a Super Bowl title, but 23 of those sacks are now gone thanks to the losses of Strahan and Umenyiora. The biggest concern is not only how the loss of those two defensive ends will affect the pass rush, but also whether it will take away Justin Tuck's biggest asset--his ability to play defensive tackle as well as defensive end, creating mismatches all across the line.
In the opener, the Giants still moved Tuck around. He lined up at defensive tackle for nine snaps and stood up as a linebacker for two third down plays. Tuck didn't get a lot of pressure from the defensive tackle spot in this game, but most of his action at DT came in the final drive of the game, when the Giants were just finishing off the Redskins.
The third week of the preseason is typically the time when starters see extended action, sometimes playing into the third quarter. it also seems like the time when most injuries occur, although that could just be the recency effect.
Whatever you want to call it, Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora got a got a golf cart escort off the field during last night's Jets game after suffering a knee thingy. The good news is that the X-rays came back negative (Umenyiora will still undergo an MRI), but the bad news is that the Giants' defense is a totally different unit without it's sack leader (three consecutive years!) on the field.
"I feel really comfortable we can try to hold on while he's out, but we definitely hope it's not for an extended period of time," defensive tackle Barry Cofield said.
"Obviously you can't replace Osi Umenyiora, but I feel we got guys who can fill in that role and give us some quality play," added Tuck. "We're not thinking like that right now. We're thinking Sept. 4, No. 72 [is] going to be right there at his normal spot at right end."
The New York Post's Paul Schwartz points out that there aren't many options behind Umenyiora -- moving Mathias Kiwanuka back to end after teaching him to play outside linebacker is probably the best option -- but I'm surprised I didn't fire up the internets this morning to read that coaxingMichael Strahan out of retirement was at the top of New York's to-do list.
Or maybe when Strahan says he's retired he actually means it. Novel concept, that.
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
Meet The ... David who slayed Goliath ... and you know how that goes in the world of fantasy football. At least you should. The residue of a strong post-season run by a team almost certainly means several players are going to be overrated the next fantasy season. I'm looking right at you, Thomas Jones. So the question with the Giants is, can you look past the post-season and judge flatly on what you think they'll do in this regular season? Imagine the Giants had lost in the first round at Tampa Bay. Now judge their fantasy players. That should be an accurate rating system. For example, settle down about Eli Manning. Sure, you can believe he's taken a giant (pun unintended, but I'm keeping the word choice) step forward in terms of maturity and taking care of the football. You also should remember that 13 QBs outscored him in fantasy points in '07. His last name doesn't do him any favors either. Hypnotize yourself into believing that Eli Smith lost in the first round to the Bucs. Now do you like him as a top ten QB? Me neither.
Rush Limbaugh, radio personality, has made a handsome living out of spreading his brand of conservatism. Bart Scott is an NFL linebacker, outspoken about most things, including politics. 
Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then Ballhawkin' is for you. Here, we pick out a few Individual Defensive Players that could have huge weeks and are possibly sitting in your free-agent pool.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
It's difficult to remember the play, considering it was the first game of the season, but do you remember the very last play of Game 1 in 2008? Chris Samuels got beat by Mathias Kiwanuka and appeared to either dive or fall on the back of Kiwanuka's ankle, nearly injuring him in the process. In the aftermath, Kiwanuka declared the play dirty. 
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been tough on player's off-field activities and is now extending his get tough ways with on-field behavior. According to Adam Schefter, Goodell sent an emailed memo today to all the teams telling them that illegal or dangerous hits may be subject to discipline, even on the first offense:
Every Tuesday with Between The Lines, I'll pick out some aspect of line play to try to focus on the part of the game that often gets overlooked by television announcers. To begin this year's series, I looked at the Giants defensive line, as the Super Bowl champs try to recover from the loss of Michael Strahan (retirement) and Osi Umenyiora (injury). As we all know, the Giants shut down the Redskins in the season opener last Thursday, but how did the rebuilt defensive line do? Read below to find out.
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
