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Who’s right and who’s wrong? Yesterday the Bengals released Odell Thurman for missing some workouts earlier this month. Thurman says he simply didn’t return to practice as swiftly as the team liked after his grandmother passed away.

Clearly there are other factors which played a roll in the decision. Did Thurman’s past drug suspensions put him on a short leash even for an offense like a bereavement absence? Did the team think the story about Thurman’s grandmother wasn’t the “whole story” (a la Zach Randolph)?

On the other hand, it’s possible to team used Thurman’s absence a way to cut ties with a player who’s had a checkered past. The one word that repeatedly jumps off the page of the AP story on Thurman’s release is “voluntary.” As in the “voluntary” workouts Thurman was released for missing.

Sometimes in sports things happen and fans never know the real story. This is one of those transactions where there’s likely more than meets the eye—a transaction whose purpose falls into the gray area between improving the team and disciplinary action. The decision might have come down to something as trivial as Thurman’s attitude on certain days or a particular interaction he had with coaches.

Rather than make a big deal and fight over who has the moral high ground, both parties seem content to part ways and find a fresh start. Fans will now have to wait for Thurman’s memoirs to find out what really happened.

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—Arlen Specter does not have good timing. He’s chosen to launch his one-man assault on the credibility of the NFL just three months after the chair of Roger Clemens’ congressional hearing (the fabulously mustached Henry Waxman) expressed regret that Congress wasted its time listening to Clemens and Brian McNamee bicker at each other. I admire Specter’s quest for the truth (and higher approval ratings in his native Pennsylvania) but the fact that Roger Goodell seems content to sweep the whole thing under the rug means he likely has a tough path in front of him.

—When will people start talking about the NHL Playoffs? The two most dominant teams in the league are about to meet for a championship. When was the last time that happened in any sport? Lakers-Pistons in 2004? Yankees and Diamondbacks in 2001? (Yes, maybe the 2007 Rockies and Giants, but I’ll consider them postseason wonders.) Right now the Penguins are 11-1 in the postseason. The Red Wings are 11-3 and have looked even more impressive than the Penguins. All of America is going to miss a good series.

—The officiating in the Jazz-Lakers series has been atrociously inconsistent. In game 5 ticky tack fouls were being called on the perimeter, but in the most important sequence of the game Paul Gasol shoved Mehmet Okur out of the way, grabbed the rebound, and scored. It’s so hard to enjoy the NBA when almost every close game is decided by the referees (it’s yet another reason to love the NHL.)

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After weeks of speculation and bargaining the Titans finally agreed to trade Pacman Jones to the Cowboys for a 4th round pick. What took so long? Was Jerry Jones busy recovering from reconstructive surgery?

This isn’t the first time there’s been an NFL trade that took weeks to happen, and then when it finally did happen, involved a single late round draft pick. I want to know what goes on in those trade discussions? Does one team counter a 3rd round pick offer with a 7th rounder, then a week later counter a 4th rounder with a 6th rounder, then a week later finally agree on a 5th round pick?

These lengthy trade discussion are just one symptom of teams overvaluing mid-round draft picks. Very few 3rd-7th rounders become NFL starters, yet nobody wants to trade them—even for proven starters who have manageable contracts. When the draft rolls around NFL GMs become like fantasy team owners—they don’t want to give up the excitement of making a draft pick that will surely prove their genius. Maybe they should. (I think the Vikings will be happy they did.)

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NFL rookie contracts are going to destroy the league’s salary structure. I touched on this last year, but since the league has no intention of coming up with a solution (which is good news for Jake Long), I’ll rant about it again.

In case you haven’t heard, the Dolphins just made Jake long the highest paid lineman in the league. He has played zero NFL games.

For those who think it’s a good deal for Miami, take a look at the offensive lineman who have been drafted in the top 5 since 2001:

Joe Thomas, Levi Brown, D’Brickashaw Fergeson, Robert Gallery, Mike Williams, and Leonard Davis.

Of those six, Williams and Gallery have been complete busts, Thomas looks like a future star, Davis is a solid player but at guard not tackle, and the jury is still out on Fergeson and Brown. It’s a small sample size, but it’s not exactly the evidence you’d like to see before making a rookie the highest paid lineman in the league.

The problem for the Dolphins and other teams drafting in the top 5 is they have no choice. Every rookie wants to make more than the rookies before them and teams don’t have the leverage to say no. This forces the worst teams in the league to hand out bad contracts, and so instead of being rewarded with a high draft picks, the NFL teams in need of the most help are punished with cap-killing deals. Roger Goodell needs to spend less time destroying video tapes, and more time creating a rookie salary structure.

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I just heard Michael Vick might be playing some pick-up ball in the prison yard. Dangerous, potentially serious injury causing decision? Hell no! How about Fox’s newest reality show this fall?

The premise: Michael Vick is putting together a football team to take on the guards (ok, so I might have borrowed an idea or two for this one. Maybe we even call it “The Hardest Yard.”) There are tryouts, cuts, interviews, and some good old fashioned dramatic back-stabbing (literally.) Leavenworth puts together their toughest squad. Maybe they even import a guard or two (preferably an ex-college star.) Her are some ideas for the show:

- A prison style combine featuring:
WRs: Scaling the Wall in an Attempted Escape Vertical Jump test and Not Dropping the Soap Hand Skills test
OLs: Pass Blocking the Guards While Your Cellmate Stabs a Rival Gang Member test
LBs: How Quickly You Can Recover from a Taser Shock (shows toughness)
RBs and QBs: Outrunning Prison Dogs (sure, Vick can run 63 yards against an NFL caliber secondary, but try zig-zagging your way around bloodthirsty German Sheppards)
Des: Breaking the Tackle of 5 Men About to…. Well, you get the idea.

- Instead of agent signing and contract negotiation, how about lawyer hiring and plea bargaining?

- Special guest judges (I wonder what prisons Pacman Jones and Chris Henry will be in this fall? And for that matter, I wonder if it matters if it’s state or federal? I will have to contact Fox’s legal department and pull some strings.)

- The season accumulates in the Prison Bowl, which will be aired just like a real game the day of the Super Bowl.

- If the prisoners win, extra conjugal visits. If the gaurds win, extra baton privelages.

- And as an extra twist… if Vick wins, he gets to leave jail early for good behavior. If he loses, Vick goes into solitary confinement for two years.

Fox, I am waiting your phone call.

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As it normally does after each controversy laden season, the NFL decided to tweak a few rules. What does it all mean? I shall tell you.

Rule change #1: No more force out

This is a rule change that had to be made, but mark it down now—it’s going to be problematic. The league’s goal is to remove judgment calls, but what will happen when a receiver jumps to catch a ball and the defensive back gets under him and carries him out of bounds? His feet never touch the ground. Was his forward progress stopped? Officials are still going to have to make judgment calls about that kind of stuff.

My other problem with this rule is it will effect the game way more than people think. Generally there’s only one to two force out calls each game, but that’s because defensive backs aren’t trying force receivers out. Now that force outs are legal I think we’ll see 5 to 10 force out-related incompletions each game. Passing attacks will suffer.

Rule change #2: Coin toss winners can defer to the 2nd half

Basically, the winner of the opening coin toss can now declare themselves the loser. If teams were rational, they would never choose to receive the opening kick. Second half possessions are more valuable. Teams should be trying to get as many of them as possible. I’d be shocked if Bill Belichick ever declines to defer.

Rule Change #3: Field Goals are reviewable

The Phil Dawson rule. I predict the first 10 field goal related challenges are upheld based on inconclusiveness.

Rule Change #4: No more 5-yard facemask

Overall, I have a problem with facemask penalties because the foul generally doesn’t affect the play. For example, an offensive hold can turn a sack into a touchdown pass. That penalty needs to be called. But a facemask turns a three yard run into a two-and-a-half yard run. A 15-yard penalty is not a fair price to pay, especially since 95% of facemaks infractions are unintentional.

It probably would have been better to outlaw the 15 yarders, but the NFL can’t do that because it send a bad message about acceptable violence. We’ll have to wait and see how this rule change plays out, but if it results in fewer overall facemask penalties, that’s a good thing.

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Brett Favre has officially left the lucrative life of an NFL quarterback to take the poor and destitute life of an undercompensated NFL veteran. I’d like to take his retirement to lash out against one of my most hated practices. Official statements that contribute nothing to society.

Here is Roger Goodell’s official statement on Favre’s retirement:

Brett Favre will always be remembered as one of the greatest players and fiercest competitors in NFL history. His long list of accomplishments both on and off the field is remarkable. Brett’s talent, enthusiasm and love of the game helped him become the only player to earn three MVP awards and he was a vital part of bringing a Super Bowl championship back to Green Bay. It has been a joy and privilege for all of us to watch him play. We wish Brett, Deanna and their family all the best and hope he will stay connected to the game that he honored with his brilliant play for so many years.

Yay. That just wasted 20 seconds of my life and I can never get them back. Would it have been so hard for Goodell to say something that doesn’t make it obvious the NFL’s 17-year-old office intern wrote the statement for him? Better yet, he could be brutally honest. Say how the NFL really views Favre’s retirement.

Here’s what Goodell’s statement should have said:

Brett Favre will always be remembered as having one of the greatest stretches of four great years followed by nine mediocre years followed by one great year in NFL history. Brett had talent, but it was his manly good looks which allowed him to become a media darling who was praised regardless of his performance. It was a joy to watch him play from 1994-1998 and we hope that his retirement does not decrease the amount of money people from Wisconsin choose to spend on the NFL.

That’s the kind of statement that gives people the Favre-retirement closure they crave.

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Almost $800 million dollars have been spent in a whirlwind of a free-agent signing period. Teams have been re-signing and shaking up their lineups faster than McFadden’s 40 yard combine time. So here are the early big signings:

1. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers
(8 years - $102 million / $36 million guaranteed)

Ok, this one is a no-brainer. Except for the hiccup of a season following his motorcycle accident, Roethlisberger has been one of the most consistent QBs in the league. If you do not count 2006, Roethlisberger’s QB rating has been 98.1, 98.6, and 104.1 each successive year. In those three seasons, he did not throw more than 11 interceptions in a season, and his TDs grew from 17 his first two season to 32 last year. Oh, and he won a Super Bowl his sophomore season. His salary is exactly what a top tier QB is worth in this league. The Steelers have guaranteed to be a threat in the AFC North for years to come.

2. Donte Stallworth – Cleveland Browns
(7 years - $35 million / $10 million gauranteed)

Great pickup for the Browns, who are looking to improve on their surprise 11 win season last year. After re-signing Derek Anderson, the Browns next priority was giving him a viable deep threat, and at $5 million a year, Stallworth is a great deal. Under utilized with the Eagles and then overshadowed in the Pats offensive juggernaut, Stallworth will be an excellent complement to Braylon Edwards and Joe Jerevicious. Even though Anderson had a breakout year, his numbers (82.5 QB rating, 7.19 yds/attempt) were not particularly mind blowing. Especially with the uncertainty surrounding Kellen Winslow, Stallworth will help take the Browns to the next level and hopefully a playoff berth.

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Turn on the television or open a newspaper and everybody agrees the big NFL free agent winners are the Jets and the Jaguars. Um…why?

Let’s start with the Jaguars, who decided it was a good idea to give Drayton Florence $36 million. So what if last year he was arguably the 2nd or 3rd best cornerback on one of the worst pass defenses in the league. That’s no reason not to give him a $13 million signing bonus. (The Chargers defense did rank 14th in passing yards per game, but considering their unstoppable pass rush, the secondary was atrocious).

Unfortunately, that wasn’t all the Jags did. The team decided the solution to its receiving woes was to give Jerry Porter $30 million (with $10 mil guaranteed). It didn’t seem to occur to them that they’re paying a guy who caught 45 passes over the last two years like a guy who caught 45 passes over the last 8 games. It also didn’t occur to the Jags that Porter is already 29 years old—the same age at which Randy Moss was supposedly washed up last year (and so what if Moss ended up having a career year—Jerry Porter is no Randy Moss). But don’t worry Jags fans, to create the cap space for these moves all the team had to do was give away Marcus Stroud to the Bills. Joseph Addai will be sure to express his gratitude when he’s running running through your defense next year.

Next up, the Jets. I won’t even mention them giving $65 million to two lineman over the age of 30. At least the O-line is a crucial position at which adequate replacements can be hard to find. What interests me is a Mr. Calvin Pace.

Pace is a former 1st round pick who wasn’t able to secure a regular spot in the Cardinals vaunted defense until last year, his 5th in the league. Once in the lineup every Sunday, Pace had an average year—80 tackles, 6.5 sacks. The Jets obviously thought his year was above average, and by “above average” I mean “one of the best ever.” The team gave him a $42 million contract that will make him one of the richest linebackers in history. Lance Briggs is not going to be happy about this.

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You’re Thomas Dimitroff, the new general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. Your team has holes at just about every position. The lone exception is running back, where you have an underrated backup and potential superstar in Jerious Norwood. So what do you do? You give $35 million to Michael Turner, the most overrated backup running back in the league.

Apparently it slips your mind that Turner wasn’t even the 2nd best running back on his team last year. It also slips your mind that big money free agent running backs never make an impact. Do you even remember the last high-priced running back who turned out to be a good signing for his new team? Was it Edgerrin James? No. Dominic Rhodes? Ooops. It’s not Stephen Davis, Lamont Jordan, or Duce Staley either. You need to go back farther than that. Back to a time when the names Curtis Martin and Ricky Watters were at the top of everybody’s free agent list.

So will Michael Turner save the Falcons? No. Will he help the Falcons? Probably not. Will the last three years of his contract become an albatross that the team can only rid themselves of by taking a huge cap hit? Probably. On the plus side, either Tim Tebow or Matthew Stafford will look sexy in a Falcons hat on 2009 draft day.

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