Tradition Sports Online

So this has been a big discussion in national sports news of late and I figured (and because I'm bored) I could offer a little insight as a former equipment manager on the subject.

#1 All footballs are inspected by the officials prior to the game and I'm sure they all passed the approval, no sort of NFL conspiracy here.

#2 After the officials look at the footballs, they are placed back in the game ball bag where realistically anyone has access to them, but mainly it is just the equipment staffs and the ball boys. Now usually it is relatively easy for officials to monitor the game balls, but on a game such as this where they probably are doing more important game prep or warm ups, and there are a plethora of people on the sidelines, it is very easy to access the ball bag and do any type of tampering with the balls. The subtlety of the tampering would go unnoticed likely by almost everyone unless you either A) you have a sensitive feeling for this sort of thing or are someone who has...

Guys,

I've heard from a number of you regarding the existing scouting system, and I'd like to propose the following changes:

• Remove the ability to scout overall.
• Remove the ability to scout development.
• Expose the personality rating (i.e. similar to the production grade) at the combine.
• Expose the injury rating.
• Increase the cost to scout PHYSICAL attributes prior to the combine.
• When the combine occurs in the yearly cycle, players invited to the combine should have ALL physical attributes are exposed:
  • SPD (40-yard dash)
  • AGI (3 cone drill, shuttle)
  • ACC (40-yard dash, 3 cone drill, shuttle)
  • STR (Bench press)
  • JMP (Vertical and broad jump)
  • Height and weight (I also think these should be somewhat variable for the non-invited players)
• Introduce a penalty for hoarding scouting points until the last scouting window. My rational for this is that scouting is a time based activity, and if you decide to not scout during the season...

Meant to post this about a week ago, but got busy at work and didn't realize I never posted it until now.

1: SP Jim Brewer - Cincinnati Reds

A highly-touted product from UNC, Brewer was initially selected with the No. 2 overall pick in 2029 by the Philadelphia Phillies. He failed to sign with them, so the Reds took him No 1 in 2030. Rated as a can't-miss stud out of college, where he compiled a 21-2 record and a 1.60 ERA in his last two seasons, Brewer never really put it all together because he failed to develop control of the ball. One of his biggest assets in college never came to fruition in the MLB, and he was traded to the White Sox along with "Nimrod" Morris in a blockbuster trade in 2033. Brewer has had a couple of solid seasons in Chicago, but never became the star that he was projected to be. He is putting his best year together this year, going 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA. We'll see if that lasts, or if he'll dip to career ERA that hovers around 4.

Grade: B- (By...

The time is finally upon us! Christmas came early for some teams yesterday....others drafted lumps of coal. Regardless of how the draft went, or who you overpaid for in free agency, EVERYONE in Hard Knocks feels confident heading into Week 1.

One of my personal favorite things to do at the beginning of every season is checking out the schedule. Although I am primarily concerned with who I play, who is playing who around the league the first couple weeks is intriguing as well. Keeping an eye on who is BEATING who early on gives you a very good idea on who the pretenders are....and who the contenders are. A good start to the season is a MUST (especially in this years release....you don't want low confidence...trust me...it ain't fun).

So, with the 2016-2017 schedule finally released last night, lets delve into some of the more entertaining and important match ups the first three weeks of this upcoming season.....