I just don’t get what the NFL is doing with putting time restrictions on television stations showing highlights and interviews from games and not allowing the words “Super Bowl” or “Super Sunday” to be used in marketing.  It seems to me they are hurting their own product by limiting exposure in areas that might reach fringe or even non-fans.  I know they want to have control of their products and try to generate more revenues from these decisions, but I think they are hurting themselves in the long run by making the sport less relevant to people that are not already fans.

With the Super Bowl (I’m not marketing anything with it, so I can use it) coming this weekend, I just don’t get why they don’t want to allow a pizza company to advertise that you should call ahead to get your pizza for the Super Bowl.  It’s a free advertisement that also suggests that you should be watching the game this weekend because everybody else is.  How can that not be good for the NFL?  The tickets are already too expensive for most families, especially with the down economy.  You would think that they would love trying to draw new viewers to watch the games, and the Super Bowl is probably the best way to hook new fans.  I just think it’s silly.

Sources:
Station Web Sites Miss NFL Highlights
Off the Team: NFL’s infringement suit contends Coors is not a player.

Originally posted on my personal blog:  Odd Thoughts and Rants

Ryan S. Clark of the Beaumont Enterprise reports that former Falcon defensive lineman Shane Dronett was found dead today in his home in Duluth, GA in Gwinnett County. Per the AJC, Gwinnett police responded to a 911 call regarding suicide at 7:30 am this morning.

Dronett turned 38 just little over a week ago. He was a starting defensive tackle for the Falcons 1998 NFC Championship team. That was his best season in Atlanta, recording 34 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He joined the Falcons midway through the 1996 season and became a starter in 1998. He would spend the next four seasons as a starter with the team. He injured his shoulder at the start of 2002 and missed the entire season and was released after the season.

Dronett was originally a second round pick with the Denver Broncos in 1992. For his career, he played in 139 games, and recorded 242 tackles, 44 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 5 forced fumbles.

Adam Caplan of Scout.com reports that New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison is a possibility to land in Atlanta this off-season.

Harrison is an unrestricted free agent this off-season. Per Caplan, a source close to Harrison indicates that two potential destinations for Harrison are the Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Harrison lives in the Atlanta area, making teams in the NFC South attractive.

Harrison only appeared in 6 games this year before tearing a quadriceps muscle that ended his season. Previously expected to retire, there have been indications that Harrison intends to play a bit longer. Harrison, 36, is a 2-time Pro Bowler that has been a major contributor and leader in the Patriots secondary since 2003.

The Falcons interest in Harrison however has not been indicated. Current strong safety, Lawyer Milloy is also an unrestricted free agent and himself is 35 years old. The team has a decision to make whether to bring back the veteran safety who was named one of the team’s two defensive captains after the season. Milloy finished this past season with 92 tackles and 1 interception.

Pro Football Weekly reports that it is very likely that Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson move inside to defensive tackle next year. Anderson has been a disappointment thus far in his short Falcon career at defensive end. He was drafted eighth overall in the 2007 NFL draft.

As a rookie in 2007, he started all 16 games but did not record a single sack. This past year, he tallied 2 sacks and 27 tackles at left end. But his playing time diminished as the season wore on. The team utilized him inside on passing downs throughout the season and per the PFW report could plan to do so on a full-time basis next season.

Likely filling in for Anderson at left defensive end will be Chauncey Davis, who is a free agent this off-season. Despite serving as a backup, Davis finished the year with 38 tackles and 4 sacks. Falcons nose tackle Grady Jackson is also a free agent, but Anderson isn’t expected to move there, rather serving as a backup to Jonathan Babineaux, who recently was given a five-year extension.

Per PFW, without a strong training camp, Anderson could be released. That could make him potentially the highest drafted player in 2007 to be released. Currently, the 49th overall pick Bengals running back Kenny Irons, the brother of Falcons corner David, holds that distinction.

Don Banks of SI.com reported that Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey turned down the Detroit Lions after they sought him to be interviewed for their vacant head coaching position a week ago. According to Banks’s source, Mularkey remains interested in becoming a head coach again, but did not deem the Lions as the right opportunity.

Mularkey was formerly the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for two seasons (2004-05). He just completed his first season as Falcons offensive coordinator.

Despite a report from Pro Football Talk.com about the potential that Falcons receivers coach Terry Robiskie is a candidate for the vacant Oakland Raiders head coaching position, a report by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee indicates there isn’t “anything to the speculation.”

Pro Football Talk.com cites FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer as the source of its report. Per that report, Robiskie has already begun lining up a staff of potential assistant coaches. Jones has cited the AJC and the Raiders themselves as his sources. Robiskie has yet to interview for the position.

Robiskie is finishing up his first season with the Falcons. He has two previous stints as head coaching, serving as interim head coach for the Washington Redskins for the final three games of the 2000 season and the final five games for the Cleveland Browns in 2004. Prior to joining the Redskins in 1999, he spent seventeen seasons as an assistant with the Raiders.

The Falcons announced the promotion of Les Snead to Director of Player Personnel today. Per the Falcons release, Snead will work together with Asst. Director of Player Personnel Lionel Vital, who was hired last May, overseeing the player personnel department and working both in college and pro scouting.

Updating previous reports, Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey remains a potential candidate for the Detroit Lions head coaching position, but it is not yet known if he has actually sat down for an interview with the team according to the Detroit News.

The Lions have already interviewed several candidates according to the report, but their process could be accelerated due to the impending hire by the Denver Broncos that could come this weekend.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Falcons team president Rich McKay is no longer a candidate for the Cleveland Browns open general manager position. This report confirms what Jay Glazer of FOX Sports had reported last week that McKay had rebuffed the Browns overtures, which had been disputed by the Plain Dealer indicating that McKay’s interview had only been postponed until after their playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Browns hired ex-New York Jets coach Eric Mangini this past Thursday, and are currently looking for a new general manager.

Running back Michael Turner was the only Falcon player to be named to the Associated Press’s annual All-Pro team. Turner came in second place among voting at the running back position, garner 40 votes behind Adrian Peterson’s 45 votes.

Several other Falcons received votes however. John Abraham had 17 votes, coming in fourth place among defensive ends. Roddy White had four votes and was sixth in the voting at wide receiver. Fullback Ovie Mughelli, guard Harvey Dahl, center Todd McClure, and kicker Jason Elam eached garnered a single vote at their respective positions.