Fwd: NFLPA Super Bowl Ad: Let Us Play

Worth passing along...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kevin Mawae <no-reply@nflplayers.com>

Dear NFL Fan:

Thank you for doing your part as a fan and signing the Petition to help Block the NFL Lockout. The players and I hope you have enjoyed the most successful season the NFL has had to date and are looking forward to Super Bowl XLV.

 

With a lockout looming that will shut out players and fans from the game they love, we wanted to share our Super Bowl Ad that we produced with a very limited budget that will be distributed online leading up to Super Bowl XLV. You can watch the ad HERE.  The next step for fans to continue having their voices heard is to help with the following:

 

·         Please post the following to your Facebook page: Check out the NFL players' online Super Bowl Ad: Let Us Play (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl9BpUgYljQ)

·         Send a Tweet with the following: RT @NFLLockout #LETUSPLAY Super Bowl Ad launches – Players and Fans stand together to #BlocktheLockout http://bit.ly/LETUSPLAYSBAd

·         Post http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl9BpUgYljQ on your website and let others know how they can sign the Petition and receive the most up-to-date information on NFL and Player labor news.

Thanks so much for your support and here's to blocking the NFL Lockout and having football in 2011.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

---

 

Kevin Mawae
NFLPA President

 

NFLPLAYERS.COM

Jeff Ireland

Heard him on the radio this morning promoting the Marino walk for autism (which you really should check out).  He was his usual aloof self, and didn't tip his hand about much of anything related to the Fins.

But there was a small sequence where he tossed out a couple of nuggets: he joined Stephen Ross on the trip to "say hi" to Jim Harbaugh and it was awkward.  He did not fly out to to California with Stevie (as we've said in the past) - he met him there.  His relationship with Tony is (or in his words "was") strained, and they're working through it.

Good to hear he's human after all.

Changes on offense

Is it just me or are the changes on offense amusing?

You start with a guy who was derided in Cleveland in the same way Dan Henning was here.

There are a couple of ho-hum names for assistants, then you get a wide receiver coach in Ike Hilliard who would have been a great pickup 4-5 years ago....as a good receiver.

And finally Tony "bootin' bull" Sparano finds his "quality control" guy across his dinner table when he hires his own son.

Heres to hoping the quality control won't be that there an equal number of field goals kicked week in and week out.

I'm sure that won't cause any problems

The NFL is making a pitch that under the terms of the current contract they can - and will? - have a limited free-agent period running from Feb 7 - Mar 4 (after the superbowl, until the expiration of the contract).

I'll admit I am no legal scholar, but I have read the CBA, and the language they're citing seems kind of vague and open to interpretation.  I have to wonder whether players would go for this, if agents would go for this, or if legal action would ensue.

Hard to say, but I have to imagine a hastily crafted plan would have limited success.

A suggestion

The dolphins are stuck in neutral. The fans are showing apathy. There's a labor issue which will result in a work stoppage.

The fins are in need of "an exorcism" or some other sort of karma changing event.

And after throwing some ideas around, the staff here at Dave's came up with an idea for Stephen Ross.

Sometime over the next few months, hold an event at the stadium:
• make it free (or a couple of bucks to go to charity if you need to control the crowd)
• invite as many alumni players to come out as you can
• leave the celebrity owners at home
• let everyone on the field to mingle without it feeling forced
• don't do it on conjunction with another event - such as the draft
• give something to the fans who come out and have a few freebie raffles for tickets merchandise and the like
• make an announcement that you are really and truly embracing the history of the team
• introduce a revised uniform
• and tell us that the name of Joe Robbie will appear on the stadium. Perhaps [sponsor name] Joe Robbie stadium
• have a few alumni say a few words to the crowd about returning to glory

That should -we think- finally put us back on the right track and allow us to feel connected and not like this is a corporation that really doesn't care.

A thought about that 08 draft

I saw a picture of Jake Long earlier today. He had that arm brace on and I pondered it for a moment. He played through a tough injury this season.

Then as I thought a little more about it a little more, I thought about the "life expectancy" of an offensive tackle. 10 years is fairly typical. A few of the best have extended 14 years. So we've seen maybe 30% of his career - and if we're lucky only 20%.

And he's been terrific of course. But. It occurs to me that he's not been protecting much, so I would argue that selecting him instead of an impact player such as Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco really hasn't amounted to much.

In other words, the decision to select a guy to protect the position that's still "vacant" has turned out to be kind of a waste.

Hey just an observation.

The draft

There are several mock drafts out there.  Many of the draftnicks have projected first round already.

And just what are they saying?

A couple of the prominent names have Miami selecting RB Mark Ingram from Alabama.  You know, Nickie's school.  That's an okay choice.  The safe one, perhaps, and maybe the Fins get a long term-answer at that position with questions about Ricky and Ronnie's futures.  But IMHO, running backs are a dime a dozen.  MANY prominent backs have been late round selections, and taking one first with so many other needs is a joke.  I sure hope they don't do that.

On the other hand, several touts have the Fins taking a lineman (the other Pouncey twin from Florida).  A freakin' lineman!  Can you imagine the fan response to that?  That would be laughable on a team with so many problems. Especially if there's a top-tier QB on the board.  But yet there are people out there already defending that type of pick as what's needed for the team.  

You have to take a QB.  End of story.  I don't care who he is.  Just go out, develop a conviction on one or two, and get the guy.  Trade up if you have to.  Tell us you're trying to make the team better.  Tell Chad Henne he's not wanted.  Please, move the needle on actually getting a QB for the future and not trying to sell us a bill of goods about some other selection.

4 QBs drafted since Marino retired (Josh Hueppel, John Beck, Chad Henne, Pat White) and only one of those was ever considered a starter.  The rest were all projects at best.  You have to - HAVE TO - draft a QB with conviction.  I don't freakin' care who it is, just tell us you actually care for once, and its not another in the parade of guys next season who will lead us to 7-9.

Oh and BTW, I didn't miss the use of the words "mock" and "dolphins" in the same post.  Yes, these are mock dolphins - pretenders!

 

Just in case you're not "in" on the joke

I am not a drinker of that grape instant drink (you want me to call it by name, then please advertise here, thanks!),

Heck, this team is a disaster, and they have to earn my respect back.

The Dolphins, over the last several years, have managed to win a game here and there against quality opponents.  But they can't win consistently, and can't beat a team down the stretch.  They're not in the same class as pretty much any of the playoff teams in that regard.

But they should be.  So I remind those that are in charge that my expectations for you are to win some freakin' football games - or I will be having fun at your expense.

Ross has a stupid dating game he's playing.  He ultimately extends both of the other two stooges, and it looks like Henne and Pennington are likely to come back.  I find that exceptionally amusing.

In all reality, their win total will probably go *down* 7 games if things proceed this way.

Expectations = high

Shortly after all the nonsense about the Fins broke surrounding their coaching (non) search, I said my expectations were high.

They only grow now: they actually beat both SuperBowl teams this season, so they certainly are good enough to win it all, themselves.

Sure, I know they technically lost to the Steelers, but just as we saw on Sunday, the officials tend to call things in their favor!  Its hard to beat them and the officials.  :)

Les SuperBowl

Okay, okay, my desire to see the Jets win it all - in order to further humiliate the Dolphins - didn't come true.  And, well, take that Jets fans!  And the loudmouth looks stupid for his assertion that they are the "future champs"...plus of course JT comes up empty.  Let me just say "HA HA!"

As I stated in a post a few weeks ago (before I started rooting for them), the football gods don't like boastful, and the Jets would pay at some point in the playoffs.  They did.  Hubris is important.

And now the Steelers move on.  Crap.  I hate the Steelers.  As I've noted before, the Steelers are what the Dolphins should have been.  Heck they even have the coach Miami should have had.  They're trying for their 7th SuperBowl victory, which is just insane.  How can any team win that many?  Ay caramba.

And, well, the Steelers certainly may face the same wrath of the football gods.  A QB who was suspended for 6 weeks for his stupidity is poised to win it all.  The LB (Harrison) who was fined more than any other player for helmet-to-helmet hits and whined about that, and "considered retirement" is in position to win again.  Yeah, I'll go with the football gods here.  No way Pittsburgh wins.

Now in the NFC, the Packers rolled through the playoffs, and look darn good.  They have the QB that should have been playing in Miami, and match up well with the Steelers.  Heck, I actually like the Packers, so its good by me if they win it all.

Ya gotta figure the bigwigs in the NFL were cringing when these two small-market teams both made the big game.  

Ah well, that's the NFL for you.  That's what they get as we head into a very uncertain off-season.