1 Month to go...NFL Draft

[E.T.]

I have socks that are from '83... (I think)

Somebody get me off this old-age bus to hell!

You need to buy new socks  

[bulls96go]

'83  **** i started in '87

kid you better respect your elders, only gnat bashing is allowed

you make me feel old

[___ Eats It]

I remember being in a video arcade in 1983, playing "Jungle Hunt" and listening to The Police's "Synchronicity" on the jukebox.

Sigh.

[smazza]

born is 83?

now i am depressed

[sdgukhsdgl]

no what really is depressing is that i have two more months until I am legally allowed to drink...   :

[USFPDiddy]

dude i have until august 24 so i dont wanna hear it.

[E.T.]

NFL Adopts Penalty for Celebrations

By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer

PALM BEACH, Fla. - NFL owners adopted a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebrations Wednesday after being embarrassed by Joe Horn's hidden cell phone trick and Terrell Owens' end-zone autograph.

The penalty will be in addition to fines previously in place for choreographed and multiplayer celebrations.

The infractions are considered unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. The yardage will be marched off from the spot at the end of the previous play or, after a score, on the ensuing kickoff. If the infraction is flagrant, the player will be ejected.

"The players know they will be hurting their team," Jets coach Herman Edwards said.

The vote was 31-1, with the Raiders the lone dissenter.

In December, Horn made an end-zone call after a teammate handed him a phone that had been stashed under the goal-post padding. The season before, Owens pulled a pen from his sock to sign the football after a touchdown catch.

The owners on Wednesday also:

_increased the size of practice squads from five to eight players;

_allowed head coaches or any player to call a timeout;

_extended the five-day period immediately after the season ends for interviewing assistant coaches to seven days, or the conclusion of the wild-card round. The policy also now will cover high-level front office positions;

_made a punt or missed field goal untouched by the receiving team a dead ball once it touches the end zone or touches a kicking team player in the end zone;

_modified free kick, fair catch and personal foul rules;

_allowed wide receivers to wear Nos. 10 through 19 even when numbers in the 80s are available.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue also said it was possible the new NFL Network could carry games live in the next television package. The current $17.6 billion contract with ABC/ESPN, ABC and CBS expires after the 2005 season.

"I don't think it's likely, but anything in life is possible," he said. "The NFL Network is in the long term."

NFL Network is carried by satellite and by two of the major cable carriers.

On Tuesday, hours after league owners approved a five-year extension of instant replay, adding a third coaches' challenge if the first two are successful, the NFL succeeded in a federal appeals court in New York.

The court agreed to hear arguments days before the draft to overturn the ruling allowing Ohio State sophomore Maurice Clarett and other underclassman and high schoolers into the draft.

NFL chief counsel Jeff Pash thinks there's a strong chance the court will grant a stay of the lower court ruling before the April 24-25 draft. That means Clarett, Southern California sophomore Mike Williams and seven others would not be included in the draft.

"I think there is a very substantial chance he will not be in the draft," Pash said.

Should that happen and the NFL subsequently loses the appeal, a supplemental draft for those players would be held within 10 days of the court decision.

Alan Milstein, Clarett's agent, said that would harm his client. Milstein said Clarett would lose leverage to negotiate a contract, as well as practice time and time to learn his new team's playbook, if he were not drafted in April.

"They did not issue a stay," Milstein told The Associated Press. "They set forth an expedited briefing schedule. Nothing happened today that was unexpected. The court is just doing what it needs to do to work hard and get Maurice in the draft  and with plenty of time to do it."

Pash said the hearing will be April 19 or 20.

The vote on replay was 29-3, with Kansas City, Indianapolis and Cincinnati voting against. Arizona  for the first time, according to Tagliabue  voted for the five-year extension with the additional challenge.

Twenty-four votes were needed from the 32 teams to keep replay. Tagliabue said some teams were reluctant to put it in permanently in fear it would be too difficult to remove.

In a key financial move, owners renewed for 15 years the NFL Trust, which provides $4 million per team in licensing revenue for merchandise with team logos. But there was enough sentiment from teams such as the Cowboys, Redskins and Dolphins to investigate modifying it, and Tagliabue will appoint a nine-member committee to look at all aspects of revenue sharing.

No one questions the concept of apportioning income, particularly from the eight-year, $17.6 billion television contract.

But owners such as Dallas' Jerry Jones and Washington's Dan Snyder want wider marketing rights for their teams' products. Owners in smaller markets, including Buffalo's Ralph Wilson, Indianapolis' Jim Irsay and Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney, are concerned about what they consider an increasing disparity in cash flow between teams.

Tagliabue, 63, indicated there will be no problem in negotiating an extension of his contract, which expires May 2005. The owners voted unanimously Monday to give him as many as three more years beyond that date.

The owners heard more on the proposal to build a new stadium for the New York Jets on the West Side of Manhattan. Tagliabue said there would be further discussion but emphasized no commitment was made by the league for a future Super Bowl there.

[smazza]

but the players in the nfl games dance in end zone

pats want to trade 2 #1's and a 2 too much up to #5 spot so they can select cane saftely

i would take those 3 picks fopr a safety any day but pats won super bowl so they think they can do no wrong

[sdgukhsdgl]

the lions should make that trade any day!  to pick up two first round choices and a second round choice is a great trade!  

For the pats, what the heck are they thinking? Taylor is good, but they are throwing away a lot to risk on one player

[Rabbi Bull]

i have to wait till june 10th to drink legally can't wait