NFL
By Tim Peterson
The NFL has lost another great one. Former Chicago Bears linebacker Doug Buffone, who was a staple of the Bear defense from 1966 until his retirement in 1979, passed away at the age of 70 Monday. Buffone’s 14 seasons in Chicago are tied for second most in club history.
By the time his career was finished, he led all Bears’ linebackers with 24 interceptions. He also had ten fumble recoveries, nine forced fumbles 37 sacks and 1,257 tackles. Buffone played along side Hall of Famer Dick Butkus for seven years, making the Bears linebacking corp the most feared in the NFL. after his retirement Buffone became a fixture on Chicago sports talk radio and local television. RIP #55.
If there was anybody that was going to take a chance on Tim Tebow you had to figure it was going to be Chip Kelly. Kelly has already raised Eagles fans’ eyebrows everywhere by trading Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy. The Tebow signing seems tame in comparison. Who better to push Sam Bradofrd and Mark Sanchez? If there’s one thing you know you’re going to get out of Tebow it’s a 100 percent work ethic all day long. And people forget. The guy wins.
If you’re looking for a silver lining in the Johnny Manziel fiasco there is this. Instead of ignoring he had an issue he came clean and hopefully got clean. Admitting you have a problem is the first step and Manziel, despite knowing he would receive a rash of criticism, took that first step. How this all plays out in Cleveland remains to be seen.
It may be something or it may be nothing but the Rams are finalizing a deal to join the Cowboys in Oxnard for several days of practice in training camp. What does this mean for the Rams proposed move to Los Angeles in the grand scheme of things? We don’t know yet but it is intriguing.
The NFL will announce it’s 2015 schedule at 8:00 pm ET Tuesday.
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are preparing for what could be the biggest draft in franchise history, the favorite to be the number one pick, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was hit with a civil lawsuit last week by an accuser who alleges sexual assault. Buccaneer GM Jason Licht said the lawsuit didn’t come as a surprise to the team and that they’re very confident in the amount of work they have done. Winston-Marcus Mariota is starting to feel like Peyton Manning-Ryan Leaf. Licht is hoping he doesn’t get stuck with the Leaf.
Former USC/New York Giant receiver Steve Smith is now working with young athletes as a business partner at Xplode Training Center in Chatsworth. Smith spent six years in the NFL before a knee injury forced him to retire in 2013. Smith graduated from Taft High in Woodland Hills and is now getting a chance to give back to his community and help kids achieve their dreams.
The Carson project is still on track and for those that think the Chargers and Raiders can’t coexist might want to re-think that. According to documents released by the city of Carson Monday, financial consultant AECOM said two teams would be necessary for the city to realize a profit. With two teams in the proposed Stadium, the city would see a net fiscal gain in each of 40 years eventually realizing a profit of $140 million over time. However with only one team the city would face annual fiscal losses in most of the first thirty years. Are you ready for the Los Angeles Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers and of course our very own LA Rams?
Did you happen to catch Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson on ESPN’s Jon Gruden’s quarterback camp? Gruden liked him and apparently so do NFL scouts. He is suddenly being projected as a second round pick.
The top three picks look set with Winston to Tampa Bay, Oregon’s Mariota to Tennessee and Leonard “Big Cat” Williams of USC to Jacksonville. But who will the Raiders take at four? Alabama receiver Amari Cooper, West Virginia receiver Kevin White and Florida DE Dante Fowler are all in the mix. Georgia’s Todd Gurley looks like the first running back to be taken – probably around nine or ten to the New York Giants or Rams.
The NFL Draft is set for April 30 – May 2 at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre.
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