I just got back from the NFL Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year press conference, which was pretty dry. Adrian Peterson won, but that may not bode well for his future.

The last four winners were Domanick Davis, Ben Roethlisberger, Carnell Williams, and Vince Young. Three have suffered career-threatening injuries (with Ben bouncing back strong), and Young struggled in his second season.

Marshawn Lynch, one of the most entertaining players in the league, livened up the place by wearing a Bills t-shirt that appeared to be airbrushed ... with himself on it. Rich Eisen said he was "pushing product." That's one way to get rich.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Patriots VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli talked Thursday about why he hasn’t been eager to leave the Patriots to run another team.

“What’s wrong with this challenge?” Pioli said. “Why can’t the natural progression to be part of a team that is good as long as possible?”

Piole disagrees that the reward would be greater elsewhere.

Continue reading "Scott Pioli and Josh McDaniels aren’t going anywhere" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the highlights of the morning was meeting Dr. Z of Sports Illustrated and Steve Sabol of NFL Films briefly, before leaving them to chatter. These are two of the titans of NFL coverage since the Super Bowl Era started, even if they aren’t as famous as the talking heads on Around the Horn.

Continue reading "Dr. Z is still feisty" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

One big difference between the teams here is their reaction to the media sessions when they end. Almost all of the Patriots finished their answers, and bolted as fast as possible. The ones who didn’t leave right away were quickly rounded up by a team of Patriots employees who shooed them off the premises, on to bigger matters.

Continue reading "Patriots through with media " »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Belichick loves quietly tweaking the media. Leaving Tom Brady’s ankle off the injury report is a start. Scheduling the Patriots availability for the earliest time possible, so that the writers will have wake up by 5:30AM like Belichick is another.

The sun, not yet up, backlit the Arizona mountains on the way to the Patriots hotel, nearly 40 minutes from the airport.

Continue reading "If Belichick's up early, you are too" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm back from the Patriots media availability this morning, and will be writing about it shortly. In the meantime, a couple more videos are ready from Phoenix.

Tiffany and I talk to the Giants and Patriots about their experiences with fantasy football.

Continue reading "Jabar doesn't have Gaffney Fever" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

* I want to be like John Clayton one day. Comfortable enough to wear a suit on top, and khakis and sneakers below since that will never be on camera. I've definitely noticed a high stature:casual dress ratio in effect with a lot of the writers. Michael Silver, who looks like coolest guy in school (and one of my favorite writers) in t-shirts. Peter King in a hoodie and a Tampa Bay Devil Rays hat.

* This is going to be in a notebook on NBCSports.com tonight, but the Giants all say that the Patriots play a vanilla defense this season. They line up in their 3-4 and don't vary rushers much. It's a strange thing to hear about a Belichick defense, but undeniably true. I think it's because Belichick doesn't quite trust the depth of his back seven.

Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride believes the Patriots lulled them to sleep last time with this approach before unleashing some creative blitzes late. I don't think the Pats will wait so long this time.

Continue reading "Final Wednesday Thoughts" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One way the Giants can beat New England is by spreading them out and getting rookie Steve Smith involved. When asked if he expected to be on the field a lot on Sunday, Smith got a huge smile and said “definitely.”

I think the Giants are going to have to go three and four wide plenty to expose New England's secondary depth. Smith will beat Randall Gay or the Patriots safeties. Smith has been getting open well lately, but not always finishing the play.

Continue reading "The other Steve Smith will be a Rotoworld guy" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One tired theme of this entire Giants seasons is how Tom Coughlin has chang to a kinder, gentler coaching style. He’s more “player friendly,” although Michael Strahan and offensive coordinator Gilbride both noted he’s not too different. The whole storyline sounds like a convenient explanation of the Giants' success that would only come after the fact.

Continue reading "Tom Coughlin is always in control" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 07:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thinking fantasy first, I tried to get something today from Ahmad Bradshaw about his ever-growing role in the Giants backfield. Does he want to start? Is he impressed that his teammates all said he was the surest future star on the team? What does he need to work on this offseason?

He didn't bite. He said all the right things that he would happy sharing the ball with Brandon Jacobs and that he doesn't make the game plan. With both players under contract for a while, it's the only attitude to have. I think Bradshaw's development will ultimately hurt Jacobs, especially when Bradshaw rounds out his game.

While talking to him, I couldn't help thinking of a classic story I heard about when Bradshaw was drafted.

Continue reading "Bradshaw doesn't bite" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)