With the average NFL career being less than four seasons, when someone’s spent 14 years they deserve a mention.

Muhsin Muhammad retired yesterday. He leaves the game ranked 20th on career receiving yards and having spent the vast majority of his year with one team, the Carolina Panthers. He was selected in the second round of the 1996 draft. This year’s second round pick – Jimmy Clausen – was just 8 back then.

Take care Moose, be well.

14 seasons you say? Isaac Bruce will see your 14 and raise you 2 additional season. Likewise the 20th career placing… Bruce is 3rd on the all time career yards and spent thirteen years with the Rams, helping them to Super Bowl victory for the 1999 season.

After two years a 49er, he retires a Ram. His club will honour him by retiring the number 80 in the game against Carolina later this year.

Again, be well.

Image Credit (Isaac Bruce): Jachdeja
Image Credit (Mushin Muhhamad): pnther60
Video Credit: LilMike1309

To start with we’re back to New York. Less than a week after releasing Thomas Jones (who has since signed with the Cheifs) the Jets have added LaDanian Tomlinson to the line-up. He’s got a fair deal to be a backup and although I think Jones was a better option, they’ve got LDT for a lot less than Jones was due. It would essentially be a crime not to use this as an excuse to post Electric Glide as unlike running backs that never gets old.

Carrying on with aging running backs, Larry Johnson is now a Redskin. He’s signed a surprisingly sensible 3 year deal that makes things interesting and has certainly improved the squad. If we can sort the line out, we might be able to actually make some yards now. Will Montgomery has resigned in this area.
Johnson has 2 years on Portis, but considerably less mileage. Hopefully he can contribute.

It’s all change under centre for the Cleveland Browns with Anderson being released and fan-favourite Brady Quinn being traded to the Denver. I’ve seen Broncos’ starting QB Kyle Orton described as “workmanlike” and that seems fair. It’ll be interesting to watch that situation and take bets on who’ll be starting the Wembley game.

Incoming for the Browns are Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. The smart money would be on Delhomme to start, even after his terrible 2009. He’s due a tonne of cash too, from the Browns and Panthers who apparently missed a fairly critical clause in his contract. D’oh.

Mark Tauscher has signed – again – in Green Bay. Expect to see him picking up Aaron Rodgers a lot during 2010. Speaking of Aarons… Aaron Kampman has gone to Jacksonville in what is a better fit for him than the Packers’ 3-4 scheme.

This is the tip of the iceberg as there have been moves and trades all over the place. Check ‘em out.

OK, so this is not a surprise. As a Redskin fan we’re practically forced to shout up London’s name whenever we talk about great linebackers. Mainly, it has to be said, as he seems to be continuously overlooked for recognition… as his nine Pro-Bowl Alternates show.

Why do we think that? There are many reasons…

Having played in a Division III college team, despite being named Linebacker Of The Year and setting a school record for tackles Fletcher was an undrafted free agent and was picked up by the Rams. He then won the starting MLB spot at camp and has not looked back. When the Redskins left the field at the end of the 2009 season, London Fletcher was completing his 184th straight game – a streak that covers his entire career and doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon, even as he enters his 12th season.

But there’s more than simply turning up… you have to go back to the 2003 season before London is not in the top 6 for tackles made. The last 6 years he ranks 2nd, 6th, 6th, 3rd, 3rd and 5th. That is the model of consistency, and of a player at the top of his game.

When he looks back, he can remember that he’s always been The Man in the D. He has the respect of his teammates, peers and fans even if he does fly under the radar at times. If all else fails, he can look back on his approach to the game as a Ram, Bill and now ‘Skin as well as his Super Bowl ring and take pride in all these things.

Previous Favourite Linebackers
Ray Lewis
Joey Porter

In a move that surprised precisely no-one, the San Diego Chargers have released LaDanian Tomlinson. This saves them a $2M roster bonus that was due last month and with Sproles becoming a free agent after being Franchised last year… we all new this was coming.

To me there are fewer things sadder in the NFL than the way Running Backs deteriorate so suddenly. Sure, it happens in other positions but these guys are often key and important players that are highly visible. Then, a few years later, they’re shadows of their former selves. The League is dotted with cases like this with Shaun Alexander being the most recent example – cut just over 2 years after signing a record-breaking deal. I watched Clinton Portis and Ladell Bett’s form this year with that same near-30 sinking feeling.

However, the whole affair seems to have been managed with some class and that’s something. The fact is that if he wants it, there’ll be a place for him on a team. No, he’s not an every down back, and his cuts and pace have slowed with his age, but there are plenty of teams who would be happy to have him as an impact player for a year or two.

Here at Mac, we’re wishing him luck whatever he turns his mind to.

Image Credit: SD Dirk

There’s been a lot of redemption and second chances right across the league for a long time, but morese – it seems – than ever recently. Someone who probably does deserve it (because he’s not been that bad really…) is Matt Jones, previously of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jones was released at the end of the 2008 season by the Jacksonville Jaguars when two ’substance abuse-related’ arrests. These were the cherry on top of a string of offences and poor discipline and all sorts of issues about his character.

The mind really boggles at players who have chances most would dream of, who then try their hardest to mess it up completely. The Cincinnati Bengals have managed their fair share of troubled players and will be hoping that they’ve got a bargain for next season here. Jones, who turned down the Titans, will be looking to play well, keep his nose clean and then get paid the year after.

And let’s face it… if Michael Vick can find a place and not be booed too much in Phili, then there’s hope for every player who’s trying to carve something out.

Image credit: micheal e finley

Pete Townsend has announced that The Who will be performing a medley (yeah, I refuse to use the so-called term ‘mashup’) of some of their most well known songs during the Superbowl halftime show.

Pete Townsend

But anyway, it should be good! But hopefully not so good that it stops us doing the regular halftime activities of visiting the bathroom, topping up beer and grabbing a hotdog.

Source: Billboard

Image Credits: PT: birzir
RD: Thomas Kjær

Since it’s too painful for Andrew to continue with his Redskin’s Review articles anymore, let us continue with our Favourite Four series, we are currently looking at Linebackers. It’s been a while, and many pages are now without images as we checked licensing on all content a while ago, but if you want to remind yourself. Check the Favourite Four category, where we’ve previously looked at defensive linemen, defensive backs, running backs and now linebackers.

We reiterate that these are some of our favourite players. We can’t vouch that these will be the best players in absolute terms, have the biggest fantasy football upside or even be any good (though they might be)… but they’re players that we like to watch.

Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens is the next on our list.

While we had a run of selecting younger players for our running back positions, it seems to be the older more experienced guys who are getting the nod at Linebacker.

Ray Lewis has been at the Baltimore Ravens since 1996.  To put that into perspective No.1 draft pick Matthew Stafford was only 8 years old when Ray played his first NFL game.  Experience like this is worth its weight in gold and Lewis is an essential part of the Ravens line up.

Lewis is a Super Bowl winner and ten time Pro Bowl pick. Oh, and he made the cover of the 2005 version of our favourite game ‘Madden NFL‘.  There is nothing left for him to prove, but he still plays like there is.

Yet again he remains an interesting player to watch this season.

Image Credit: nflravens.

A special review this week, and one that allows me to stop thinking about how bad the Redskins are or dwelling on Chris Cooley’s broken ankle.

So NFL Sunday at Wembley! As we’ve done for all three years now, I met up with Graham, Ant (Pats’ fan) and Dom (general good time guy) early in the afternoon near one of the many eating and drinking huts that were set-up around the stadium. In the past we’ve played a sort of Shirt Bingo – to see if we can see all 32 teams represented. They obviously are, and this year we limited ourselves to picking out shirts of distinction (“Is that a JaMarcus Russel shirt? In public?”… that sort of thing).

Anyway, a couple of beverages to the good and we headed inside. The inside of the stadium never fails to impress me – the walkways are wide, there are plenty of tables and areas to stand about with a beer and a hotdog. There are bars, eateries and shops dotted all over the place. In Club, where we were this year, there are also leather sofas dotted about and enticing windows into fancy restaurants and hospitality sections. As old pros, we got a beer and settled down. Only heading for our seats about an hour before kickoff.

I won’t give a play-by-play rundown, you’re probably all aware that it wasn’t a great game.

The Good

Wembley Stadium. It looked fantastic again. The US NFL stadia are all impressive in their own ways, but Wembley holds proud against them all. Seeing it decked out NFL-style is an amazing sight.

The Spectacle. Football could learn so much from the NFL in terms of presenting a match. And it was all with pinpoint precision. A countdown told us how long before the pre-show would start, and it was to the second. The pre-show music I could take or leave, but it was well done. The anthems were nicely done, and all three years we Brits have shown the right amount of respect to the US anthem. And the British anthem was brilliantly delivered and sung along to (unlike like last year, Ms. Stone)
Best of all, the Bucs’ intro video (which shows the galleon defeating it’s divisional rivals then turning on the Patriot’s ship) included a Wembley fortress island. Little touches like that put the NFL a league apart.

The Pats. Love ‘em or loath ‘em, this is a professional outfit that can really play ball. All aspects of their game was working. Brady made some nice plays (though he also made some bad ones) and Wes Welker had a great game. I’d have liked to have seen more deep shots, but it wasn’t necessary.

The Bad

Just the one thing really… The Bucs. This is a poor team in the deepest part of its rebuilding process and it showed. If there were any doubts about how the game would go, they were gone the second time Brandon Merriweather picked off Josh Johnson. The first pick though… if we could see from the stands where the pass was going, then he was telegraphing it.
Even though the crowd wanted to back them (well, it was more like 50-50 Bucs to Pats in terms of the fan split) we all pretty much gave up early in the second quarter and just enjoyed what was happening.

All in all though, another great day out. The game was never going to be as good as last year’s Saints and Chargers throw down, but it was enjoyable for different reasons.

There is talk of two games next year. If there are, the NFL will need to be more considerate with the teams it sends. Given the choice, I’d pick any other team than the Bucs.

Image credit: Graham!
Image credit (Cheerleader): Vanessa Guzan

Continuing with our Favourite Four series, we move back to the defence to take a look at the linebackers

We reiterate that these are some of our favourite players. We can’t vouch that these will be the best players in absolute terms, have the biggest fantasy football upside or even be any good (though they might be)… but they’re players that we like to watch.

Joey Porter of the Miami Dolphins is the first on our list.

It is very doubtful that Joey Porter would have made the list before the beginning of last season, but his amazing turnaround is the reason why he makes it on to my list for 2009.

A Super Bowl winner and four time Pro Bowl selection Porter is now coming to the twilight of his career.  He was a third round draft pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1999 staying with them until 2007 when he joined the Miami Dolphins.

I have been thinking of ways to describe him, but I will simply say he was an animal last year!  Miami’s turnaround required every player to give their best, and Porter certainly gave it everything he had turning 2007’s 5.5 sacks into an incredible 17.5 in 2008. A season like that is hard to top, but he has proved to everyone that he can do it and will take that forward this year.

I am really looking forward to seeing him play again this season.  More of the animal please Joey, but on the field only.

Image Credit: paul.mcrae@rogers.com

Continuing our look at our favourite defensive backs, we take a look at the third player in our list.

We can’t vouch that these will be the best players in absolute terms, have the biggest fantasy upside or even be any good (though they might be)… but they’re players that we like to watch.

This time we look at Pittsburgh Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu.

28 year old Polamalu will be looking to build on fantastic performances last season, which were topped off by a 5th Pro Bowl selection.  He also posted some very impressive stats with 7 sacks and 432 tackles.

Polamalu has been a permanent fixture in Pittsburgh after being selected in the 1st round of the 2003 draft. He was sure to get noticed too after giving it his all at USC which started with him playing both the safety and linebacker positions.

I don’t know if the hair helps him stand out, but he always seems like one of the hardest working players out there, and also the one I would least liked to be takled by!

Lets see him in action…

He has become a Father now too, and as we all know when you become a Dad, you become even more scary (oh and also become better at fixing things).  I  am looking forward to seeing what kind of an impact he has this year.

Interesting fact: Troy Polamalu has made the cover of Madden 2010.  Look out for the review here on Mac Talks NFL.

Previous favourite defensive backs:
Will Allen
Shawn Springs