What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

As painful as it was for Patriots fans to watch the Giants upset the previously unbeaten team in Super Bowl XLII, it was pure agony for Pats owner Bob Kraft.

"We came within 30 seconds of having an umbelievable season, something that probably won't be replicated in my lifetime," Kraft said at the NFL owners meetings earlier today.

One thing that helped get him through the ordeal: warm thoughts of the late Giants' co-owners, Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch.

"I think Well Mara and Bob Tisch were both present at that game," Kraft said. "That’s how I got through it."

The Giants will receive a sixth-round compensatory pick (199th overall) in this year's draft.

The NFL awards compensatory picks to teams that lost more free agents than they signed the previous year. Last year, the Giants lost kicker Jay Feely, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and cornerback Frank Walker. They signed free agent linebacker Kawika Mitchell and quarterback Anthony Wright.

The Jets did not receive any compensatory picks.

The Redskins (96th overall), Bengals (97), Falcons (98) and Ravens (99) all received third-round compensatory picks.

Giants general manager Jerry Reese said earlier today at the NFL owners meetings that he will wait until Michael Strahan returns from a vacation in Africa before discussing the defensive end's plans.

Strahan hasn't made a decision about whether he'll play in 2008, and when we caught up with him at an appearance in New York a couple weeks ago, Strahan said he needed to get away from it all before he'd have any idea about whether he wants to play.

What does Reese think?

"My gut feeling is that he will play another year," Reese said. "We haven't had any conversations, and we'll sit down and he'll let me know if he wants to play."

Many of Strahan's teammates think he'll be back, but Strahan sounded legitimately torn when I spoke to him during an appearance in Times Square earlier this month.

Just announced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The defending Super Bowl champion Giants will host the Redskins on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. at Giants Stadium. It's an NBC game.

The start time has been moved up because it's the same night as the Republican Convention.

Other national games announced today for opening weekend:

Bears-Colts on Sunday, Sept. 7, to christen the Colts' new stadium.

Vikings at Packers on ESPN's Monday night opener on Sept. 8. Game time is 7 p.m. The second half of the opening week double-header is Broncos at Raiders at 10:15 p.m.

We told you the week before last about some of the rules changes contemplated by the competition committee, but here's a review of what's on the docket at this week's owners meetings. The votes on these are expected to be held tomorrow and/or Wednesday.

*Changing the playoff seeding system. Remember last year, when the Giants had a better record than the Bucs but still had to play Tampa on the road during the playoffs? A proposal that narrowly passed muster in the competition committee (5-3 in favor) would granted a higher seed to a team with a better record, even if said team was a divisional wild card. Don't think this one will pass. Too many dissenting votes. But the measure does have its supporters.

"I like it because it makes teams play out the season," said Detroit Lions president Matt Millen, a member of the competition committee.

* Defensive coach-to-helmet communication system. The committee has voted unanimously to recommend that NFL owners adopt a rule allowing coach-to-headset communication for the defense. The proposed rule, which narrowly was defeated by just two votes last year, is expected to pass.

The coach-to-headset system will eliminate the need for defensive coaches to signal in plays, thus preventing teams from stealing signals. The Patriots were caught stealing signals in a Week 1 game against the Jets last season, setting off the Spygate scandal that continues to reverberate throughout the league.

* Force out rule being forced out? The competition committee has endorsed a proposal that would eliminate the "force-out" rule that has been the subject of much controversy over the years.

Under the current rule, an official can rule a pass near the sidelines a catch even if the receiver fails to get both feet in bounds. If the official feels that the receiver was forced out by the defensive back before being able to get both feet down, the play can be ruled a catch.

* Training camp rosters. They're currently at 86 before the first cut-down, but that included six additional spots for players from NFL Europe. Now that the league is defunct, owners must decide on whether to keep the rosters that high, or go back to 80 players. The competition committee endorsed this one unanimously, but the owners' vote could be close.

That's one of the questions that NFL owners will be wrestling with this week in Palm Beach, scene of their annual spring meetings. The place we'll be camped out.

A proposal has been formulated by the Chiefs that would require players' nameplates on their jersey to be visible at all times. Thus, if a player like Polamalu, who sports very, very long hair that goes down almost to the middle of his back, would be required to tuck it into his helmet.

"We don’t have anything against long hair,” Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson said. “It’s certainly not a cultural thing. We submitted the proposal because we think the long hair should be in violation of the NFL uniform code. We think there are also safety implications that should be considered.

“We aren’t the only team that wanted to address this. We’re just the team that volunteered to make the proposal. I think the competition committee is in support of it. We’ll see what the response is from other teams. I know there are some teams that are supportive of it.”

Honestly, this is much ado about nothing. Whether it's Polamalu, Asante Samuel, Bob Sanders, or any of the handful of other players who wears their hair long, you can always tell who they are, and I've never heard of an instance where long hair is somehow a danger to playing football. Polamalu once was dragged down by Chiefs running back Larry Johnson by the hair after an interception return, which is about the only instance that immediately comes to mind.

Not sure if this one will even come to a vote, quite frankly. It's come up in discussions before, but has never gotten anywhere. And there is language in the collective bargaining agreement that prevents players from being sanctioned for the length of their hair.

Honestly, there are other more important things to worry about - like what happens as a result of the continued deadlock between owners and the NFL Players Associaton over the collective bargaining agreement.

In other words, it's more about the deadlock, not the dreadlocks.

Yes, we knew it was expensive, but after a trip to the northeast visiting a few schools, we found out firsthand. My oldest daughter is a high school junior, she's into her schooling, and so are we. Needless to say, I will be blogging (hopefully) for many, many years to make this happen.

One thing I did see was the potential for many, many new readers. Everywhere you looked at these places all you see is young men and women at the library with their eyes riveted on their computer screens.

It is quite impressive, and it is actually a very reassuring feeling seeing all these folks earnestly pursuing their dreams. It makes you feel good about the future of this country, though.

This one from "Mark," who likens the Davidson hoops star to Ivey, one of the greatest poker players in the world. Curry and his Davidson mates continue their incredible run in the tournament today against Kansas.

(Prediction: jeffp will poo-poo this look-a-like. It's not a perfect match, but it's serviceable.)

Here's how.

...

We'll take a few days to chillax over spring break and be back with news around the NFL, including a trip next week to the annual owners meetings, which are always chock full of stuff. Click here and scroll down to see several entries on topics that will be discussed.

In the meantime, Tom Rock will provide some football blog entertainment in between college hoops and the opening of the baseball season.

Oh, and condolences to the Best household, which saw all their hoops dreams go up in smoke over the weekend.

The Tennessee basketball coach and the New York Post basketball/football writer. Hey, Lenn. Smile, dude.

Another good one from our upstate NY buddy Tony Arnoldine.

The Villanova basketball coach and the former Bucs, Browns, Ravens, Jets, Patriots, Cowboys and Panthers quarterback.

Think officials call too many offensive holding penalties?

Well, you're not alone.

The NFL competition committee has been studying the issue, and there might be something to the notion that too many penalties are called.

There has been much discussion about the situation, and one result might be to position a couple of on-field officials differently, so that they can get a better view of whether a lineman is actually holding.

Interesting idea. Hope it works.

The competition committee has narrowly passed a proposal (5-3) to change the current playoff seeding format.

Under the current setup, the four divisional winners get the first four seeds, followed by the two wild card teams. Under the proposed change, the wild card team(s) would be seeded higher if their records are better than any of the divisional winners.

In 2007, the Giants had a 10-6 record but were seeded lower than the 9-7 Buccaneers, who won the NFC South. The Giants wound up playing the Bucs on the road in the wild card round, beating Tampa Bay on its way to the Super Bowl championship.

It is uncertain whether this rule will pass, since any rules change requires 24 of the team’s 32 owners to approve it. The fact that the competition committee was split on it means it’s likely other teams will take issue with the change.

Now that NFL Europe is no more, the issue will come up over what to do about training camp rosters. The current limit is 86, but that includes six spots for NFL Europe Players. Now that NFL Europe has gone out of business, the issue will come up at next week's owners meetings.

We're told the competition committee has endorsed a plan to keep the roster at 86 before the first cutdown day, although some owners might not approve the move.

The NFL's competition committee has endorsed a proposal that would eliminate the "force-out" rule that has been the subject of much controversy over the years.

Under the current rule, an official can rule a pass near the sidelines a catch even if the receiver fails to get both feet in bounds. If the official feels that the receiver was forced out by the defensive back before being able to get both feet down, the play can be ruled a catch.

If 24 of 32 owners vote in favor of the current proposal at their annual spring meetings next week in Palm Beach, Fla., the rule will be abolished. A receiver will either be ruled in or out of bounds, period. No more judgement calls from the official.

I'll second the motion on this one. Better to make it a black-and-white call rather than a judgement call, especially on touchdown passes. If the receiver gets both feet down, he's in. If not, he's out. End of story.

It started off with Stanford beating Best's beloved Cornell on Thursday. NKR another Cornell loyalist.

It continued yesterday with West Virginia upsetting Mrs. Watchdog's beloved Duke.

And then it ended with Tom Crean (aka BG) losing a crusher in OT to Stanford.

Oh, the humanity.

The NFL’s competition committee has crafted a proposal that will require each team’s senior management executive to report on- and off-field violations by their own club or other teams.

The proposal, expected to be approved by owners at their annual spring meetings March 30-April 2 in Palm Beach, Fla., was written in response to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s recent memo to the committee to strengthen policy in the wake of the Spygate controversy that has tarnished the league’s image.

Under the proposal, any violation discovered by any team employee is to be reported to the league office. Each year, the team’s lead executive will sign an affidavit testifying that his club conformed to the league’s rules and regulations.

(And yes, there really is a place called Truth or Consequences!)

The NFL's competition committee has voted unanimously (8-0) to recommend that NFL owners adopt a rule allowing coach-to-headset communication for the defense, a league source familiar with the situation has told Newsday. The proposed rule, which narrowly was defeated last year, is expected to pass when the owners meet in West Palm Beach March 30-April 2.

The coach-to-headset system will eliminate the need for defensive coaches to signal in plays, thus preventing teams from stealing signals. The Patriots were caught stealing signals in a Week 1 game against the Jets last season, setting off the Spygate scandal that continues to reverberate throughout the league.

The rule nearly passed last year, but concerns from a handful of clubs about the need to place the headset in more than one defensive player's helmet - due to frequent player substitutions - scuttled the idea. But because of the Spygate issue, the rule will almost certainly pass this time.

We'll be back with a few other rules change proposals in a bit.

The cost of attending Giants games has gone up, although not by too much. Especially not for a team that just won the Super Bowl.

Here's the breakdown:

Sections 301-308, 314-328 and 334-340 will be $80 per seat.

Sections 309-313 and 329-333, as well as 101-107, 115-127 and 135-140 will be $85 a seat.

Sections 108, 114, 128 and 134 will be $90 per seat.

Seats in sections 109, 113, 129 and 133 will be $95 apiece.

Sections 110, 111, 112, 130, 131 and 132 will be $100 per seat.

Mezzanine seats will be $105.

According to the team, the net result is an average increase of $7.01. Last season, the gross average price of a Giants ticket was $83.29, which ranked 12th out of the 32 teams in the National Football League.

In addition to their NFC East rivals Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, the Super Bowl champion Giants will host San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Carolina in 2008.

The attorney for suspended Titans cornerback Pacman Jones suggests that the Patriots would be a good landing spot for the troubled star.

Then again, even Bill Belichick, who has a history of turning around the careers of veterans who don't fit in with other clubs - i.e. Randy Moss - would probably shy away from Jones. Given the cornerback's litany of off-field transgressions, even Belichick might take pause.

The Cowboys are legitimately interested in Jones, though, and talks are heating up regarding a trade.

Seven years, $70 million.

The Giants would have considered a deal worth about half that.

Black N Gold brought up a very valid point in wondering why the Steelers would be so quick to release marginal receiver Cedrick Wilson the day after he was arrested for assaulting his former girlfriend, and why the Steelers made no such move with Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison, who was also arrested on assault charges.

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney tried to explain.

"We're extremely disappointed with this incident,'' Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this morning. "The Steelers do not condone violence of any kind, especially against women.

"The majority of our players are good citizens and make numerous positive contributions to the community. Unfortunately, these kinds of incidents reflect poorly on all our players and many innocent and good people are considered guilty by association, they get thrown into the pot, so to speak."

Rooney said Wilson, the team's No 4 wide receiver, was released because of the circumstances involved and that they differed from those of Harrison, who was arrested March 8 for assaulting his girlfriend in Ohio Township.

"I know many are asking the question of [why] we released Wilson and Harrison we kept,'' Rooney said. "The circumstances -- I know of the incidents, they are completely different. In fact, when I say we don't condone these things, we don't, but we do have to look at the circumstances that are involved with other players and things like that, so they're not all the same."

In Harrison's case, Rooney said the player was trying to take his son to be baptized, while Wilson had a previous incident with his girlfriend, although she was charged, but Wilson was not.

"What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it," Rooney said of Harrison's initial intent. "He was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it."

Listen, I think the world of Rooney, and I understand he wants to make some sort of statement here. And I think you know by now how much I personally detest hearing about a man striking a woman. But I still find it questionable that the Steelers would take such quick and decisive action in Wilson's case, while treating the Harrison case differently.

Yes, there are differing circumstances. And, in the end, Wilson's release might be appropriate. But with two cases involving a similar crime, why is a bit player kicked off the team immediately, while a star player gets the benefit of the doubt?

... and now there's no guarantee he will beat out undrafted free agent Shaun Hill for the 49ers' starting job this season.

Unbelievable.

Smith did a huge favor for me in 2005. I had him going to the 49ers in my mock draft, and actually left Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of the round. I knew it was a huge risk keeping Rodgers out of the round, but I also knew that if the 49ers didn't pick him, he'd fall a long way. If not out of the first round, then at least pretty far down.

There was some debate on whether the 49ers would take Smith or Rodgers, so needless to say it was a massive relief when they took Smith. And Rodgers did fall. In fact, had the Packers not taken him at 25th overall, I think he would have dropped completely out of the round.

My, how things have changed. Smith might lose his job to a no-name, and Rodgers now takes over for Brett Favre.

... Texas safety Drew Kelson had a 41 1/2-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump at his pro day yesterday. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds.

Sure seems that way now that eight office employees have been laid off. It's very unusual in a league flush with cash.

The layoffs included Paul Kirk, the Broncos' director of media relations and Andrew Mason, managing editor of DenverBroncos.com.

"It's a very, very difficult day when you have to eliminate jobs," Joe Ellis, the Broncos' chief operating officer, told the Denver Post. "Especially when loyal, hardworking employees are involved. But our industry is like many others, where downsizing and layoffs are required to make the business more effective."

According to the Post, the first hint the Broncos were hurting financially came when three of coach Mike Shanahan's top assistants — defensive head coach Jim Bates, offensive head coach Mike Heimerdinger and general manager Ted Sundquist — departed and were replaced in-house.

Maybe it's another reason the Broncos are reluctant to pull the trigger on a trade for Jets defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson, who is looking for a new contract before agreeing to any deal. Another complicating factor is the bone-on-bone condition in one of Robertson's knees. Robertson has failed two physicals - one in Cincinnati and one in Denver - but teams are occasionally willing to overlook some medical concerns if they feel he can last a year or two. Evidently, not so with D-Rob.

Not even 24 hours after Steelers receiver Cedrick Wilson was arrested for allegedly hitting his former girlfriend at a restaurant, the team has released him.

Sounds like a law firm, but it's actually another valued look-a-likes contribution from jeffp. Phil Martelli is the St. Joseph's basketball coach, Lou Lamoriello is the Devils' general manager and occasional coach, and Rod Marinelli is the Lions' head coach. JP had a Martelli-Marinelli straight-up look-a-like, but I thought Lamoriello bridged the gap nicely.

Will be back momentarily with the height, weight and cone-drill speed of a college player you've never heard of.

The Jets sent only an area scout to watch Matt Ryan's pro day, but don't be surprised to see the team in green-and-white consider another quarterback in next month's draft: Joe Flacco of Delaware.

Flacco might have the strongest arm of any of this year's quarterbacks, and he has been working diligently on his footwork in the off-season. The Jets are one of several teams giving strong consideration to Flacco.

He's been working with another former Delaware quarterback - former Giants QB Scott Brunner - and there's a chance Flacco slips into the late part of the first round or the early part of the second round.

Other teams showing an interest: the Ravens, Packers, Seahawks and Falcons.

Former Jets center Kevin Mawae, now with the Titans, has been elected president of the NFL Players Association, a post previously held by cornerback Troy Vincent.

Vincent has moved up to assistant executive director, and could be on a path to one day succeed Gene Upshaw as head of the players union.

Mawae's election is a good choice by the players. He is an extremely intelligent player, cares about what happens to his NFL brethren, and is respected around the league by players and executives for his honesty and candor.

... at his pro day workout yesterday, Boston College cornerback DeJuan Tribble ran a 4.65 in the 40, had a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump, a nine-foot, eight-inch long jump, a 4.19-second short shuttle and a 6.86-second cone drill. He measured in at 5-foot-8 3/4 and 196 pounds.

It happens at some point nearly every single day:

You're minding your own business when someone invades your space as if you weren't there.

You could be driving down the highway in the right lane and someone is tailgating you.

Or standing at the supermarket checkout stand and the person behind you bumps you with his or her carriage. Again and again and again.

Or walking through a crowded airport when the person behind you is so close you can smell his or her breath.

It is impossible to avoid these times, especially when you live in a place like the New York metropolitan area.

But I've come across a saying given to me by a friend a couple years ago that comes in handy at times like these. And the words can apply to just about any and all situations that arise. I must have been complaining about one of these scenarios to my buddy, who I met a few years ago playing soccer.

Warren said simply, "Bob, it's their world. You're just living in it."

I think of that phrase often, and it helps take the edge off the annoyance that invariably flares when a fellow human is not as considerate as I'd like him or her to be.

So when the tailgater appears as if he's about to hit my rear bumper, I simply say, "It's his world, Bob. You're just living in it." (Then, of course, I tap on my brakes to get him the hell away from me. Just a tap makes them back off every time.)

Or as the woman with the baby carriage ran up the back of my leg a few months back at 34th and 7th, and simply walked off as if nothing had happened - even after I'd said "Owww!" - "It's her world, Bob. You're just living in it."

Or as the guy behind me at the airport security location huffs and puffs as I take out my laptop for inspection - as if moving ahead of me will be the difference between making his flight or spending the rest of his life in the airport: "It's his world, Bob. You're just living in it."

Or the middle aged guy on my train a couple months back who was talking on his cell phone telling his wife to pick up the prescription for Viagra because he liked it so much the other night.

Or, of course, the guy at the health club who doesn't find the need to wear any clothing while standing at the urinal.

Repeat after me, Glauber Nation: "It's their world, we're just living in it."

(I know, this is goofy stuff. But it's either that or giving you the heights, weights and 40 times of draft-eligible players you have never heard of. I figured I'd offer something a bit more useful in every-day life.)

The Saints running back had a tough year in 2007, failing to improve on a promising rookie season and missing the last four games with a knee injury.

His first step in trying to get better is staying in New Orleans for the off-season. Last year, he went back to southern California, and he said it didn't give him the best opportunity to succeed during the regular season.

Saints coach Sean Payton, a big believer in off-season conditioning (thanks in part to working under Bill Parcells in Dallas), urged Bush to stick around N'Awlins.

This thing has been dragging on a few days, but when you're dealing with a contract for $10 million a year, these things take time.

Looks like things are wrapping up, though, and the trade for the Falcons' disgruntled cornerback should be completed soon.

The Syracuse wide receiver ran a 4.39 yesterday.

Might the Jets and Giants be interested?

The Cardinals receiver is hoping to get a new deal now that teammate Larry Fitzgerald has agreed on a four-year, $40 million contract.

The only question now is whether Boldin will get a new deal from the Cardinals, or if he'll be playing elsewhere. The Cardinals would like to keep him, but the pricetag has gone up considerably.

According to the league, the situation is improving.

Bill Parcells would love to trade the first overall pick. But all indications are, at this point, anyway, that no team is willing to offer a blockbuster package to move up. That could change, of course, with teams keeping their plans close to the vest.

In the meantime, Tuna's troops are getting a good look at Virginia defensive end Chris Long and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

The Birds have their eye on Vanderbilt re