Several interesting notes in MMQB today:
Finally, because it wouldn’t be a 2009 NFL column without one paragraph of gloom-and-doom about labor: NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith told me Sunday that player reps around the NFL voted over the weekend to start a strike/lockout fund, of sorts, for 2011. Smith said the player reps authorizes the union to divert all royalty payments from the union’s marketing division, Players Inc., to a fund that the union hopes will total about $60,000 per player. “It’s for health care and player emergencies,” Smith said. “And if there is football then, we’ll just give the money back to players in a lump sum.” The union has also asked players to set aside 25 percent of their take-home pay this season as a personal strike fund. Oh happy day.
Yikes. King goes on to report that Polian won’t bring back Harrison
13. (tie) Indianapolis (1-0). Bill Polian told me after the game that the Colts, even if Anthony Gonzalez‘s knee injury is more than a one-month deal, wouldn’t consider bringing Marvin Harrison out of retirement. Tony Dungy said something interesting on our NBC set: That Polian’s comment says to him that Peyton Manning is comfortable with rookie Austin Collie in the slot and Pierre Garcon as the outside bookend for Reggie Wayne.
Later he puts 18 at 4 on his MVP watch. That game yesterday wouldn’t have been close if he hadn’t yakked that throw.
4. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis. Evergreen. If he’s healthy and the Colts are winning, he’s in the top five, somewhere.
Later he lists his top 70 restricted free agents for this coming year (if there is no labor agreement): Marlin Jackson is 22, Bethea is 33, Charlie Johnson is 50
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