Vinatieri going to the Colts

If the worst NFL face slap in would be Brett Favre signing with the Bears, Adam Vinatieri signing with the Colts would have to be a close second. It doesn't feel right but should produce entertaining and uncomfortable results come the regular season and, with any luck, the postseason.

Now what will New England folks do with all those jerseys!

Commissioner Watch

Will it take 23 votes to elect a new NFL commissioner this time?

Talks started March 27th at the league's owners meeting in Orlando, Fla. to find a new NFL commissioner. Most people don't feel the search will be ending anytime soon.

The Duke Returns

NFL clubs unanimously endorsed a recommendation today to return the name of the official game ball to “The Duke” in honor of the late New York Giants owner WELLINGTON MARA, one of the most beloved figures in professional sports history.

Mara, who spent 81 years with the New York Giants and made numerous contributions to the NFL, was named Wellington by his father after the Duke of Wellington. He was given the nickname “The Duke” as a youngster by Giants players.

The NFL game ball was known as “The Duke” from 1941-69.

The official NFL Wilson football will continue to be manufactured in Ada, Ohio. Wilson recently extended its NFL contract through 2011, which will mark the 70th year of partnership, believed to be one of the longest agreements in sports history.

Tagliabue Opens Last Meeting

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue opened the 2006 NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., with a 30-minute review of overall league affairs for a group of approximately 300 owners, club presidents, head coaches, front-office employees and league officials. This will be his last annual meeting. One of the main points of business at the meeting will be to choose a new NFL commissioner.

In his opening address he added "In 2005, you set a paid attendance record for the third year in a row; your stadiums were filled again to 90 percent of capacity; and television ratings continued to deliver unmatched audiences. The Super Bowl was the second most-watched program in television history with 141 million viewers. For the season, ratings for NFL games on broadcast television were 60 percent higher than the primetime average for the broadcast networks. In December, the Harris Poll showed pro football's lead as the No. 1 sport continuing to widen."

Henderson returns to Green Bay

The Packers faithfull (myslef included) are very happy today to find out that William Henderson has signed on for a 12th season with the beloved Green Bay Packers.

Henderson has played all 11 of his seasons with Green Bay and is sixth in the franchise's history with 174 games played. He played in all 16 games last season, starting eight, and had 264 yards receiving.

Owners Start Search

Paul Tagliabue has announced his retirement as commissioner of the NFL. Now the owners will go about the long process of putting someone in that important position. The current consensus is you won't be seeing white smoke for a while.

"I think we have to make sure everybody is included," said Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. "I'm not sure that was done the last time."

Think you know who will succeed Paul Tagliabue as NFL commissioner? Now you can bet on NFL online.

Bears' Azumah Retires

Bears cornerback Jerry Azumah retired because of neck and hip pain the past two seasons, ending a seven-year career with Chicago in which he made the Pro Bowl in 2003.

2006 Draft Order

This is where your crappy season actually pays off, or should pay off.

1 Houston Texans
2 New Orleans Saints
3 Tennessee Titans
4 New York Jets
5 Green Bay Packers
6 San Francisco 49ers
7 Oakland Raiders
8 Buffalo Bills
9 Detroit Lions
10 Arizona Cardinals
11 St. Louis Rams
12 Cleveland Browns
13 Baltimore Ravens
14 Philadelphia Eagles
15 Atlanta Falcons
16 Miami Dolphins
17 Minnesota Vikings
18 Dallas Cowboys
19 San Diego Chargers
20 Kansas City Chiefs
21 New England Patriots
22 Washington Redskins
23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24 Cincinnati Bengals
25 New York Giants
26 Chicago Bears
27 Carolina Panthers
28 Jacksonville Jaguars
29 Denver Broncos
30 Indianapolis Colts
31 Seattle Seahawks
32 Pittsburgh Steelers

Peterson Newest Hawk

The Seattle Seahawks added Julian Peterson to one of the most dominant linebacker core’s in the NFL today. The deal is said to be for seven years and $54 million, with approximately $18.5 million in guaranteed money, including $10 million in 2006.

The deal comes shortly after Seattle decided not to match the Vikings' $49 million, seven-year offer for All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson.

Terrell Owens to Dallas

I don't want to make this a long post, because I feel Terrell Owens gets much more press than he deserves. I just can't understand why these teams openly invite a cancer like Terrell into their dressing room. We all know that six months from now Terrell will be in the news again, he hates his coach, his team is lazy and then Dallas will have to spend more time dealing with Terrell and the media then playing football. I hate to say I told you so, but I’m sure Philly will have no problem saying it.