ANOTHER EAGLE FLIESSSSSS THE COOP

   Yet another eagle has been released from the nest. This eagle wasn't on my radar at least to be let go by the Eagles. Jackson a 3 time pro bowler and explosive receiver and returner for the Eagles since his debut in the NFL finds himself homeless for now. Speculations has surfaced of Jacksons alleged affiliation with gang members back in his home town of Los Angeles and that was the assumption by many of why he was released. The Eagles still haven't made it clear of why they released Jackson. In a statement made by a Los Angeles police department they stated by saying "they don't necessarily think Jackson has any ties to gangs and they definitely don't think he's been involved in any gang-related killings."

   

   Is this case a guilty by association/neighborhood where I grew up situation? This has been an ongoing subject for the past few years but nothing has stuck. One thing I do find amazing is that just last week the owner of the colts Jim Irsay was arrested and in his possession was drugs and money and it received a 3 day max of coverage but Jacksons alleged affiliation has been running for years. There were reports that the release of Jackson may have come because of missed meetings, not fully vested in the team and potential problems with head coach Chip Kelly.

   Now time for some football. Ok we have a explosive receiver/returner on the market what team could benefit from such a player. I know Jackson made a visit to the Redskins over the weekend and that would be a huge addition to their offense and to help RG3 who's a similar style QB like Vick who Jackson played with in Philly. Another team aiming for Jackson could be the Oakland Raiders, it has been reported that this is a mutual interest on both parts. This move would put Jackson close to his hometown of L.A. and would boost the Raiders offense as well. Speaking of Vick if your previous wide out that you have played along side the past few years and you know is an impact player would you lobby to bring him to NY to help Decker and the other receivers out? I have seen receivers traded and sign with other teams in the past and don't have a huge impact, I am wondering what ever team Jackson land with will that offense adjust to fit the type of player he is.

     

VICK CHANGES HIS WINGS FOR JET ENGINES

   From one green team to another just a few miles north give or take a few. Mike Vick has landed to his third team along his NFL journey. After five seasons with the Eagles and some of those seasons up and down with injuries and lack of production Vick and the Jets agree to a one year deal after releasing Sanchez. Geno Smith getting the start last season during his rookie season displayed some signs of possibly being a strong quarterback in the league now can show more of his talent from his days of playing at West Virginia with added help. 

   LET THE BATTLEEEEEE BEGIN! With Vick coming to the Jets we all know that Vick will not want to play behind Smith especially with is experience and track record in the league. Geno stated that "Vick is going to be a guy I can work with, have a good working relationship with and also compete with." Compete is just the half of it. I think Vick wants to come in and start and also prove to everyone that his last few seasons in Philadelphia were not his fault totally and that he's still a quality QB. I definitely think Vick will bring a strong presences to the team and will push Smith to be a better QB. Geno Smith didn't have anyone to push him last season so the starting spot was his to keep regardless of his numbers during the season. 

    Mike Vick will give Geno that much needed push to prove his worth in the NFL and definitely will up the ante in New Jersey this summer and bring more press to the Jets camp this summer. Vick stated in an interview on espn.com that "he wouldn't necessarily be content with standing on the sideline the entire season." This will bring some good drama to the NY/NJ metropolitan area this season and I will be watching it unfold. Another question to keep in mind as this plays out for the Jets is will Geno give up the #7 jersey to Vick or will Vick have to settle for a new number? So I will shout the chant out that I had the opportunity to hear in practice on Long Island and in the stadium when I played J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETSSSSSSSSSS!  

PEOPLE DIDN'T BELIEVE, BUT THE HOOS MADE IT SWEET!!!!

  It gets no better than seeing my Virginia Wahoos making it to the sweet sixteen after over powering Memphis 78-60. Many have looked at Virginia as lucky after they ACC regular season championship victory over power house Syracuse. Virginia wanted to make all their doubters believers by making a incredible statement in the ACC tournament. The Cavaliers drove through the first two rounds of the tourney to meet up with the Duke Blue Devils. Virginia held strong and made it clear that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA tournament. The Wahoos defeated Duke to gain the crown of ACC Conference champs for the second time since 1976. Along with winning the conference championship the Cavaliers received a #1 seed to start the NCAA tournament off.

   The NCAA starts off with a bang for the HOOS! after a slow start in the first half of the Coastal Carolina game the boys proved the statement that you have to play the entire game not just a half. They finished off the Chanticleers to move on to play Memphis. The Cavaliers came out against Memphis with a chip on their shoulder and driven to keep upping the ante. They out played Memphis on both ends of the floor shaking off the rust from their first game. The victory over Memphis marked a second Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1995. The HOOS will play Michigan State to try and make it to the Elite 8 Friday March 28th in Madison Square Garden. The Cavaliers will go in as a huge underdog however you never count a underdog out or second guess one. The Cavaliers had previous meetings with the Spartans losing by a small margin in those meetings. This game will def. be a statement game for the seniors Harris and Mitchell. The question I pose how will the two finish their college careers? You have to believe there will be Virginia Sabres all over NYC this week. Even though I played football at UVA I love seeing all the Virginia sports teams both men and women making their voices heard in collegiate sports. 

RAVENS LET SOME GO BUT GAIN SOME HELP

  For Ravens fans the free agency scares them. They don't know who will stay or who will go. This free agency has seen the exit of Michael Oher, Jameel McClain and Vonta Leach for a second season to clear cap room for other signings. The Ravens as many know always have a trick or two up their sleeve and with the exit of those three players replaced them with resigning Eugene Monroe, Dennis Pita got a greaaat contract and brought in Carolina Panthers long time wide out Mr. Steve Smith. The ravens were looking for a guy that could replace the lost of Boldin especially with not doing very good on third down last year. I believe they have found the guy that will get those tough three to five yards in Steve Smith. I know in football years he's old but look at the Panthers season last year and he had a very successful season for a so called old man. I think the offense will regroup after last season especially with a healthy Pita and a healthy Rice and Scott who didn't have a strong season as a back field unit after the Ravens super bowl run. 

   Defenseeeeeeee!!! The Ravens are known to have a great to good defense each season and they didn't pretty good this past season. The Ravens did lose a good LB in Jameel McClain to the Giants but will keep the majority of the defense in tack. The Ravens are trying to keep Ihedigbo who finished second on the team in tackles with 101. I did see that the Ravens were fishing in the Steelers back yard a little and looking at veteran free safety Ryan Clark but nothing has been etched in stone yet. That would be a very very wild season to have a guy like Clark on the squad that has roamed the defensive backfield for the Steelers for 10 season only to play against them this season if the deal goes through. I will sit back and wait for more tricks to come out of the bag of the Ravens and Mr. Newsome.

FREE AGENCY HAS EXPLODED!!!!

    I believe this time of the year for the NFL is the most anticipated part other than the actual football season and the super bowl. Free agency in the eyes of owners and teams especially those teams that are looking for a much needed lift to help their road to a championship. So, with that said letsssssssssss goooooooo! In the above picture you see that the Jets have struck gold. I think adding Decker to their offense and to a average receiving core will boost their numbers up. The big question is how will the offensive coordinator adjust the offense to fit Deckers style of play especially coming from a heavy crossing route Broncos offense. While watching Decker play in the Broncos offense it showed that having other receivers such as Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas help to increase his receptions and receiving yards. The other question will be how will Decker handle being the number one go to receiver in the Jets run base offense. 
  
     The Broncos loses a key part of their offense in Decker but picks up a huge reward for their defense in Demarcus Ware. I am still in disbelief that the Cowboys decided to cut ties with the all pro sack leader. Ware isn't your typical defensive player. Ware depending on the defense plays down as a strong defensive end with his size and speed is very dangerous coming off the edge against offensive tackles and making key sacks that he has made. The other side to Ware is standing Ware up in a 3-4 defensive and allowing him to be athletic and cover tight ends, slot receivers and running backs leaking out the backfield. I understand the salary cap and wanting to get younger, cheaper and new players but does Jerry Jones being to involved in the football operations of the Cowboys hurt them? Along with Ware the Cowboys released veteran Miles Austin freeing up more money for the Cowboys. Miles def. brought a explosive approach to the Cowboys offense that helped take attention off of Witten the Cowboys TE and created fame for the undrafted receiver. After two pro bowl seasons Austin didn't have a great 2012 and 2013 season which was plagued with hamstring injuries keeping him off the field. Will Miles Austin land some where else before the draft or after the draft?

    The Broncos are building to take the final step in sealing up a championship during this free agency period. They have added DeMarcus Ware to their defense and in the same week added Aqib Talib to their secondary. I have heard coaches say time after time that defense wins championships. So with that said it seems as if the Broncos are saying we have the offensive components now lets beef up the defense and make this work! Talib according to the Patriots reports is coming off of a injured second half season and looks like they didn't want to bring him back if they couldn't get a full season of production out of the big play and aggressive cover corner. Talib did mention that he never had a injured hip and that the Patriots worded their injury report incorrect and stated that in the AFC championship game he had a deep bone bruise but no hip injury in the regular season. In the eyes of the Broncos he is exactly what they need and they made that clear with the contract and their check book. The draft haven't came yet but the Broncos are trying to make a statement early.

   Chip Kelly brought a explosive style offense to the Eagles from his days as the Oregon Ducks head coach. The Eagles showed major signs of explosiveness during the season especially with Nick Foles at the helm. Nick took ownership of the offense and never gave up the starting position to his back ups. The Eagles were stopped short in the playoffs but it did give a great outlook to the Eagles and Kellys offense for the seasons to come. The infamous two headed monster in the backfield of NFL offenses have become a staple to teams. What if you add a shifted back that can run, catch, return and split out as receiver to Kellys offense? Well it has been done. The Eagles have added the shifted Darren Sproles to an already dynamic offense. Seeing that acquisition made me say wow! that component will add more explosion to the Eagles offensive especially with having a dynamic receiver in Jackson now you have to respect Sproles which will free the tight end and receivers up more down field. Sproles plays bigger than his physical stats say and will play a major role in the Eagles run to the NFC east title again.

UVA GO HOOS GO!!!!!, ACC CHAMPS AND #5 IN THE NATION

WE DID IT! WE DID IT! yes I say we because I am an alum of The University of Virginia. The ACC championship has come back to the town of Charlottesville. The basketball team has been strong but couldn't finish strong over the years since the Ralph Sampson era. The UVA basketball team after their 85 to 52 lost to the Volunteers on December 30th went on a power surge. They have only one lost after that game to Duke which was only by 4 points. The basketball team played as if they had something to prove and you can see it in their game play and really with their ACC championship victory over the Syracuse Orangemen 75 to 56 a very convincing win in Charlottesville. 

     The Cavaliers will end the regular season before going to the ACC tournament at the University of Maryland on March 9th. The most pleasing thing to me is the mens basketball team will be heading to College Park with a very impressive ranking of #5 in the nation and a ACC ranking of #1. A big question for me is will the seniors be able to walk away with a bigger smile after the Grand daddy of them all tournaments have ended which is March Madness or will the seniors be content with a ACC championship? To my fellow Cavaliers WAHOO WA!!!! and good luck