It was probably only a matter of time before a backwards, homophobic bigot showed us just how out of touch certain segments of America are by turning Michael Sam's admirable coming-out story into an ugly political issue.  We swear this isn't satire.  From Rebecca Shabad at The Hill:  Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman on Monday said […]

Earlier this week, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell spoke candidly about the difficult debate regarding when and how to draft a potential franchise quarterback. We know that you can't really win without a top-tier quarterback nowadays, but at the same time, taking swing after swing can be incredibly costly. Some of it is luck, […]

Over the weekend, Ray Rice, who has for years possessed a good guy reputation, was arrested on domestic violence charges. And then, earlier Wednesday, TMZ uncovered video of Rice dragging his fiancé out of an elevator at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City. She appeared to be unconscious. Many figured, or hoped, she was drunk and that this […]

"Upon further review" is a recurring segment in which This Given Sunday analyzes quirks and fascinating tidbits from the NFL's history books.  How best can we reveal to you how much the NFL has changed over the last half decade? Look no further than what the criteria was for a quarterback to be seen as […]

So ESPN conducted a anonymous survey that found that most NFL players are cool with the idea of having a gay teammate. On the surface, that's good to hear. But the different between most and all is significant, and I think it's something we often overlook.  The poll, based on a sample size of 51, found […]

Starting on Monday, NFL teams will have the ability to prevent impending free agents from hitting the open market in March by slapping them with the franchise tag. Here's a look at the favorites to be tagged in all 32 NFL front offices.  Arizona Cardinals: Jay Feely — They won't likely use it, but Feely […]

We're now into mid-February and teams with salary cap constraints are already starting to make adjustments in order to ensure that they have space by the time free agency begins in less than a month. As a result, some experienced veterans with quality resumes have been thrown into the free-agent pool early. Here's a summary […]

It hasn't been an ideal start to Jimmy Haslam's ownership run in Cleveland. His company, Pilot Flying J, has been embroiled in legal controversy, while his Browns have been cycling through coaches and general managers at an alarming rate. With that in mind, we figured this would be a good time to offer up a […]

Change is never easy, because many of us are just comfortable with the way things were. In sports, we become stubborn regarding each game's original rules and regulations. But the reality is that football, baseball, hockey and basketball have been evolving quite dramatically over the last century.  The NFL has arguably been ahead of the […]

Grading head coach hires moments after they happen, or, in this case, before NFL teams have even reported for OTAs much less played a game is stupid.  But—what the heck—we're in the middle of the only legitimate "dead" period on the NFL calendar.  I'll take a stab at grading the fits of the seven new […]

Wade Phillips has swung and missed twice as a head coach, and you don't usually get three strikes in that world. I get it. And he'll also turn 67 this offseason. I know that's not ideal. But how is it that nobody is giving any love to Phillips as a defensive coordinator after the staff […]

Peyton Manning was supposed to get Super Bowl No. 2 this year, but the Seattle Seahawks stomped all over that in emphatic fashion Sunday in New Jersey. Now, Manning and the Broncos enter 2014 as favorites to once again win the AFC, so nobody is ruling out another Super Bowl shot.  What are the odds […]

The nation is beginning to embrace weed. Whether we ourselves indulge or not — for what it's worth, I do not — more of us are beginning to understand that a lot of people do it, it arguably isn't as harmful as alcohol and we're better off regulating it for financial and health purposes.  At […]

One of the first questions we all ask when a team wins its first Super Bowl is whether that team has the potential to become a "dynasty." Fair question, I suppose, because everybody wants to believe they're watching the beginning of something extra special. We're all wondering who the next 1970s Steelers, 1980s 49ers, 1990s […]