Welcome back to Quick Slant, the column that sorts through hundreds of headlines and brings you only the best, most interesting and downright stupid the NFL has to offer. The NFL is a smorgasbord of awesome storylines; some are analytical, others are critical, and some are just down right stupid. It’s the stupid ones I live for – they make my day. I try to offer my own take on the story in as few words as possible – some of us have a wife, kids and a job and don’t have time to read 5000+ word novels! So, without further ado, I give you today’s version of Quick Slant:
Robert Griffin III has the number one selling NFL jersey – ever. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t played a “full” season, and with uncertainty as to how he will bounce back after a rehab-filled off-season……1/3 of all former players in the history of the NFL (4200 players accounts for ~ 1/3 of the 12,000) were represented in court Tuesday in their case against the NFL for having “glorified” violent play and profiting on damaging hits to the head. I said it in yesterday’s Quick Slant and I’ll say it again today, did they not think when they were taking hits to the head (either dealing or receiving) that there might be repercussions down the road? Did they not learn from the decades of players who came before them? I’m not defending the NFL, but to say they sought to benefit from violent hits to the head is stupid……Yesterday I mentioned how Seattle was looking at Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn – not to mention Tyler Thigpen. First, if Tyler Thigpen can’t make the top two for Buffalo he sure as hell isn’t making the top two for Seattle. But the real winner is Brady Quinn. As I reported the other day, a Leinart-Quinn bidding war took place. It looks like Quinn’s offer to babysit Russell Wilson’s nieces on week nights seems to have been enough to coax the Seahawks……Pittsburgh‘s bench boss Mike Tomlin has been appointed to the Competition Committee to replace Ken Whisenhunt. His first order of business was to suggest every stadium be named after condiments. Not sure how that is competition-related, but whatever……Just when we thought we’d seen the last of JaMarcus Russell, here we go again. To his credit, he’s under three bills now, as he sits a svelt 280 pounds, down from the 315 he was in February. Jeff Garcia, his mentor (stop laughing – okay, go ahead), believes the best fit for JMR is in Chicago or Arizona. I guess it will depends on who can get a circus license faster……I’ll leave you with a campaign I’m starting right here at sportseventsguide – Can we give Brian Banks the 2014 Comeback Player of the Year award now? I don’t give a flyin’ fig if he plays a down during regular season – anyone who can rot in prison for being falsely accused of rape, get out, get in shape and make an NFL roster deserves whatever the hell he wants. #BrianBanksForComebackPlayerOfTheYear……
That does it for today. Check back tomorrow and I’ll have sifted through the day’s headlines and give you what you need to know.
Follow me on twitter @RoryHarbaughNFL and the site @lastwordonsport
Interested in writing for sportseventsguide? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.