Happy Monday! Here’s a few headlines to get you through your lunch break!

Elvis Dumervil has signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Elvis Has Left… Denver

After a pretty dramatic week that included Fax-Gate, Elvis Dumervil and the Denver Broncos have parted ways and he’s headed to the Baltimore Ravens. A team that desperately needs some players. Thanks Joe Flacco!

Per NFL.com, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Dumervil’s contract is worth up to $35 million. He will receive $1 million in base salary in the first year and a $7.5 million signing bonus. Schefter also reported that Dumervil has a $3.5 million injury guarantee on next year’s option bonus, guaranteeing he’ll receive $12 million in the contract.

Aerys NFL’s own Brenda Stidham talks about the timing issues with Elvis and the Broncos. Check out Denver Horse Force. For more on the deal from the Ravens perspective, check out Aerys’ The Purple Nest.

Other items

* Tim Tebow might be one of the nicest people alive. Just ask the Wichita State basketball team. That’s all.

* Darrius Heyward-Bey might be the mystery wide receiver Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has been talking about. DHB is set to meet with the Colts either tonight or tomorrow. Check out this story. » Continue reading “Mid-Day Monday Blitz: Elvis Goes Baltimore, Tebow And More”

It’s Monday! Ye….Yuck!

Here are some news and notes from around the NFL for you to peruse and snicker at while you enjoy that pastry and lovely cup of coffee!

First off, Jim Irsay was a tweeting fool on Saturday and Sunday. See …

You can check out the whole Tweet log here … The Colts owner was a wee bit pumped! And by a wee bit, I mean a whole lot!

The seemingly braggish tweets led many to wonder who exactly Jim and the Colts were targeting. One thing is for sure, it’s probably not Victor Cruz. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to finding out what the big catch is for Indy. Do you have any thoughts on who it could be? Comment below!

In other NFL news:

* Our favorite Twitter troll, Mike Florio from ProFootballTalk.com had some jaw-dropping news to tell the Dallas Morning News sports blog about Tony Romo. The blogger was asked why Romo’s contract hasn’t been extended this off-season. “Because he royally sucked and, again, couldn’t get the Cowboys to the playoffs” wasn’t the answer … the correct answer mind you … given.

Per Troll-io: “Next year, if he becomes a franchise quarterback if they use the franchise tag, they will have to tender him a 1-year deal in the amount of $21.6 million. If you’re the agent for Tony Romo, you say ok we’ll do a long-term deal, but we have to use these numbers. $16.8 million this year, $20.16 million next year and then the following year it goes up another 20 percent to $24 or 25 million. You’re looking at at least $60 million over three years if they want to lock Tony Romo up.”

… $60 million over three years for Romo? My goodness. I’m speechless.

Seriously. Is Romo really worth that much money? Be honest!

* St. Louis media outlets reported late Sunday evening free agent Offensive Lineman Jake Long signed a four-year deal with the Rams for $36 million. Here’s a tweet from 101 ESPN in St. Louis. Here’s a post on NFL.com from Albert Breer regarding the signing. For more on the Rams signing Long, please check out The Pigskin Arch!

* Several rules changes could be made this week at the NFL Annual Meeting in Arizona this week. One such proposed change would make it illegal for a runner to lead with the crown of his helmet when outside of the tackle box. The rule comes under the safety umbrella of trying to keep all players from initiating contact with the helmet — a practice already outlawed for defenders.

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte? Not happy about it. Nope. Not at all.

For Funsies!

The awesome folks at NFL Memes did this…

Enjoy your Monday!

Have anything to suggest for the Blitz? Drop us a comment or Tweet me @missmiranda!

Welcome to the first edition of a new, hopefully-daily feature here at Offsides … the Morning Blitz! Here we will try to get you some of the links from sources around the country to get you, your daily football fix! We’ll, as always, try to add a little humor to it!

So, sit back and sip your coffee … or whatever beverage that is in your hand … and enjoy!

The NFL’s new Player Assessment Tool is sure to give the Wonderlic a run for it’s money at the NFL Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis.

The NFL’s new Player Assessment Tool is sure to give the Wonderlic a run for it’s money at the NFL Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis. According to USAToday.com, the PAT  is supposed to provide teams with an idea of whether a player will get along with teammates, make it to meetings on time and put in the effort to take his skills from good to great. Teams are making multi-million dollar investments in these athletes who get banged around. It is an excellent idea to make sure they are good decision makers. It just is … Seriously!

Other Items

* Alleged Adderall abuser and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Robert Sherman says the NFL Draft is a “sham.” … Yeah, OK Robert. Here’s more from the Seattle P-I.

* Monte Kiffin understands the pressure he is taking on by becoming the Dallas Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator. But you have to wonder about that when he justifies this by saying he is 72 going on 52! Here’s more on Kiffin from the San Antonio Express-News.

* The city of Charlotte’s plan to contribute $125 million toward renovating Bank of America stadium started with a letter Mayor Anthony Foxx sent to the team last September, according to Carolina Panthers president Danny Morrison. Here’s more on the letter and other possible financing sources for the renovation from the Charlotte Observer.  » Continue reading “Monday Morning Blitz: Combine, Tebow and More!”

Ray Lewis

The Colts fell to the Baltimore Ravens 24-9 Sunday afternoon bringing and end to a pretty remarkable season.

Let’s discuss a few things!

* Ray Lewis’s final home game. Ray went out in his final home game in front of his loyal fans in Baltimore, the way those fans would want. A winner. Dancing. He did his signature dance coming out of the tunnel Sunday. And in the final moments of the game, lined up on offense and as the clock winded down, the crowd roared and he danced one final time before the Raven-ous fan base.

* How Did The Elite One Do? Joe Flacco … What? He says he’s elite?! … threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns. It wasn’t one bit pretty but he did what he had to do. I guess…

* What’s next for the Ravens?  Flacco, Lewis and the Ravens head to Denver to take on Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Should be an excellent game!

* Andrew Luck. What a star! What a rookie season! Sunday, he threw 288 yards. And an interception. It wasn’t his best game. It just wasn’t. But, the kid NEVER gave up. And as Phil Simms noted over and over again on Sunday, Andrew Luck is strong. Err… let’s put that in regular terms. Andrew Luck has a lot of grit, determination and leadership ability. And it’s going to take him far. I’m looking forward to many, many more years of seeing him play!

* Adam Vinatieri still knows how to kick-it! Yeah! I know! But, he was three for four in field goal attempts. He scored all of the Colts points. Colts fans thank goodness Adam still has an epic foot and leg!

* What’s Next For the Colts? Obviously, getting everybody rested up and ready for the 2013 season. It would probably be a good idea to draft or sign a running back or two and some strong offensive lineman to help protect Andrew, the back and receivers. It will be good to have Coach Chuck Pagano back for a full season and if Bruce Arians, who was out of Sunday’s game after he was hospitalized for an undisclosed illness, doesn’t get lured away for a sweet head coaching gig, it will be good to have him back as offensive coordinator. Next season should be even better.

Follow Miranda on Twitter, @missmiranda

Welcome to Wild Card Weekend in the NFL! Lots of great games on the slate for this weekend. So grab some pizza or wings and your favorite beer or soda, and get ready for loads of great football!

Here’s this weekend’s schedule!

Saturday 

3:30 PM CT on NBC
Bengals @ Texans

7:00 PM CT on NBC
Vikings @ Packers

Sunday

Noon CT on CBS
Colts @ Ravens

3:30 PM CT on FOX
Seahawks @ Redskins

The playoffs and the road to Super Bowl XLVII is finally here!  The defending champion New York Giants will have no shot at defending their title after they were eliminated from playoff contention Week 17.  A new champion will be crowned on February 3rd.  Here is a look at the playoff picture and how I think it will pan out.

Please note:  These are merely predictions.  The Divisional, Championship, and Super Bowl matchups are subject to change.  Nothing is final. » Continue reading “2013 NFL Playoff and Super Bowl XLVII Predictions: Who will win it all?”

The Indianapolis Colts won their first game with Chuck Pagano back as coach since he started treatment for leukemia Sept. 26. The Colts defeated the Houston Texans, 28-16.

Coach Chuck Pagano

Andrew Luck threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Luck threw a one yard pass to Coby Fleener and a 70-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton. Deji Karim scored on a 101 yard kick off return. And, Vick Ballard scored a TD on a one yard run.

Still amazing. Luck, Fleener and Hilton are all rookies. This is Pagano’s first game back after getting treatment for cancer. It’s Pagano’s first year as coach by the way. It was Ryan Grigson’s first year as GM> And… they are going to the playoffs. Would you have even believed this after last season?

The Colts end the season with an 11-5 record. They are the fifth seed in the NFL Playoffs and take on the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday’s Wild Card weekend action on CBS.

The AFC is set except for seeding …Remember who told you Denver was at the top first!

AFC

1. Denver Broncos (12-3): This team has figured out how to play like the old Indianapolis Colts.  Get a lead, pound the ball, and rush the passer.

2. Houston (12-3): Not the best time to disappear.  Should have shown more effort and energy playing for home field in front of your own crowd.

3. New England (11-4): Played like you figured they would against a poor Jacksonville team.  This team is not the powerhouse everyone thought they were after the Houston game.

4. Indianapolis (10-5): This team shows fight and determination every week, and they have the QB that keeps them in every game.  They now are starting to believe they can win every game.

5. Baltimore (10-5): Got a much needed boost in confidence.

» Continue reading “NFL Week 16 Power Rankings”

The Kansas City Chiefs made quite a showing in their final home game of the season, but the penalties and turnovers that have been plaguing them all season also made a showing, and in the end, they were no match for Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, falling 20-13.

This was Jamaal Charles’ game. He rushed for 226 yards, his second 200 plus yard game of the season. Charles’ biggest play of the game was an 86-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half. Kicker Ryan Succop kicked his second field goal of the game later in the 3rd quarter to tie up the game 13-13. “It was fun today, competing out there and doing it while we were trying to come back,” Jamaal remarked after the game. With this game, Charles became the NFL all-time average per carry record holder.

Jamaal Charles

Peyton Hillis added another 101 yards on the run game in his usual freight-train ways. Kansas City had 352 yards rushing in the loss, the first time that has happened in NFL history.

However, every chance the Chiefs had to take the lead, they squandered away. Quarterback Brady Quinn threw two interceptions and was just 10 of 22 for 162 yards. Why, when the run game was going so well, the Chiefs decided that Quinn should throw the ball anywhere near either end zone is beyond me. On the Chiefs fifth offensive play of the game, Quinn threw behind Dexter McCluster. The ball was easily intercepted by Darius Butler who ran it into the end zone, giving the Colts a 7-0 lead. Later in the third quarter, Kansas City had a chance to take the lead, but Quinn was picked off by Vontae Davis in the end zone.

The Chiefs had one last chance late in the forth quarter, but Quinn was stopped on a quarterback sneak by the Colts defense on 4th and inches. Luck got the ball back and a touchdown just a few plays later gave the Colts the victory.

Kansas City (2-13) travels to Denver next week for their final game of the season against the Broncos.

A year after posting the worst record.

Months after welcoming a rookie QB and saying goodbye to a four-time MVP.

A new GM.

A new head coach who missed most of the season due to leukemia.

After all of that … The Colts clinched a playoff spot with a 10-5 record after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 20-13.

Speaking of that rookie QB! Andrew Luck threw 205 yards on Sunday to pass Cam Newton for a record of 4,051 yards passing by a rookie.

Luck connected with Reggie Wayne for a touchdown. Darius Butler intercepted a pass from Brady Quinn for a 32-yard touchdown. Adam Vinatieri knocked down two field goals including one from 48-yards away.

Next up for the Colts are the Houston Texans next Sunday in Indy.