Official Non NFC North NFL News 2014 (Unofficial Johnny Manziel)

[Guiness]

Of course. But the more you lean on the blackout/gambling/spending side of the problems with the fiancé, the less well Rice comes off. The question becomes when did he exercise worse judgement, hitting her or getting involved with her? So its a caveat that cuts the same way. He (and she) is an idiot.

But the NFL doesn't have the job of fixing Rice's choice of girlfriends. It needs a punishment that hurts more than 2 paychecks. His reported remorse does nothing to explain his unsound judgement.

I am actually more amenable to the idea that Gordon deserved the year because of multiple mis-steps (even if those mis-steps were more about a low threshold than an uncontrollable habit). Perhaps that is correct. But Rice deserves more precisely because this is who he chooses to spend time with. He's not recreational user of wedding buffets and she isn't some random drunk with alcohol-fueled courage.

Does he come off worse? I guess he does, but you're right that it's for bad judgement, not necessarily spousal abuse. I just can't shake the vision of something you posted when this came out

Sounds like a Buster Keaton movie. Door opens, he is punching her. Door closes/opens again, she is punching him. Close/Open, she drags him out. Close/Open, he runs back in, then drags her out.

[smuggler]

I mean, he obviously hit her hard. I wasn't trying to say she was faking it. His story is he popped her once in retaliation and she never lost consciousness. She obviously didn't like it and wanted to make a stink so he'd get arrested. Again, this story is three degrees removed from someone that stands to gain by lying in the first place, but after hearing it, and then watching the video again, I see it.

I don't buy the angle that women are so weak they can't possibly hurt a man, but if a mighty man lays a finger on a woman, he's the devil. (Free Stephen A. Smith lol) Physical violence that is without justification is wrong, but I don't see him as being psychologically abusive to her, which is the lasting legacy of perpetuated domestic violence.

Neither of them had a good reason to hit the other, ergo they are both wrong. It's just that one of them is famous.

[pbmax]

I don't buy the idea that woman cannot do harm or be the aggressor either.

However, if that is the case, given the dispute about money, gambling and drinking, why is he still there?

And while we can't know everything, regardless of her attributes, she is the one on the ground when the punching stopped. When you are in a situation with a woman where that is what it takes to end an argument, its time to go away.

[smuggler]

No argument there. He won the stupid championship.

[pbmax]

I am officially enjoying the Johnny Manziel era. If he was on the Packers, it would be more of a mixed bag, though there would be no QB controversy.

[pbmax]

In suspension related development, Aldon Smith is gone for 9 games.

PFT thinks that by waiving his appeal, Smith may have negotiated a lesser punishment (though apparently the 49ers thought it would be less than 9) and the ability to work out and meet with the team while suspended.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/29/aldon-smiths-case-rockets-through-the-nfl-legal-system/

[smuggler]

Pretty lenient of the league to allow him to practice and attend meetings...

[pbmax]

Pretty lenient of the league to allow him to practice and attend meetings...

Yeah its that kind of shifting, inconsistent rules that drives the players nuts. Its the one place football follows baseball with a largely unwritten rules governing the process.

[Joemailman]

49ers' Ray McDonald arrested on domestic violence charges. Victim reportedly was his pregnant fiancee. Several other players were in attendance. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-sh...151554178.html

[Bretsky]

last year I would have noted that seattle and san fran were the two elite teams going into this year

I am scratching san fran; that team is chaos...complete chaos.....their coach hardly wants to be there and is feuding about a contract....they lost their best lb for much or all of the yr due to injury...aldon smith is now suspended, and now this

this team is a mess.

I now think the three teams who I can see going to the big show are seattle, green bay, and the saints
seattle would still seem to be the favorite imo but the other two would not surprise me since repeats are such a rarity

[Joemailman]

Chiefs sign Alex Smith to a 4 year 68 million dollar extension with guarantees of 45 million. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...ract-extension

Has he passed Andy Dalton as the Most Overpaid QB?

[Joemailman]

I've always felt Bucky Brooks at NFL.com was a terrible football analyst. He has now taken it to a new level:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...ack-situations

Cutler could be the most talented quarterback in the league, but injuries have kept him from fulfilling his potential as a leader in Chicago. The vet has missed 13 starts over the past four seasons, and his absences have derailed the Bears' title hopes.

[smuggler]

Most talented from the neck down, maybe. But Cutler was healthy at the end of the season, as was Rodgers. The Bears are just very flawed on the other side of the ball and have no depth behind their top 2 WRs.

[Guiness]

Chiefs sign Alex Smith to a 4 year 68 million dollar extension with guarantees of 45 million. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...ract-extension

Has he passed Andy Dalton as the Most Overpaid QB?

[Freak Out]

Chiefs sign Alex Smith to a 4 year 68 million dollar extension with guarantees of 45 million. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...ract-extension

Has he passed Andy Dalton as the Most Overpaid QB?

Wow. I guess we shouldn't be surprised though.