1) The amount of $ that Ryan got is making a mockery of what already is a mockery. The top 10 slots in the draft are a liability. It makes absolutely no sense to see rookies getting paid more than established veterans that have already cut their teeth and proved their worth in the league. Gene Upshaw, for his role in defending the rookie salaries, is a joke.
2) The NFL is discussing cutting down from 4 preseason games to 3 and adding one extra regular season game. Do it. Better this than increasing the number of teams that make the playoffs. 4 preseason games is a joke; by the time we get to the fourth (last) game the starters are being coddled and it is time for a few players on the bubble to make or get cut from the team. Remember that the league used to be one where players got paid a lot less and had to work as insurance salesmen etc.. in the offseason. They came to camp out of shape and needed the 6 games to get ready. Things have changed so much that if you report to camp out of shape you will likely get demoted or cut. So going to three games makes sense. The biggest downside is that if you get to the Super Bowl it is a VERY long season. You could conceivably be playing as many as 21 games… there is only so much punishment the human body can take. The cost will come from somewhere… extending the season will likely create more injuries and shorten careers. I suspect that if they do go to a 17 game schedule you will see more players being rotated, making bench depth that much more critical.
3) Giants mandatory minicamp for all players is June 11. This will be a mediafest for Shockey and Strahan musings.
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