PBS – “League of Denial”

Brett Favre said this week that he is suffering memory loss. He was sacked in the NFL a record 525 times. Brett Favre has now become the most high-profile football player to put the spotlight on head injuries in the NFL.

I love football. I have played it, coached it, and now broadcast it. I venture to guess that I have sat in the booth to broadcast over 1,000 football games. I still love the big play, the good block, the perfect pass and catch, and the big hit. I must admit, however, that I was shocked watching League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis on PBS Frontline several weeks ago. The hits that are shown are eye-popping. The medical descriptions and the traumatic effects are devastating. And the reaction by the NFL to the players of the past who have suffered both physically and mentally from these collisions is close to being “criminal”.

The documentary  focuses on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) resulting from head injuries in NFL players. CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been diagnosed in former players, who have developed dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, which research suggests is the result of constant hits to the head. Research is now being conducted on current, active players.

A great deal of criticism is levied at the NFL in this documentary for their denial of the issue and even covering up and controlling the research. The suicide death of Owen Thomas, graduate of Parkland High School and University of Pennsylvania student, is discussed in depth as a warning of the dangers of the game even for younger players. He was only 21 years old.

Former and active NFL players have weighed in on the program:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/league-of-denial/what-nfl-players-are-saying-about-league-of-denial/

Here is a small sampling:

• Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints:
“I think certainly there were mistakes made in the past in regards to what people knew or how it was handled. But as we think about moving forward here, and especially when we talk about youth sports, there are protocols that need to be in place and that need to be followed to a T because obviously it’s very serious stuff.”

• Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers:
“I will not be watching. I know the risks that I take when I step on the field. I’m risking future health, future physical health and future mental health. I understand that.”

• Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys, 1989-2000:
“I do not have a son. If I had a son, I wouldn’t necessarily discourage him from playing football, but I don’t know that I would encourage him to play either. I don’t know what the data show, but I haven’t sensed there’s been a reduction in head injuries. With that in mind, that’s concerning. As long as we’re having contact and as long as there are collisions, there’s going to be head injuries.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he does not plan to watch the program and that the NFL just settled a $765 million lawsuit over this issue with past players. Part of the settlement, however, kept some information from getting out to the public.

There is no question that the documentary will make any fan think about their allegiance to the game. It will certainly make a parent think twice about encouraging their son(s) to play. Take a look at the program and come to your own conclusions.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. In case you missed it, Lafayette freshman quarterback Drew Reed started his first collegiate game ever on Saturday at Holy Cross. He completed 21 of 22 passes (the last 20 in a row) for 283 yards and 5 touchdowns. He became the first freshman to win the Patriot League Offensive Player of the week award and the first to win both the Offensive Player and Rookie of the week awards concurrently. He also won the College Football Performance Award FCS National Player of the Week. His passing efficiency rating was 278.5, the second-highest single-game mark recorded this year. In his two appearances this year, he has more touchdowns (7) than incompletions (6).

2. No touchdowns by the offense again this week for the Eagles. There does not seem to be any fix for this mess either. Oakland up next in Oakland. Ugly!!

By the way, I saw the Eagles offense at its most bizarre when we traveled to Princeton to do the Lafayette game. The Tigers run Chip Kelly’s Oregon offense with no huddle, hurry-up, multiple formations, and wild personnel. On the first play of the game there was a center and one lineman on each side of him. The others were over five yards away AND there were THREE quarterbacks in the game! They do a great job of communicating the plays to the players. Only players who get admitted to Princeton would comprehend this offense. Princeton beat previously undefeated Harvard this past weekend 51-48 in triple overtime. That offense is still working.

3. If you really want to learn some of the intricacies of football, visit Inside The Huddle on www.goleopards.com . Mike Joseph does a great job explaining various aspects of the game.

4. This is the last week of the high school football regular season. League and conference champions will be crowned after this weekend and then the attention turns to Districts. Right now East Stroudsburg South is the #1 seed in AAAA; Southern Lehigh in AAA; Pine Grove in AA; Williams Valley in A. Don’t be shocked if none of the top seeds win the District title. Stay tuned.

5. RCN TV will broadcast Emmaus at Parkland Live on Friday night at 7:00 PM.  Mike Joseph and I will call the game.  Parkland is tied with Whitehall for first place in the LVC. Whitehall has what looks like an easy matchup with Northampton this week.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (11-2: Last week; 78-42 overall 65%)
CINCINNATI
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DALLAS
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SEATTLE
CLEVELAND
NEW ENGLAND
INDIANAPOLIS
GREEN BAY

Our (Not ESPN) Game Day at Harvard

When I arrived at Harvard Stadium on Saturday, October 19 at 11:00 AM for the 1:00 PM Lafayette – Harvard game, I took an immediate look at our broadcasting location high atop this national historic landmark. I was well aware the only way to the top was by climbing (in this case, “historic” means “old” which also means “no elevator”). I knew I could get an answer to my question, “How many steps to the top?” The crew members, within hearing distance, in unison shouted, “150!” Before I let out a big moan, I considered THEIR plight in setting up to do the broadcast.

The crew of 13 left Bath at 7:00 AM on Friday and headed to Boston. It took the RCN caravan a good six hours to get there. Then their day really began. Over 1,000 feet of video cable and more than 500 feet of audio cable needed to be run. The 150 steps (that I previously alluded to) needed to be climbed at least 10 times. The wire needed to be run to every vantage point to bring the game to the viewers the next day. It took approximately 65 man hours before they could confidently head to their hotel for the day.

Saturday morning, the crew awoke at 6:30 AM to grab some breakfast and head to the stadium for an 8:00 AM arrival. Remember those 150 steps? Now they had to be traversed with five extremely heavy cameras. The cameras were then hooked to the cables that had been put in place the previous day. Over the next four hours, satellite coordinates needed to be captured. Contact with RCN, WBPH, ESPN and MASN needed to be established. Audio and video needed to be checked. All graphics needed to be inserted, and the production electronics (fades, camera punches, replays, etc.) needed to be tested. All of this so our viewers on RCN, WBPH, and the internet can enjoy 3 ½ hours of football coverage!

Once the broadcast comes to its conclusion, the past two days of work are all reversed. Everything that was placed in the stadium now must be returned to the truck. Yep – those 150 steps again (for about the 30th time). That breakdown was completed around 5:30 PM. The estimated time of arrival in Bath was six hours later, which held true because everyone was back at the studio at 11:30 PM Saturday night.

I was going to tell you about MY weekend. I studied my game notes on Friday afternoon in a beautiful hotel room. I sighed when I realized I had to climb the 150 steps ONCE. I thought I would complain about being outside under a tent to do the broadcast. I was going to whine about the wind gusts that kept trying to blow all of our notes all over the place. I was going to tell you that by the end of the game, it got a little chilly. I was going to do all those things, but then I thought of the work the crew did. I had a great day by comparison.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The preseason prognosticators (me included) felt the Eagles would have one of the worst defenses in the NFL this season. Well, this past week, they played pretty well against the Dallas Cowboys only to see their offense look just awful. Poor throws, dropped passes, no running game, and an inexperienced quarterback all led to a 17-3 defeat. It was the first time Chip Kelly coached a college or professional team that did not score a touchdown. It was hard to watch. One writer referred to it as, “The stink at the Linc.”

2. If all three Eagles’ quarterbacks are healthy for the Giants this week, which one would you start? To me, it has to be Michael Vick.

3. It was fun being in Boston this past weekend for the Harvard-Lafayette game. Boston is one of the greatest sports towns in the U.S. and Boston fans love their Red Sox. They proved worthy of that love by heading to the World Series with a dramatic grand slam home run by Shane Victorino (oh, that hurts the Phillies fans). The Head of the Charles Regatta attracted 9,000 athletes and over 300,000 spectators on Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile in the NFL, the New England Patriots played the Jets in New Jersey. Suffice it to say, the city was alive and I spoke with more Regatta crew members than I ever imagined.

4. Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs are now the only undefeated team in the NFL. They play Cleveland, Buffalo, Washington, Oakland, Indianapolis, and will play Denver and San Diego twice. They will not win the rest. However, since the Super Bowl began, 31 teams have started 7-0 and all 31 qualified for the playoffs. 15 of those advanced to the Super Bowl and nine won it all.

5. Whitehall won a hard-fought game against Emmaus on Friday night. The Lehigh Valley Conference logjam is now down to three teams – Whitehall, Easton, and Parkland. That number will be reduced to two after Friday night as Whitehall plays at Easton at 7:00 PM (live on RCN TV). I will be traveling to Worcester, Massachusetts to cover the Lafayette – Holy Cross game and will miss some good high school games this weekend. However, I’ll be back to cover the Emmaus at Parkland game on Friday, November 1 (live on RCN TV at 7:00 PM).

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (10-5: Last week; 67-40 overall 63%)
CAROLINA
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KANSAS CITY
NEW ORLEANS
NEW ENGLAND
CINCINNATI
PITTSBURGH
DENVER
ATLANTA
GREEN BAY
SEATTLE

NFL Parity – A Worthwhile Goal?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
“Parity” is defined as “the quality or state of being equal or equivalent.”

“Competition” is defined as “the act or process of trying to get or win something that someone else is also trying to get or win.”

The NFL prides themselves on creating a league where parity is the goal; therefore, taking competition to the highest level – where, well, you know… “On any given Sunday…”

The NFL is designed to help those teams that are struggling, and vice versa to put up roadblocks to those teams that are always successful. They do it by a draft system, which allows those with the least success the previous season the opportunity to take the best college players first. There is free agency, where teams can negotiate with players from other teams when their contracts have expired, and a salary cap where there is an agreed upon limit that a team can spend on players. The ultimate goal is to give every team a fair shot at success. This, of course, gives every fan the feeling at the start of the season that their team can, not only compete, but win. And, it seems to be working.

This past week, New England lost to Cincinnati (what?) and Tom Brady did not throw a TD pass for the first time in the last 53 games. The Cleveland Browns have won three games in a row (what?). No one in the NFC East has a winning record (what?). Pittsburgh is 0-4! Kansas City is 5-0 (they won two games last year)! Based on the Vegas odds, there were six upsets this past week out of 13 games, and one game where the point spread was not covered. In almost half of the games, the underdog won.

Parity has arrived, but is it good? Well, it does appear that the “On any given Sunday…” adage has been achieved. However, it also appears to this fan that mediocre football has also been achieved. I cannot believe how inept the Giants look; how awful the Steelers are; how very average the Patriots appear to be; how bad the Eagles (who are currently tied for first place in their division) have looked, and so on and so on. Perhaps the best example is how Dallas now deserves to be only Dallas’ team, not America’s.

I have spent the first few Sundays watching NFL Red Zone and I love it. This week, however, I watched a game from start to finish and I was shocked. NFL Red Zone, for the most part, shows teams moving down the field as they are about to score; in other words, at their most successful moments. When I watched only two teams play one complete game this weekend, I saw what Red Zone does not show me – how bad teams are MOST of the time.

To this NFL football fan, parity has been achieved – almost every team now plays MEDIOCRE FOOTBALL!

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (8-6: Last week; 48-29 overall 62%)
 
CHICAGO
KANSAS CITY
PHILADELPHIA
GREEN BAY
CLEVELAND
MINNESOTA
HOUSTON
JETS
CINCINNATI
SEATTLE
DENVER
SAN FRANCISCO
NEW ORLEANS
DALLAS
INDIANAPOLIS

Is This Still A Vacation?

The Lafayette College football team had a bye week this past weekend and we were doing only one high school football game because of Celtic Classic. It was the perfect formula for my wife and I to take a rare in-season vacation. We love to cruise when we can and, in particular, we love to cruise on Royal Caribbean. We chose a Sunday to Sunday cruise on the Allure of the Seas, a magnificent 6,000 passenger, 2,500 crew “city”. I did the Lafayette-Penn game in Philadelphia Saturday night, rushed home, loaded the luggage in the car, and drove to Newark for our Sunday morning flight. That’s enough about me and my vacation. There was someone much more interesting on the ship.

I met Mario Salcedo. As a child, Mario came to Miami in the early ‘60’s with his parents when they were forced to leave Cuba. Soon after, he became a naturalized citizen.

Royal Caribbean refers to him as “Super Mario”. You see, Mario has been cruising nearly full-time since 1997 – about 50 weeks a year. By the end of this year, he will have taken over 500 cruises of various lengths. He is already booked for the next two to three years. A small travel agency in Cincinnati does his bookings, even though he calls Miami “home”. “Home” is a small condo where he stays about two weeks a year.

I had a chance to chat with him a bit on my vacation. Mario told me he does not have time to “vacation” – he is always cruising. I tried not to grimace. He estimated that he spends about $10,000+ a month to cruise for a total of $125,000+ a year. Despite what you would think, he does not take the most luxurious accommodations, but instead opts for the Junior Suite. He always has the same room, so he can keep his clothing there until he decides to go onto another ship.

Mario was a finance executive, retired at 48, and still maintains a few clients that he can serve while on the pool deck. (Are you sick yet?) When he decided to “test the waters” to see if he would love cruising, he tried six back-to-back cruises, sampling every major cruise line, every type of ship, and many itineraries. He chose Royal Caribbean. He has sailed on Royal’s Liberty of the Seas over 100 times.

Because he is so loyal, there are perks attached. He receives a free cruise for every 50 completed, has a concierge and private club at his disposal, gets on-board ship credits and more. How does Mario keep from getting bored? He is a scuba diver, a salsa dancer, a percussionist, and he loves to interact with passengers and crew. He even played Santa Claus this past year, handing out gifts to the children on board.

Most of us can only look forward to one or two vacations a year. “Super Mario” never knows when his vacation will end!!

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (9-6: Last week; 40-23 overall 63%)

CLEVELAND
TENNESSEE
BALTIMORE
ST. LOUIS
NEW ENGLAND
SEATTLE
GREEN BAY
NEW ORLEANS
GIANTS
ARIZONA
SAN DIEGO
DENVER
SAN FRANCISCO
ATLANTA

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (8-8: Last week; 31-17 overall 65%)

San Francisco
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Chicago
Giants
Minnesota
Tampa Bay
Indianapolis
Seattle
Tennessee
Denver
San Diego
Washington
Atlanta
New Orleans

I’m old, but so is Franklin Field.

He was a patriot, a diplomat, a printer, a student of foreign languages, and a writer. He also dabbled in science. He invented the Franklin stove, bifocal eyeglasses, and the harmonica (which he called “armonica”). However, the phenomenon that interested Benjamin Franklin the most was electricity. So much so that, in 1748, he turned over his printing business to his foreman so that he could devote his life to science.

School children best know Ben Franklin for flying a kite in a thunderstorm to show that lightning is an electrical discharge. From that experiment, he invented the lightning rod. Electricity became a passion for him. His home was Philadelphia and the city has honored his name and image in many ways.

Franklin Field was named for Benjamin Franklin. I was a bit awestruck when I entered the historic venue for the first time back in 2007. I will return there on Saturday night. Franklin Field is located in the heart of Philadelphia and is the home of The University of Pennsylvania football team. It has been their home for a very long time. On October 1, 1895, Penn beat Swarthmore 40-0 and, thus, the first football game was played at Franklin Field. The next oldest college stadium is Harvard Stadium which opened in 1904. Lafayette’s home turf, Fisher Field, opened in 1926.

Over the years, Franklin Field became home to the first scoreboard (1895) and was the site of the first-ever telecast of a college football game when Penn destroyed Maryland 51-0 (1940). The game was covered with two cameras. ESPN Game Day visited there in 2002 for the Penn-Harvard Ivy League title game. Franklin Field remains the only Game Day visit for a I-AA (now FCS) game. Almost all Philadelphians remember how the Eagles gave Vince Lombardi his only NFL playoff loss the day after Christmas in 1960 (Eagles 17 Packers 13).

So, in 2007, I was thrilled to get to do a game there. Some of the historical thrill began to wear off just a bit when we found our broadcasting location. The trip to the midsection of the home side required one to climb a “thousand” steps and perform the limbo dance without music. You must go low or risk a severe head injury on the metal support beams that hold the media in an open-air cave. The view is great – the amenities are non-existent. I began to fear that I was not that grizzled old veteran of 37 years of broadcasting, but, instead, I had become a spoiled media softie, expecting every stadium to be like Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium. “Get over it!” I told myself. “This is Franklin Field.” I settled in for the game.

Ironically, the field is named after the “Father of Electricity”. However, on that night, there was no light in the “broadcast cave”. As the sun began to lower itself behind the skyline of Philadelphia, it became quite apparent that we soon would be unable to see our information. Despite what you think, announcers are SO much smarter when they can see their notes! The “spotter” sheets began to fade, our stat sheets were hard to see, and we could not see our “flip charts” which provide essential roster info. The only light in the booth came from my monitor and the “Leopardstrator”.

There may not have been electricity in the booth, but, there WAS electricity in the air that night. With 5:15 to go in the game, Penn led 7-5.

Lafayette got possession and drove within field goal range as the game neared the end. Davis Rodriguez was Lafayette’s freshmen kicker from St. Petersburg, Florida. He was 1 for 5 on field goal attempts for the season. Lafayette had not beaten Penn since 1991 – losing eight straight. Lafayette had not gone 3-0 since 1988. Davis Rodriguez was not born yet.

All of those negative numbers were erased with one swing of the leg. The 27-yard field goal was GOOD!! Victory belonged to Lafayette! The Leopards beat Penn at Franklin Field!

So, despite not having electricity in our “booth” that night in 2007, I imagine Ben Franklin was looking down on his field and smiling. He was still creating electricity in his own way. I’m sure of it. I know because I felt it!

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (12-4: Last week; 23-9 overall 72%)
Kansas City
Green Bay
Dallas
San Diego
Minnesota
New England
New Orleans
Washington
Giants
Baltimore
Atlanta
Buffalo
San Francisco
Seattle
Chicago
Denver

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Chip Kelly’s Eagles offense was impressive on Monday night. The Redskins’ defense looked bewildered, inept, and slow, particularly in the first half. The Eagles’ defense looked vulnerable in the second half. Two questions: Can the offensive players maintain that pace and their health each week? Will the opponents figure out the system and stop the offense? It was certainly a good opening night.

2. Everyone (Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland) is tied for first place in the AFC North. They all LOST!!

3. I wonder what the ratings will be for Rafael Nadal’s impressive US Open victory on Monday night. Are football fans, also, tennis fans? Or an entirely different audience?

4. Central Florida takes on Penn State this week. The Knights are pushing their major sports to improve enough to play anybody. They played before 20,000 people last week. It will be over 100,000 this week.

5. Speaking of crowds, the Notre Dame-Michigan game on Saturday produced the largest crowd in college football history – 115,109. The previous high was in 2011 when (you guessed it) Notre Dame played at Michigan – 114,804. If they played each other every week at Michigan, they would draw approximately 1,265,000 fans a season!

6. More numbers – The Catasauqua football team is averaging 51 points a game and 414 total yards of offense. They scored 62 points last week.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (11-5- Week One: 69%)
New England
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Houston
Indianapolis
Buffalo
Atlanta
Green Bay
Dallas
Chicago
New Orleans
Arizona
Oakland
Denver
San Francisco
Cincinnati

Johnny Football should make $225,000 a year.

Do I have your attention, college football fans? Sean Gregory, Senior Writer for Time Magazine, published a cover story article in the September 16, 2013 edition of Time Magazine entitled, “It’s Time to Pay College Athletes.” The article focuses on Texas A&M student and Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel. Manziel was recently suspended by the NCAA for signing autographs. He did not accept any money for his autographs. If he had, the punishment would have been much more severe.

One should note, however, that a Johnny Manziel jersey sells for $64.75 on the NCAA’s shopping site and a fan on eBay recently paid $127 for an autographed Johnny Manziel helmet. Texas A&M football games generate $86 million in revenue for Brazos County, Texas, where the university is located. The NCAA recently signed a $3 billion contract with ESPN and Fox which will be shared with A&M. Johnny Manziel’s coach received a $1.1 million pay raise after Manziel’s Heisman-winning season and now makes $3.1 million a year. Manziel and his teammates have not shared in any of this!

Remember, Manziel signed autographs for NO MONEY and received a one-half game suspension. How dare he make money while playing college football?

A&M is not a unique big-time college football program. Texas University football netted a profit of $77.9 million in 2011. Michigan football made $61.6 million in profit that same year. The Michigan vs. Notre Dame game on Saturday, September 7, 2013 was played to the largest crowd in college football history. The money just keeps pouring in for big-time college football and basketball programs.

So it does beg the question – Should college football and basketball players be paid beyond the athletic scholarships they receive? For example, Gregory points out that if the 85 scholarship players on A&M fell under the same revenue-sharing system used by the NFL, each player would receive $225,000 per year. This may seem like an outlandish figure to you. How would it affect the academic side of a college education? Or, you may ask, how important is education to many of these athletes, who seem to take the easiest courses just to stay eligible? Can there be a balance for these student athletes and the universities?

For me, there is a huge difference between $0 and $225,000. Somewhere between those two dollar amounts is a very reasonable and justified amount. The time has come to start somewhere.

1. Super Bowl XLVIII is being held outdoors at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and it will be in February! Farmers’ Almanac is predicting heavy snow. Time will tell if this was a good idea!

2. I mentioned last week that Pete Rose’s 4,256 hits ranks 1st with Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Tris Speaker completing the top 5. Ichiro Suzuki just got his 4,000th hit in professional baseball, but 1,278 of those were in Japan’s top league. Pete Rose is adamant that those Japanese league hits should not be allowed in the conversation. I agree.

3. Some of us remember when Bobby Riggs lost to Billie Jean King in the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match in 1973. Remember Riggs had easily beaten Margaret Court, the #1 player at the time and four months later took on King. It was a huge television spectacle. Riggs lost and, apparently, a number of underworld mafia figures won. It recently was reported that Riggs threw the match to pay off his own $100,000 gambling debts. Does anyone want to take this up with the mob bosses?

4. Parkland At Easton; Whitehall at Liberty on Friday night following Football Friday at 6:30. If you need to see a game LIVE, go to Southern Lehigh at Catty and set your TiVo to record our games.

5. Lafayette opens against Sacred Heart on Saturday at 6:00. Sacred Heart is 1-0 with a win over Marist. We have a “Sportscenter” feel this year with Matt Provence, Phil Ng, and Maurice Bennett at the game-day desk. Tune in on time!

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (88-55 for the 2012 season – 62%)
Denver
New England
Chicago
Cleveland
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh
Detroit
Indianapolis
Seattle
Kansas City
St. Louis
San Francisco
Dallas
Washington
Houston

Week One in the NFC East

The 2013 NFL season kicks off on Thursday, September 5 at 8:30 PM on NBC. The defending Super Bowl champions, the Baltimore Ravens, will visit the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. NFL fans will be a “mile high” anticipating the start of professional football. This should be a ratings giant for NBC and deservedly so.

As a division, however, it is the NFC East that will really be spotlighted in Week One. Whether that is justified certainly remains to be seen. On Sunday, September 8 at 8:30 PM, the New York Giants will play at Dallas, airing on NBC. Then on Monday, September 9 at 7:00 PM on ESPN Monday Night Football, the Eagles will play at Washington against the Redskins. Fans’ expectations are at their highest since no one has suffered a loss yet. Let’s analyze these two matchups:

Giants at Cowboys
The Giants usually play well in September, but in the first six weeks of the season they go to Dallas, Chicago, and Kansas City, then play the Broncos at home. Their offensive line is banged up and the preseason offense has been non-existent. They may struggle early. If they do not struggle early, they will be set up to have an outstanding season. Late in the season, they play either at home or close enough to home to avoid road weariness. That equates to 57 days without air travel.

After being 8-8 the last two years, the Cowboys on paper look much improved. The expectations are for improvement on that record (9-7; 10-6 being the best they could hope for). This is the year for Tony Romo not to just move the football, but actually put points on the board. The defense looks solid. The Cowboys should return to the playoffs.

Eagles at Redskins
Your guess about the Eagles is as good as mine. Chip Kelly seems like a good fit for the Eagles, but will his high-velocity offense work in the NFL? Even if it does, will the Eagles stop anybody from scoring? Can Michael Vick stay healthy? He’s the best fit for their offense. The defense could not stop the run or the pass last year and there does not seem to be new talent on that side. They were 4-12 last year – the record will improve, but by how much? No idea!!

The Redskins, on the other hand, will be the favorite to win the division. They ended the regular season riding RG3 to a seven-game winning streak. They can run, throw, and defend the run. Can they defend the pass? That seems to be their weakness. A healthy RG3 could make them a Super Bowl contender.