Archive for July, 2012

ALBANY, N.Y. — ”JPP” is no “LT,” but he’s getting there. And fast.

New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (my photo of him, above, at camp on Monday) is so dynamic a game-changing pass rusher— so scary good — that he’s reminding NFL observers of a Giants’ Hall of Fame pass rusher of yesteryear. One Lawrence Taylor.

As Taylor was, Pierre-Paul is freakishly super-athletic — at times seemingly unblockable.

Defensive linemen are considerably beefier and faster since Taylor terrorized NFL quarterbacks in the ’80s. At 6-foot-5 and 278 pounds, Pierre-Paul is about two inches taller and 45 pounds heavier than LT in his heyday.

As LT was in comparison to his contemporaries, JPP has long arms, and possesses incredible burst, power and speed for his size.

“He’s a physical force,” head coach Tom Coughlin said.

And fast as hell. JPP ran the 40 at the combine two years ago in 4.7 seconds.

No, really.

In his second NFL season last year, Pierre-Paul tallied 16 1/2 sacks, when 10 is a solid year for a defensive end. Taylor and Michael Strahan are the only

Giants ever to drop the quarterback that many times in one season.
It gets better.

Pierre-Paul arguably was the lynchpin in the Giants’ dominating front seven late last year, which helped take the team to the Super Bowl championship.

And JPP is only 23 years old, probably as young as dozens of this year’s rookies.

He told reporters the other day at Giants training camp at the State University of New York (Albany) that he is only going to get better — a lot better.

“Trust me, I don’t know it all,” he said. “I’ve still got a lot to learn about the game of football. I’m doing quite a good job of it, but I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

Asked if he’s only, say, 50% of what he can be, Pierre-Paul agreed. So did his defensive coordinator.

“That’s pretty good math by JPP,” Perry Fewell told reporters Monday. “I can remember as JPP and I were going through and talking about the defences, he had a lot of questions. But I was in the meeting room with him yesterday, and he had more answers than questions. Some of the questions (were) very technical.”

So far in the NFL, Pierre-Paul has relied mostly on his rare athleticism. At times, Fewell admitted, he and his coaches just get out of the way and unleash JPP on opposing offensive lines.

“You don’t try to coach him too much, because you don’t want to screw him up. That’s the best thing about coaching him right now, because he understands the game to a certain degree, but he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do … So we try not to over-coach him.”

The son of Haitian immigrants, Pierre-Paul was born in Deerfield Beach, Fla., and refined his craft after high school at College of the Canyons in California, at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, and at the University of South Florida.

A first-round draft pick two years ago (15th overall), JPP picked up 4 1/2 sacks in his rookie year with the Giants. Last year he was named to the Pro Bowl.

It probably won’t be his last.

“He doesn’t feel like he’s arrived yet,” said veteran Giants DE Usi Umenyiora.

“He works in the practice field, he takes notes in the classroom … He’s going to be a phenomenal player for a long time.”

Fewell is telling JPP he can expect to be a marked man in every game this year.

“Just what the offense is doing to him, how they’re trying to take advantage of him and how he can counteract that,” Fewell said. “And how some of the offensive linemen are trying to set him up in different ways.

“He came in as Jason Pierre-Paul, this defensive end. And now he’s JPP, so people are going to study him a little bit more and pay more attention to him.

They’re going to have something ready for him this year, so he’s going to have to be a lot smarter about how he plays the game.”

Pierre-Paul seems to possess the desperate hunger to improve — a trait that separates most sports superstars.

“I’m just trying to be that 23-year-old kid trying to make the football team, like I don’t even have a spot on the team,” he said

Oh, he’ll have a spot on the team. Likely for years to come.

—–
Giants stopped celebrating when the rings arrived

ALBANY, N.Y. — There comes the time when every championship team must cease celebrating, and start devoting themselves fully to doing it all over again.
For the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, that moment arrived when a heavy, valuable piece of jewelry arrived in the mail.
“I think it was after we got our rings,” defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said. “After we got them, it was time to get back to work. That was it.”

ALBANY, N.Y. — Hey, wasn’t that Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke? Here at the New York Giants’ training-camp practice?

Indeed it was.

Burke was a guest Monday of Kevin Abrams, the Giants’ assistant GM — and a Canadian.

Abrams was raised in Toronto and earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont.

Burke watched from areas restricted to the media on Monday as the Giants practised in pads for the first time. He walked near a group of reporters and photographers at one point, which is when we spotted him.

A Giants publicist confirmed Burke’s presence and described it as a “professional friendly visit” with Abrams.

Rex Ryan probably won’t be happy to hear about it.

The head coach of the Giants’ crosstown arch-rivals, the New York Jets, grew up a huge fan of the Leafs.

If Burke is on the search for truculence, he’d sure find that and more at the Jets camp in Cortland, N.Y.

If I hadn’t had both hands on my camera, I swear I would have caught this Tim Tebow bounce-pass to me at New York Jets practice on Sunday. He might not have been intending to throw it to me, but hit my hand it did. See, he’s locked right on to me!

CORTLAND, N.Y. — I got a hand on as many Tim Tebow throws as his wide receivers did Sunday morning during his first series of 11-on-11 reps at New York Jets training camp.

Honest ta gawd, I think I did.

That as much as anything shows how ridiculous it is, really, that anyone might think Tebow would give the Jets a better chance to win than entrenched starter Mark Sanchez. At least in a traditional NFL offence.

Here’s how my Tebow Touch happened.

The pop-culture phenom went 0-for-3 on that series. His first incompletion was a swing pass to the left. He misfired, hard and high. The ball skipped up and over the advertising signs that separate the media from the main practice field at SUNY-Cortland.

I happened to be standing at that exact spot, behind the signs, taking photographs. The ball bounced right up at me, and with my right hand I batted it down to another reporter’s legs.

Yes, I’ll wash that hand again.

After watching Tebow throw for three hours, I can’t help but wonder how in the hell he ever led an NFL team to one win last year, let alone to one playoff win, as he did with the Broncos.

Here’s the deal.

His delivery is slow. Achingly slow. His shoulder swivel on his follow-through seems truncated to me. And when he speeds things up, he practically abandons his shoulder swivel altogether, which probably further hurts his accuracy.

But it’s way more complex than that even.

Greg Cosell, the NFL Films expert known for his astute critiques of player mechanics, informs me that four “departments” must work together, and fire at the right time, for a QB to be successful in the pros: legs, shoulders, hips and arm.

Arm is only 20% of it.

“Tebow’s legs, hips and shoulders don’t work in proper sequence,” Cosell says, “thus his arm speed is very slow. Limited velocity.”

So, he releases it slowly and throws it slowly.

By contrast, the Tebow Media Circus travels on hyper-speed.

More than 80 reporters and cameramen were on hand Sunday. You cannot have claustrophobia and survive an impromptu scrum around here.

The coverage is only intensifying. ESPN will air live reports from here all this coming week, even building a special set. All Tebow, all the time. Olympics, shmolympics.

Tebow make news whether he seeks it or not. At the end of Saturday’s practice, held in a downpour, he removed his drenched jersey and ran off the field, bare-chested.

Many Olympic events will not receive the same coverage from U.S. media.
Tebow and Sanchez are speaking to the press only on a limited basis at camp. Sunday was not one of those days.

To their credit, Sanchez and Tebow are doing all they can to avoid sparking any unintended controversy between them. It can’t be easy.

Especially because, as Jets head coach Rex Ryan reiterated Sunday, they’re not exactly Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Ryan also reiterated that Sanchez is the starter — full stop. But he sees value in Tebow coming in occasionally to run an alt.offence of sorts, one that we’re suspecting will be more zone-read than Wildcat.

“As much as I loved (ex-Jet and current Buffalo Bill) Brad (Smith running the Wildcat), Brad wasn’t going to give you the inside running game that Tim can give you. And Tim can throw the ball (pause) … a little better than Brad.

“Tebow is a guy that we know can be effective.”

Especially running the ball. Reportedly now weighing 251 pounds — 15 pounds more than listed — Tebow is a load. He’s powerful, has good vision and is far more slippery than he’s given credit for.

Off the field, Tebow of course is a superstar. He might now be the best-known NFLer in America. His unabashedly strong religious convictions got him there.

Beyond all that, his teammates seem to genuinely like him, respect him, and want the best for him — just as the Broncos did, and as his University of Florida teammates did before that.

“How can you not accept somebody who has humility, who works hard, who is a great teammate?” said veteran linebacker Bart Scott.

“You’ve seen the cameras that follow him. Half of you guys wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t here. But he takes it all in stride, and it never affects his relationship with his teammates.”

But they do chuckle sometimes at how news follows Tebow at every turn.

Such as the episode in the rain on Saturday.

“The slow-motion run,” Scott said, chuckling. “Like I told him, I’ve never seen anybody decide to take their shirt OFF in the rain. Usually I put stuff ON.

Maybe it was holy water, I don’t know.”

Speaking of which, it says here that if Tebow cannot dramatically improve his passing mechanics, it’ll take divine intervention to get him another starting job in the NFL.

That said, heaven help us all if Sanchez falters this fall.

Mario Williams pulls up on a pass rush to avoid killing QB Ryan
Fitzpatrick Saturday in the Buffalo Bills’ first practice with pads in 2012. My photo, here and below…

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — All that off-season talk sure appears justified about the Buffalo Bills suddenly having a vaunted defensive line.
Bills head coach Chan Gailey on Saturday afternoon summed up what was plain for all to see, after the team went at it in pads for the first time in 2012 at St. John Fisher College.
“I thought the defence dominated the practice,” Gailey said off the top.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do on offence to meet their level of play right now. It’s a little bit different than it has been, and it’s good for our football team.”
And the focal point of the defence’s dominance was along the line of scrimmage.
Big-buzz free-agent acquisitions Mario Williams and Mark Anderson — both defensive-end pass-rush specialists — ate up the OL much of the time. So did tackles Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus. And all of their backups.
“They’ve got some good players, and they work hard, and they play hard and they’re good leaders,” Gailey said. “That’s a strong group up there.”
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was harassed often, and probably threw far more incompletions than he did in any previous OTA or pre-season practices.
To be fair, the first-string offensive line had two backups, plus arguably its second-best left tackle.
Rookie LT Cordy Glenn was with the twos on Saturday, and second-year man Chris Hairston (left, vs Anderson) took the first-team reps, as they alternate by day. As well, starting centre Eric Wood is not ready to go yet after off-season ACL surgery (Kraig Urbik took his spot), and starting right tackle Erik Pears aggravated a lingering groin-muscle injury on Friday and was replaced Saturday by his backup, Sam Young.
Young was tasked with blocking Mario Williams, who always lines up at left DE. Williams blew him up a lot of the time (see right), crashing underneath Young, blowing around him, or just ploughing him inside.
Williams also displayed savvy awareness in pass coverage on one play, quickly diagnosing a bang-bang bubble screen thrown laterally to his side by Fitzpatrick. Williams instantly halted his pass rush and took off back toward the receiver. If tackling were allowed Williams would have been in on it, for a loss or negligible gain.
The DL’s dominance only increased as the second- and third-teamers got reps.
“That’s where probably most of our depth is — in the defensive line,” Gailey said. “I would expect that to happen here for a while until we can get our offensive line geared up to the speed of the game.
“From shorts to pads it goes up a speed, and then you go to pre-season games and it goes to another speed. So we’re going to have to gear it up to meet the challenges, offensively.”
The Bills defence statistically was the seventh worst in the NFL in 2011. New coordinator Dave Wannstedt has discarded the failed one-year attempt to run a 3-4 and installed an attack 4-3.

Super Mario was super hot.

This was Fitz’s view on more than a few pass plays.

OTHER INJURIES: Wideout David Nelson went down on one of the first 11-on-11 plays, and hobbled off after hurting his right leg. “(Medical staff) said it’s like a bruise,” Gailey said. “They don’t think it’s any kind of ligament (injury) or anything like that. So we’ll see what the determination is tomorrow, probably.”
In addition, oft-injured DE Shawne Merriman rolled an ankle near the end of Friday’s practice and sat out Saturday, and DT Kellen Heard‘s sore ankle kept him out, but slot CB Leodis McKelvin practised after leaving Friday’s practice with an illness.

THIGPEN’S STRUGGLES CONTINUE: Tyler Thigpen took second-team reps at QB, as he continues to alternate by day with Vince Young. While Young again didn’t raise eyebrows with his play, Thigpen again was the master of the cringe. Late in the day in 11-on-11s, Thigpen threw two bad picks. Just as with the two interceptions he threw on Friday, both times Thigpen locked onto blanketed receivers yet delivered anyway. He did complete one nice pass on a slant to WR David Clowney, and looked good on a zone-read keeper. Otherwise, yeesh.

EXTRA POINTS: Linebacker Bryan Scott was the only player who wore game pants. Everyone else either was in shorts or sweats … In 7-on-7s, WR Stevie Johnson had a few impressive catches that wowed the thousand or so fans in attendance, one on a deep post in double coverage.

TOMORROW: The NFL Circus, aka New York Jets camp, as my seven-camps-in-nine-days tour continues…

- – - – - -

Vince hits the barrel on the head — twice!

Vince Young won’t be challenging Ryan Fitzpatrick any time soon as the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback.
But on Saturday at training-camp practice, Young succeeded in a fun but difficult test of accuracy — twice! — when Fitzpatrick couldn’t.
Young twice lobbed a ball about 27 yards and into a stack of barrels — and hit the rim another time.
Fitzpatrick, as well as backups Tyler Thigpen and Brad Smith, couldn’t sink one.
Each QB attempted about 10 passes from about the eight-yard line on near-side hash-mark, throwing toward the barrels stack in the same-side corner of the end zone. By my pythagorean-theorem calculations, that’s 27 yards.
Fitzpatrick wasn’t happy about it either. After practice, he tried again. Twice. And failed both times.

Bills WR Donald Jones — yeah, morning walkthroughs lack excitment. (my photo from Friday)

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Ten other observations from the Buffalo Bills’ afternoon practice in shells on Friday afternoon at St. John Fisher College:

1. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is almost always dead-on accurate, and has made few bad throwing decisions in the three OTAs and one camp practice I’ve attended. He is wholly comfortable and confident in this offence. That goes two ways. Head coach Chan Gailey and GM Buddy Nix underscored in separate interviews with me on Friday their confidence in Fitz to lead this offence and this team to the playoffs.

2. Cordy Glenn (right) is friggin’ huge. He’s listed at 6-foot-6, 345 pounds. He must have had one foot off the scales when they weighed him. His listed weight reminds me of a story Lee Corso once told on a USFL broadcast, about a player who weighed 345. His nickname? “Quarter-to-four.”

3. Glenn, a rookie, is battling second-year man Chris Hairston (below right) for the key left-tackle starting spot. Glenn appeared to struggle quite a bit on Friday while working with the ones. Late in the 11-on-11s, backup defensive end Kyle Moore kept blowing past him. But it’s early. Hairston worked with the twos on Friday (he and Glenn are alternating by day) and had his struggles at times too. Nothing counts, Gailey reiterated Friday, until Saturday’s scheduled first practice of the year in full pads.

4. After Leodis McKelvin left practice with an illness, rookie Ron Brooks got quite a few reps with the ones at nickelback, covering the slot receiver. As defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt told me last month, Brooks is super fast and athletic. Just raw. Justin Rogers also got time at slot CB.

5. The punters were killing it. Starter Brian Moorman and undrafted rookie Shawn Powell had a healthy wind at their backs, granted. But by my count both twice launched rockets from their own 20 that landed between the 5 and the 15 of the opponent. And I wasn’t paying attention the whole time they were punting.

6. The OL with the ones in the final 11-on-11 reps on Friday were, left to right: Glenn at LT, Andy Levitre at LG, Kraig Urbik filling in for still-recovering Eric Wood at C, Chad Rinehart at RG and Sam Young at RT, with Erik Pears seemingly stretching out a leg tweak.

7. CB Stephon Gilmore, the Bills’ No. 10 overall draft pick in April, seemed to be playing less press-man coverage in 11-on-11s than I remembered from OTAs. That is insignificant, as Gailey told me earlier the coaches are mightily impressed with Gilmore’s press-coverage abilities. Gilmore made a few stellar plays Friday, including a first-rate PBU against Derek Hagan on a quick slant. Gilmore is the real deal.

8. Fullback Corey McIntyre, an eight-year man out of West Virginia, had a couple of nice grabs — including a deep one after being flanked wide, which might have gone for six in a game. McIntyre is listed at 6-foot, 245, but appears shorter and heavier than that, with remarkable agility and speed for a man so squatly built.

9. Fans and media alike got a brief, glorious chance to watch up close DL coach Giff Smith working out his players on a huge blocking sled, on the defence’s practice field. The sled was situated less than 20 feet from the end fence, where more and more people started gathering. It was a rare chance to see, hear and practically feel the violence of the collisions that occur all game long in the NFL.

10. Star DE Mario Williams stayed and signed autographs as long as any other player afterward. He was swarmed. It prompted some of the loudest yelling of the day from Bills fans.

Hopefully the weather co-operates on Saturday afternoon. At 8 a.m., it was dismal, overcast and had rained a bunch overnight. Now at 10 a.m. it’s merely overcast. We’ll see.

On Sunday, my nine-day, seven-team NFL camps trip continues. Second stop: New York Jets camp in Cortland, N.Y.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — It won’t be a surprise if Vince Young quickly pulls away in the battle to be the Buffalo Bills’ backup quarterback.

He might already be doing so.

Although head coach Chan Gailey said Friday that the team’s pre-season training camp doesn’t really begin until Saturday, when the first practice in full pads takes place, Young already has looked much better than Tyler Thigpen, who last year backed up starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (That’s my photo of Fitz above left, with Young on Friday.)

If that’s only because Thigpen is stinking up the St. John Fisher College practice fields, so be it.

After struggling with second-team reps on Thursday, Thigpen tossed two ugly interceptions with the third-teamers in 11-on-11 drills on Friday afternoon. On one he locked onto a thoroughly covered receiver on a short route and threw it to him anyway.

Thigpen and Young flip-flopped between the second and third teams by design in the first two days of camp, and might continue to do so until a clear No. 2 emerges.

If current trends continue, that won’t take long.

Young is the former Tennessee Titans star now in his seventh year in the NFL, and second as a bench-warmer after backing up Michael Vick last year in Philadelphia.

The Bills signed the unwanted free agent in May, just before OTAs began. It’s a one-year deal. The Bills will pay the former University of Texas superstar a $2-million base salary, with up to an additional $1 million in incentives.

Young understandably struggled during May and June workouts in Buffalo.

“It’s a tough offence to get,” Fitzpatrick said Friday of Gailey’s complex passing plays. “It’s a completely new system for (Young), and new terminology.”

Young did seem more comfortable in the pocket on Friday than he did last month during OTAs, finding receivers faster — if not always getting it there as accurately as he or his coaches wants.

Gailey’s offence requires split-second decision-making, and Young himself said he has a ways to go.

“I’m just now getting into a rhythm, starting to understand what’s going on — the different plays that coach Chan was calling, and who he was trying to get open,” Young told QMI Agency following the afternoon practice. “I’m just taking my time with it, taking it one day at a time. It’s all I can do.”

And like with Fitzpatrick, new Bills quarterbacks coach David Lee is fine-tuning the 6-foot-5, 232-pounder’s throwing motion. Whereas Lee detected Fitzpatrick was less accurate throwing to the right last year because of a footwork flaw, with Young Lee has identified why he sometimes throws slightly behind and low on crossing patterns.

“I’m getting it to them in the back hip sometimes,” Young said. “Good DBs and linebackers can undercut that and intercept that, so you want to make sure you keep the ball in front. So the biggest thing is keeping your front foot forward and straight, so you can make an accurate throw.

“It’s footwork. You’ve got coach Chan, the guy with the brains. He’s going to call what he wants us to do, and then when you’ve got coach Lee — I’ve been wanting to work with him a long time. Since college.”

Bills GM Buddy Nix raved to QMI Agency on Friday about Young’s talent.
“This guy is a tremendous athlete,” Nix said. “He’s got great speed and size.

And another nice thing with him, if you get your starting quarterback hurt, and the second guy has to go in — he’s a guy that has experience and has won in this league.”

While Young came to Buffalo with a reputation of having not always been the most dedicated player with the best team attitude, let’s say, Nix said he has seen nothing of the kind since Young’s arrival.

“He has done more than asked,” Nix said. “He comes early, he stays late. We’ve got no complaints.

“One of my close friends is (University of Texas head coach) Mack Brown. We coached together twice. Mack is like Vince’s godfather. Mack recommended highly and told me what kind of kid he was, and it’s all proven out to be true.”

Doesn’t sound like Young is going to be a third-stringer, does it.

My photo of WR Stevie Johnson at Friday morning’s walk-through at Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. —  Stevie Johnson told me on Friday morning what he meant on Thursday when he said he’s waiting for his groin-surgery scar tissue to, well, “pop.”

“I didn’t know anything about this, but I guess when you get groin surgery, the scar surgery gotta pop every time,” the wide receiver said following the Buffalo Bills’ morning walk-through on Day 2 of training camp at St. John Fisher College.

Johnson had corrective surgery in late April for a nagging groin-pull injury that hampered his play in 2011.

“It heals, and then it has to break down to be fully (healed),” Johnson told me. “I think yesterday was the first time I really felt … some soreness. I’m starting to feel it around there.

“So I guess I’m waiting for it to pop. They say it’s supposed to be some type of pop, and then you’ll be 100% after that. So I’m just waiting on that.”

And that’ll be enough about that.

Johnson had his second consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2011 despite a slew of injuries: a slight shoulder separation and a broken hand in addition to the groin muscle he first injured in September. Johnson reinjured the groin in December.

The Bills signed the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder to a new five-year, $36.25-million contract in early March, with $19.5 million guaranteed.

My photo of Johnson going about half-speed on an out route at Friday morning’s walk-through.

It’s a good thing NFL training camps start opening on Tuesday.

If the off-season had gone on much longer, teams might have needed replacement players to fill out rosters.

A slew of players have been suspended, or will be, for transgressions ranging from performance-enhancing drug use, to DUIs, to pot possession, to assaults — even a mother-slapping. Reports say there were 29 brushes with the law in all.

Those doesn’t even include the four players that commissioner Roger Goodell suspended in the Bounty-gate scandal.

But we can forget about all that now. Time to discuss things that are really important in this world. Such as how soon the Jets might replace Mark Sanchez with Tim Tebow.

Between Tuesday and next Monday, NFL teams begin preparing for the 2012 season at training camp.

The first exhibition game is the traditional opener — the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The New Orleans Saints play the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, Aug. 5.

Four weeks of preseason games later, the regular season kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 5 — when the New York Giants play host to the Dallas Cowboys in prime time. All other teams kick off Sunday, Sept. 9, or Monday, Sept. 10.

Here’s a quick-hit training-camps preview for all 32 teams— along with the national preseason TV schedule, plus our Top 5 preseason Top-5 lists:

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND
WHEN#: Opens Thursday (#-first practice; veterans report the day before)
WHERE: Home practice facility in Foxboro, Mass.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 vs New Orleans, Aug 20 vs Philadelphia, Aug 24 at Tampa Bay, Aug 29 at NY Giants.
LAST SEASON: 13-3, Super Bowl runner-up
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Can all those new defenders (5 free agents, 6 draftees) drastically improve league’s 5th-worst defence?

NEW YORK JETS
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: State University of New York in Cortland, NY
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 at Cincinnati, Aug 18 vs NY Giants, Aug 26 vs Carolina, Aug 30 at Philadelphia.
LAST SEASON: 8-8
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Can Rex Ryan focus the team amid the circuses — Tebow/Sanchez, Revis, etc.?

BUFFALO
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 vs Washington, Aug 17 at Minnesota, Aug 25 vs Pittsburgh, Aug 30 at Detroit.
LAST SEASON: 6-10
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Woeful defence is upgraded, but can Ryan Fitzpatrick (my photo of him at OTAs, above), Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller, et al, put up expected bigger numbers behind a questionable OL?

MIAMI
WHEN: Opens Friday.
WHERE: Home practice facility in Davie, Fla.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 vs Tampa Bay, Aug 17 at Carolina, Aug 24 vs Atlanta, Aug 29 at Dallas.
LAST SEASON: 6-10
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Will No. 8 overall draft pick QB Ryan Tannehill be ready to start at any point this year, let alone by Game 1?

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Owings Mills, Md.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 at Atlanta, Aug 17 vs Detroit, Aug 23 vs Jacksonville, Aug 30 at St. Louis.
LAST SEASON: 12-4, AFC final runnerup
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Will their traditionally tough defence remain stout, with star LB Terrell Suggs gone till ’13 (Achilles), two starters and three backups lost to free agency, LB Ray Lewis yet a year older, and S Ed Reed still flirting with retirement?

PITTSBURGH
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 at Philadelphia, Aug 19 vs Indianapolis, Aug. 25 at Buffalo, Aug 30 vs Carolina.
LAST SEASON: 12-4, playoff wildcard
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Will 1-2 draft picks OG David DeCastro and OT Mike Adams shore up the Steelers’ only major weakness last year, the OL?

CINCINNATI
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Cincinnati.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 vs NY Jets, Aug 16 at Atlanta, Aug 23 vs Packers, Aug 30 at Indianapolis.
LAST SEASON: 9-7, playoff wildcard
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Were the Bengals a flash in the pan in ’11, or can the dynamic rookie duo of QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green and a vastly under-appreciated, strong defence get even better in ’12?

CLEVELAND
WHEN: Opens Wednesday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Berea, Ohio.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 at Detroit, Aug 16 at Green Bay, Aug 24 vs Philadelphia, Aug 30 vs Chicago.
LAST SEASON: 4-12
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Deposed-in-waiting QB Colt McCoy, admirably, isn’t going down without a fight, but does he really have a shot at holding off 1st-round draft pick Brandon Weeden?

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON
WHEN: Opens Saturday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Houston.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 11 at Carolina, Aug 18 vs San Francisco, Aug 25 at New Orleans, Aug 30 vs Minnesota.
LAST SEASON: 10-6, division champ
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: The Texans still appear to be the class of the division, especially on offence, but can the defence overcome the losses of DE Mario Williams, LB DeMeco Ryans and CB Jason Allen?

TENNESSEE
WHEN: Opens Saturday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Nashville.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 11 at Seattle, Aug 17 at Tampa Bay, Aug 23 vs. Arizona, Aug 30 vs New Orleans.
LAST SEASON: 9-7
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Will Jake Locker progress to the point that he can unseat veteran Matt Hasselbeck at QB?

JACKSONVILLE
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Jacksonville.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 vs NY Giants, Aug 17 at New Orleans, Aug 23 at Baltimore, Aug 30 vs Atlanta.
LAST SEASON: 5-11
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: It’s not whether QB Blaine Gabbert can hold off Chad Henne; he can and will. Rather, it’s for how much longer disgruntled RB Maurice Jones-Drew will extend his spring holdout.

INDIANAPOLIS
WHEN: Opens next Sunday
WHERE: Anderson University in Anderson, Ind.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 12 vs St. Louis, Aug 19 at Pittsburgh, Aug 25 at Washington, Aug 30 vs Cincinnati.
LAST SEASON: 2-14
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Can No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck turn heads as a rookie on such a talent-bereft club?

AFC WEST

DENVER
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Englewood, Colo.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 at Chicago, Aug 18 vs Seattle, Aug 26 vs San Francisco, Aug 30 at Arizona.
LAST SEASON: 8-8, division champ
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: It all begins and ends with this: Will Peyton Manning’s repaired neck hold up?

SAN DIEGO
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Home practice facility in San Diego.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 vs Green Bay, Aug 18 vs Dallas, Aug 24 at Minnesota, Aug 30 at San Francisco.
LAST SEASON: 8-8
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: The Chargers lost a ton of talent to free agency, but signed a new bunch. Can perennial hot-seat sitter Norv Turner pull all the new pieces together in one summer?

OAKLAND
WHEN: Opens Monday, July 30
WHERE: Napa Valley Marriott in Napa, Calif.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 13 vs Dallas, Aug 17 at Arizona, Aug 25 vs Detroit, Aug 30 at Seattle.
LAST SEASON: 8-8
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Can the team that barely missed the playoffs avoid a step backward behind a new GM, new coaching staff and new franchise attitude that disowns its undisciplined, rebel image?

KANSAS CITY
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: Missouri Western State U in St. Joseph, Mo.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 vs Arizona, Aug 18 at St. Louis, Aug 24 vs Seattle, Aug 30 at Green Bay.
LAST SEASON: 7-9
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: It’s Year 4 in KC for QB Matt Cassels. Once and for all, is he the point man to lead an effective offence that can complement the Chiefs’ tough D?

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: University of Albany in Albany, NY.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 at Jacksonville, Aug 18 at NY Jets, Aug 24 vs Chicago, Aug 29 vs New England.
LAST SEASON: 9-7, Super Bowl champ
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Mario Manningham is gone, Hakeem Nicks is coming off a broken foot and there’s no established tight end. Can Eli Manning continue his ascension toward the NFL QB pantheon?

PHILADELPHIA
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 vs Pittsburgh, Aug 20 at New England, Aug 24 at Cleveland, Aug 30 vs NY Jets.
LAST SEASON: 8-8
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Michael Vick said it last week — the Eagles have the talent to be on the verge of a dynasty. Will Andy Reid have all those stallions pulling in the same direction this year?

DALLAS
WHEN: Opens Monday, July 30
WHERE: City of Oxnard Fields in Oxnard, Calif.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 13 at Oakland, Aug 18 at San Diego, Aug 25 vs St. Louis, Aug 29 vs Miami.
LAST SEASON: 8-8
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: If Dez Bryant has indeed reverted back to head-case form, which WR is Tony Romo supposed to rely on now in order to prove he’s an elite NFL QB, which few Cowboys fans seem willing to believe?

WASHINGTON
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Ashburn, Va.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 at Buffalo, Aug 18 at Chicago, Aug 25 vs Indianapolis, Aug 29 vs Tampa Bay.
LAST SEASON: 5-11
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: You can block-and-paste this one for the next few seasons. Was RB3 really worth all those high draft picks?

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Saint Norbert College in De Pere, Wisc.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug at San Diego, Aug 16 vs Cleveland, Aug 23 at Cincinnati, Aug 30 vs Kansas City.
LAST SEASON: 15-1, division champ
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Will Charles Woodson succeed at safety?

DETROIT
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Allen Park, Mich.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 vs Cleveland, Aug 17 at Baltimore, Aug 25 at Oakland, Aug 30 vs Buffalo.
LAST SEASON: 10-6, playoff wildcard
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Can the secondary be anything other than an embarrassment in 2012?

CHICAGO
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Olivet Nazarene U, in Bourbonnais, Ill.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 vs Denver, Aug 18 vs Redskins, Aug 24 at NY Giants, Aug 30 at Cleveland.
LAST SEASON: 8-8
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: How much better will WR Brandon Marshall make QB Jay Cutler and the Bears offence?

MINNESOTA
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: Minnesota State U in Mankato, Minn.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 at San Francisco, Aug 17 vs Buffalo, Aug 24 vs San Diego, Aug 30 at Houston.
LAST SEASON: 3-13
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Presuming RB Adrian Peterson isn’t yet able to fully participate in camp after ACL surgery, can Toby Gerhart provide enough of a ground game to give soph QB Christian Ponder a chance to improve?

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS
WHEN: Opens Wednesday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Metairie, La.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 5 vs Arizona in Canton, Aug 9 at New England, Aug 17 vs Jacksonville, Aug 25 vs Houston, Aug 30 at Tennessee.
LAST SEASON: 13-3, division champ
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Despite all the distractions, can Drew Brees and the record-setting offence pick up where they left off?

ATLANTA
WHEN: Opens Thursday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Flowery Branch, Ga.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 9 vs Baltimore, Aug 16 vs Cincinnati, Aug 24 at Miami, Aug 30 at Jacksonville.
LAST SEASON: 10-6, playoff wildcard
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Can new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter develop a dangerous enough rushing attack to take more pressure off QB Matt Ryan?

CAROLINA
WHEN: Opens Saturday
WHERE: Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 11 vs Houston, Aug 17 vs Miami, Aug 26 at NY Jets, Aug 30 at Pittsburgh.
LAST SEASON: 6-10
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Is there enough other talent besides QM Cam Newton, especially on D, for the Panthers to make a playoff run?

TAMPA BAY
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Tampa, Fla.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 at Miami, Aug 17 vs Tennessee, Aug 24 vs New England, Aug 29 at Washington.
LAST SEASON: 4-12
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Does new head coach Greg Schiano have enough parts to make his smashmouth rushing attack effective in Year 1?

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO
WHEN: Opens Friday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Santa Clara, Calif.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 10 vs Minnesota, Aug 18 at Houston, Aug 26 at Denver, Aug 30 vs San Diego.
LAST SEASON: 13-3, NFC final runnerup
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: If any of Randy Moss, Mario Manningham or rookie A.J. Jenkins can provide a legit threat at WR, can QB Alex Smith really make the Niners offence dangerous?

ARIZONA
WHEN: Opens Tuesday
WHERE: Northern Arizona U in Flagstaff, Ariz.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 5 vs New Orleans in Canton, Aug 10 at Kansas City, Aug 17 vs Oakland, Aug 23 at Tennessee, Aug 30 vs Denver.
LAST SEASON: 8-8
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Fair or not, the Cards’ prospects hinge entirely on QB Kevin Kolb. Is he able to raise his game enough in ’12 to lead the team back to the playoffs?

SEATTLE
WHEN: Opens Saturday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Renton, Wash.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 11 vs Tennessee, Aug 18 at Denver, Aug 24 at Kansas City, Aug 30 vs Oakland.
LAST SEASON: 7-9
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: Tarvaris Jackson will get the first training-camp reps, and the Seahawks spent a high draft pick on Russell Wilson. Is Pete Carroll sold on free-agent phenom signee QB Matt Flynn?

ST. LOUIS
WHEN: Opens next Sunday
WHERE: Home practice facility in Earth City, Mo.
PRE-SEASON GAMES: Aug 12 at Indianapolis, Aug 18 vs Kansas City, Aug 24 at Dallas, Aug 30 vs Baltimore.
LAST SEASON: 2-14
COMPELLING CAMP QUESTION: New coach Jeff Fisher says he is all in with QB Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010. Can Fisher and staff find ways to protect Bradford enough to allow him to regain his battered confidence?

—–

FIVE TOP 5 LISTS…….

TOP 5 PRE-SEASON GAMES
1. Aug. 9, Denver @ Chicago. Peyton Manning’s first game not as a Colt — and his first game action, and thus the first time he’ll be subject to getting hit, since January 2011. Julius Peppers, rev your engines.
2. Aug. 18, NY Giants @ NY Jets. We can see the “Tebow vs Eli” comparative-stat charts now.
3. Aug. 25, Indy @ Washington. It’s “Who’s No. 1, Luck or RG3?” all over again.
4. Aug. 25, Pittsburgh @ Buffalo. For at least one quarter, it’ll be fun to see how many times the new Bills pass rush can pierce the revamped Steelers OL and get into Ben Roethlisberger’s grill.
5. Aug. 5, Hall of Fame Game, New Orleans vs. Arizona: Most interested TV viewer: Sean Payton, Saints head coach suspended until February.

TOP 5 QUARTERBACK BATTLES
1. NY Jets: Sure, Mark Sanchez is the starter. In stone. For now. But the world is dying for a Jets QB controversy, and Tim Tebow‘s helmet is strapped on tight.
2. Cleveland: As far as Browns supporters are concerned, incumbent Colt McCoy is to rookie Brandon Weeden what a prop-job B-25 bomber was to the B-52 when it hit the skies.
3. Miami: Even if Ryan Tannehill is to hold a clipboard to start Year 1, who wins between Matt Moore and newly acquired David Garrard?
4. Seattle: What if ex-Packer Matt Flynn can’t beat out Tarvaris Jackson? Or even hold off rookie Russell Wilson?
5. Jacksonville: Blaine Gabbert, coming off a horrific rookie year, has a leg-and-a-half up on free-agent signee Chad Henne.

TOP 5 TEAMS MOST RELIEVED THE OFF-SEASON IS OVER
1. Detroit Lions — That they’ll still have 90 in camp is a minor miracle.
2. New Orleans — The sooner all the suspensions expire, the sooner everyone can start forgetting about the B-word.
3. New York Giants — Seems the only time anyone talks about them is when they win big games, which is often under Tom Coughlin.
4. New England — Bet they can’t wait to slap a straitjacket on Gronk and lock him in a hotel room between practices.
5. Green Bay — The Packers go 15-1, and all anyone remembers about the ’11 team is it choked in the playoffs and couldn’t stop anyone.

TOP 5 LIKELIEST HOLDOUTS
1. Steelers WR Mike Wallace
2. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew
3. Lions LB Cliff Avril
4. Jets CB Darrelle Revis (we’re not yet convinced he’ll show)
5. 49ers S Dashon Goldson

TOP 5 OFF-SEASON INJURIES
1. Pro Bowler Ravens LB Terrell Suggs, torn Achilles, while working out. Prognosis: likely out till ’13.
2. Pro Bowler Eagles OT Jason Peters, torn Achilles, while working out, which he tore again two months later in May while tripping in protective boot. Prognosis: out till ’13.
3. Giants WR Hakeem Nicks, broken right foot, during May OTAs. Prognosis: back some time during camp.
4. 49ers OLB Darius Fleming, 5th-round draft pick tore ACL during rookie minicamp. Prognosis: out till ’13.
5. Patriots HC Bill Belichick, bruised ego, after NFL Films showed him telling his defence to not worry about Mario Manningham on Giants’ final drive in Super Bowl. Prognosis: Maybe the humble pie helped.

BONUS TOP 5!!:

TOP 5 OFF-SEASON PHRASES THAT MADE YOU CONSIDER BOOKMARKING ProPingPongTalk.com INSTEAD:
1. “It’s the latest twist in the Bounty-gate saga…”
2. “The NFLPA has filed another grievance….”
3. “Another Detroit Lion was arrested last night…”**
4. “Roger Goodell defended his decision to…”
5. “Terrell Owens’ latest failed stunt to get back into the NFL involved…”

** – We wrote this before the weekend.

————

PRESEASON NFL NATIONAL Canada/USA TV SCHEDULE:

Below, the national TV schedule of preseason NFL games. In Canada either TSN or TSN2 will air all but one ESPN telecast, as indicated. Games not on this list will be shown locally only, although the NFL Network rebroadcasts some.

DATE
GAME
NETWORK
TIME

Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio
Sunday, Aug. 5
Arizona vs. New Orleans
NFL Network
8 pm EDT

Preseason Week 1 (August 9-13)

Thursday, Aug. 9
Green Bay @ San Diego
ESPN only
8 pm EDT

Monday, Aug. 13
Dallas @ Oakland
TSN2/ESPN
8 pm EDT

Preseason Week 2 (August 16-20)

Thursday, Aug. 16
Cincinnati @ Atlanta
FOX
8 pm EDT

Friday, Aug. 17
Detroit @ Baltimore
FOX
8 pm EDT

Sunday, Aug. 19
Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh
NBC
8 pm EDT

Monday, Aug. 20
Philadelphia @ New England
TSN/ESPN
8 pm EDT

Preseason Week 3 (August 23-26)

Thursday, Aug. 23
Arizona @ Tennessee
TSN2/ESPN
8 pm EDT

Friday, Aug. 24
Chicago @ NY Giants
CBS
8 pm EDT

Saturday, Aug. 25
Houston at New Orleans
CBS
8 pm EDT

Sunday, Aug. 26
San Francisco @ Denver
FOX
4 pm EDT

Sunday, Aug. 26
Carolina @ NY Jets
TSN/NBC
8 pm EDT

(There are no national broadcasts of Preseason Week 4 games)

The Chicago Bears finally have rolled out the welcome-back mat to Matt Forte.

And the Baltimore Ravens needed the two-minute warning to do likewise with Ray Rice (above, Reuters photo).

Forte and Rice, two of the NFL’s premier running backs, hit paydirt in the final hour before Monday’s 4 p.m. EDT deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a long-term deal.

The Bears and Forte agreed on a four-year contract. It is worth $32 million, with $18 million guaranteed according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Ravens and Rice agreed to a deal just minutes before the deadline. According to reports, Rice signed a five-year, $35-million deal, $24 million of which is guaranteed, per ESPN’s Andrew Brandt. And the deal is front-loaded; Rice will earn $25 million in the first two seasons.

Only three of this year’s 21 franchised-tagged NFLers either are left without a new long-term contract, or have yet to agree to sign the franchise-tag tender. One is star Lions defensive end Cliff Avril.

The franchise tag allows clubs to retain one player, slated for unrestricted free agency, for one more year. Salaries are based on the average of the top five earners at each position group, ranging from $2.6 million for kickers to more than $16 million for quarterbacks.

While the franchise-tag tender for all players is both ample and guaranteed, all would far prefer the security and riches of a new long-term deal instead.
Forte, 26, has been one of the league’s most productive and reliable running backs the past four seasons. He had been disgruntled for the past year, demanding a big contract.

Forte (right, Reuters photo) had been making comparative peanuts in his four seasons in the NFL — $600,000+, $700,00+, $800,000+ and $900,000 last year.

Had the two sides not agreed on the new contract by the deadline, Forte would have earned $7.7 million as a 2012 franchise-tagged running back.

“I’m proud to be a Chicago Bear and excited to be here for another four years,” Forte said in a statement.

“I’m glad the business part is done and we can all turn our attention to football and our goal of winning a championship.”

Rice, who like Forte was drafted in the second round in 2008, arguably is even more important to the Ravens.

Baltimore’s conservative offence works because Rice is a ground-churning load. Rice finished second in the NFL in rushing in 2011 with 1,364 yards (averaging 4.7 per carry), and he was first in yards from scrimmage with 704 additional receiving yards, on 76 catches.

Other tagged players hoping to land long-term contracts on deadline day struck out, except for the Jaguars’ kicker.

Avril and the Lions broke off talks Monday at mid-afternoon.

“I’m kind of disappointed it couldn’t happen, but it is what it is,” Avril told DetroiLions.com. “Business is business … I’m not salty about it at all.”

San Francisco 49ers safety Dashon Goldson and Chiefs wideout Dwayne Bowe similarly could not reach deals with their teams.

Avril, Goldson and Bowe must sign their tags if they want to play anywhere in the NFL this year. If they don’t by Nov. 13, they cannot play until 2013, and their current team will retain their rights.

Earlier Monday afternoon, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed placekicker Josh Scobee to a huge deal, as kickers go — $13.8 million over four years, $4.75 million of which is guaranteed, according to CBSsports.com’s Jason La Canfora.

Scobee’s new $3.45-million per-year average is second only to Raider Sebastian Janikowski among kickers. Scobee made 92% of his field-goal attempts in 2011, and has a 62.1% success rate on kicks of 50+ yards, fifth best in the NFL since he joined in 2004.

Monday’s deadline applied even to tagged players who already had signed the tender, including Wes Welker of the New England Patriots. He had hoped to ink a long-term deal, but reports said there were no serious discussions in recent days.

The only tagged QB this year was Drew Brees, who on Friday agreed to a $100-million, five-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.

——-

THE TWENTY-ONE: Fates of the 21 NFLers slapped with a franchise tag in March (with, in parentheses, either 2012 tag salary or terms of new deal reached by Monday’s deadline):

SIGNED THE TAG:
Fred Davis, TE, Redskins ($5.4M)
*Phil Dawson, K, Browns ($3.2M)
Brent Grimes, CB, Falcons ($10.3M)
Mike Nugent, K, Bengals ($2.6M)
Anthony Spencer, LB, Cowboys — ($8.8M)
Wes Welker, WR, Patriots ($9.5M)
*-Receives, by complicated formula, much more than his position-group’s tender because the Browns franchise-tagged him for the second straight year

COULDN’T GET NEW DEAL, YET TO SIGN TAG:
Cliff Avril, DE, Lions — ($10.6M)
Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs — ($9.5M)
Dashon Goldson, S, 49ers — ($6.2M)

SIGNED NEW DEAL**:
Connor Barth, K, Bucs (4 years, $13M)
Tyvon Branch, S, Raiders (4 years, $27M)
Drew Brees, QB, Saints (5 years, $100M)
Calais Campbell, DE, Cardinals (5 years, $55M)
Matt Forte, RB, Bears (4 years, $32M)
Michael Griffin, S, Titans (5 years, $35M)
DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles (5 years, $47M)
Robert Mathis, OLB, Colts (4 years, $36M)
Matt Prater, K, Broncos (4 years, $13M)
Ray Rice, RB, Ravens (5 years, $40M)
Josh Scobee, K, Jaguars (4 years, $14M)
Steve Weatherford, P, Giants (5 years, $13M)

**-Contract terms per reports

Joe Paterno never committed a single NCAA violation in 46 years as head football coach at Penn State University.

He won 409 games. He graduated most of his players. He donated millions of dollars to the school, and his name is on the campus library.

So what.

Even whether any of his despicable actions behind the scenes in the Jerry Sandusky affair — revealed Thursday in the bombshell report after an independent investigation — were technically criminal also is beside the point.

Bottom line: This iconic man, who in life was by far the most powerful figure on that school’s campus, now has “pedophile protector” staining his once sparkling legacy.

Shortly after the Sandusky scandal broke last November with his arrest, the Penn State board of trustees fired Paterno.

He had been viewed not only in Central Pennsylvania but across America as a saint-like figure, who was honesty personified.

Paterno died in January of lung cancer at age 85.

The hotly awaited Freeh Commission’s report skewers Paterno as well as three other key Penn State University administrators for failing to protect children from the predatory monster Sandusky.

A trusted and admired assistant coach to Paterno at Penn State for 32 years until his retirement in 1999, Sandusky was found guilty last month on 45 of 48 counts of child sex-abuse with up to 10 boys over a 15-year period.

Sandusky’s jail sentence, to be determined, could exceed 400 years.

The commission says “its most saddening finding” is “the total and consistent disregard” shown by “the most powerful men at Penn State, (who) failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized.”

The university’s org chart says Paterno answered to athletic director Tim Curley, who answered to president Graham Spanier and vice presidents that included Gary Schultz, whose responsibilities included the campus police.

In truth, even if the report doesn’t say it, Spanier, Schultz and Curley and everybody else in State College, Pa., effectively answered to Paterno.

“JoePa,” as he was so reverently known, had virtual free reign to do whatever he wanted on that campus, and was untouchable. His word was final.

Here’s all you need to know about that. In late 2004, many PSU fans were screaming for Paterno’s head, because his once perennial national power Nittany Lions program had just concluded its fourth losing season in five years. Spanier and other top administrators met Paterno at his house and asked him whether it was time to consider retiring. Paterno, then 77, effectively told them all to go stuff it — he wasn’t going anywhere. And didn’t.

After Sandusky was arrested last November, the PSU board of trustees fired Spanier as well as Paterno, while athletic director Curley and former VP Schultz were arrested and charged with both failure to report a crime and perjury, for the alleged dishonest statements they gave earlier last year to a grand jury about their actions.

Curley’s and Schultz’s cases have yet to go before the courts. Spanier has not been charged with any crimes to date.

The investigation, headed by former FBI director Louis Freeh, was commissioned by the PSU board of trustees.

Among the report’s bombshell findings is that Spanier, Schultz, Curley and Paterno not only acted egregiously in 2001 after a Penn State graduate assistant football coach discovered Sandusky sexually molesting a boy in the team’s lockerroom showers — but all four of them had also known about a previous Sandusky child-molestation incident in 1998.

Yet did nothing.

Indeed, after both incidents these four men “concealed Sandusky’s activities from the board (of trustees), the university community and the police.”

In his grand-jury testimony last year, Paterno denied any knowledge of the 1998 incident.

The Freeh report disputes that claim:

“The evidence shows that Mr. Paterno was made aware of the 1998 (criminal) investigation of Sandusky, followed it closely, but failed to take any action…

“At the very least, Mr. Paterno could have alerted the entire football staff, in order to prevent Sandusky from bringing another child into the (football team’s building).” None of Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley even spoke to Sandusky about his conduct.

“In short, nothing was done and Sandusky was allowed to continue with impunity,” the report says.

Just as deplorably, Sandusky not only was allowed to retire with dignity a year later as “a valued member of the Penn State football legacy,” but he would be granted “future ‘visibility’ at Penn State.”

That decision, the report finds, essentially granted Sandusky the “licence to bring boys to the campus facilities for ‘grooming’ as targets for his assaults.”

Sandusky retained “unlimited access to university facilities” right up to his arrest last November.

If Paterno had wanted any other course of events to have transpired since 1998, all he had to do was order it.

He didn’t.

JoePa and his three underlings, instead, decided to do the “humane” thing, according to an email investigators found.

Seriously. The “humane” thing was to protect Sandusky, and not those poor young boys.

Unreal.