1.) Aaron Rodgers:

It was a disappointing season for Aaron Rodgers and fantasy owners last season. After throwing 45 touchdowns and 4,643 passing yards in 2011, A-Rod took a step back in 2012 with only 39 touchdowns and 4,300 passing yards. Despite the small drop in numbers, Rodgers still played at an MVP level while playing behind an offensive line that gave up 51 sacks. Yes, Rodgers lost Greg Jennings and Donald Driver but Driver was all but a memory last year with only 8 receptions. While Jennings still can play at a high level, he missed 8 games last season and Rodgers was just fine. Rodgers has a few things going for him that should help his stats go up again. Green Bay moved Bryan Bulaga and Josh Sitton to the left side to help improve their protection and give Rodgers time to throw. Green Bay also drafted two great rookie RB’s with Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin. The improvement on the offensive line along with the new running attack, will give Rodgers more time to throw to Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and James Jones. You should feel confident in drafting Aaron Rodgers, while knowing he will deliver another MVP-caliber season.

2.) Drew Brees:

Even when Drew Brees was playing without the coaching help of Sean Payton, he still managed to have another memorable season on a bad team. Brees threw for over 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns for the second consecutive year. While Brees is an elite quarterback by himself, his true mastery of the game comes when he gets to work with his coach. It didn’t help him that Darren Sprolles missed 3 games, while Jimmy Graham and Lance Moore each missed a game. Despite the injuries and interim coaching staff, Brees still managed to lead the league in passing yards. Yes, Brees did throw 19 interceptions last year and his QBR dropped by 17 points, but he was essentially trying to compete against his own defense every week. It is because of the interceptions that Brees can’t find his way above Rodgers, but you can draft him as the 2nd quarterback off the board and feel confident that his arm will guide you to the playoffs.

3.) Peyton Manning:

Many fantasy owners had concerns about Peyton Manning coming back from neck surgery with a new team so took a chance on him later in the draft. Much like the Broncos, they were rewarded in a big way, as Peyton seemed to find the fountain of youth with his new team. Manning’s 37 passing touchdowns were the most for him since all the way back in 2004 when he threw for 39. While some will see this as more of a blip on the radar, I think it has a lot more to do with the weapons he had and a chip on his shoulder. Before the 2012 season, not many people saw Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas as great wide receivers. They caught passes the previous year from a fullback (I’m joking Tim Tebow). Manning also played behind an offensive line that gave up the second fewest in the league last season (21). Now I look to 2013, the offensive line is healthy, Manning now has a full season under his belt in Denver oh and they added Wes Welker. Yes, the guy who has been Tom Brady’s favorite target for so many years is now catching passes from Peyton Manning. A great offensive line, a great set of receivers and a hall of fame quarterback, what more could you ask for? I have no doubt Peyton can put up outstanding numbers again and be the No.2 fantasy quarterback this season.

4.) Tom Brady:

Looking around through some early fantasy quarterback ratings online, I seem to be lower on Tom Brady than most. Don’t get me wrong he is still an elite quarterback; some would argue the best in the game. It also helps that he is telling the media this is the best he has felt in years and the arm is better than ever. While that is great news to here, the problem is he doesn’t have great weapons to throw to. Wes Welker bolted to Denver, taking away Brady’s favorite weapon for the past several seasons. His replacement is Danny Amendola, a similar player but with far more durability concerns and a new chemistry will have to be built. Yes, Brady still has Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, but both star tight ends are having issues staying healthy. Gronkowski underwent his fourth surgery on his forearm, and now there are concerns about his back. Meanwhile, Hernandez is slowly rehabbing from shoulder surgery and may miss training camp. So what other weapons does Brady have to work with; Julian Edelman, Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce and Donald Jones. Brady may be in the best shape of his life, but he has the most questionable set of weapons in recent memory. Brady will still give you high numbers but the question marks around him make me put him as my fourth rated fantasy quarterback heading into 2013.

5.) Matt Ryan:

I admit I am higher on Matt Ryan than most, and I believe he is on the rise amongst fantasy quarterbacks. At the age of 28, Ryan is just entering his prime and his numbers continue to rise. Ryan saw his touchdowns increase from 29 in 2011 to 32 in 2012, along with an extra 500 yards on top of that. While his interception total went up (14 tied a career high) it was still an excellent season for the young quarterback. Things are pretty sweet in Atlanta, with Roddy White and Julio Jones on the outside and Tony Gonzalez helping inside. The Falcons also utilized the screen game, which is where Jacquizz Rodgers delighted Ryan and fantasy owners. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have everything going for them in 2013, all of their weapons are back on offense and they added Steven Jackson, who will bring the added punch to the running attack to keep teams honest. Ryan is poised to improve on his numbers even more this season, and can become a Top 5 fantasy quarterback.

6.) Cam Newton:

This is going to be a big year for Cam Newton both in fantasy and reality. After a phenomenal rookie season in 2011 that ended with inconsistency, Newton seemed to struggle with his consistent play in 2012. Everyone expected Newton’s statistics to take a step back and they did. After passing for over 4,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in his rookie year, he threw for only 3,900 yards with 19 touchdowns. The biggest drop in regards to fantasy production though was his rushing touchdowns, which dropped from 14 to 8 in 2012. Newton needs to play on a high level every week if he wants to prove his worth as a future star quarterback. Fantasy owners are drafting him for his running ability, and you will get it. Just be prepared for some big weeks and some bad games if he is your guy. When he is on fire though, he will carry your team to a victory.

7.) Colin Kaepernick:

This ranking comes after the news that Michael Crabtree will miss most if not all of the 2013 regular season. It hurts to lose any starting receiver but Crabtree and Kaepernick had a special connection. Crabtree was targeted 127 times last season, more than double Vernon Davis who was second with 61 targets. Kaepernick now has to adjust to the loss of Crabtree, but he still has some good tools to work with. San Francisco acquired Anquan Boldin, who physically wore down their corners and dazzled in the playoffs. Vernon Davis as mentioned earlier should also play a significant role, as one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. But the names to keep an eye on here are rookie receiver Quinton Patton and second year man A.J. Jenkins. Both young receivers will serve key roles this season and need to develop some chemistry with Kaepernick. Still despite some concerns at the receiver position, you still have to love Kaepernick’s ability to scramble. The read-option was made for his skill set, and worked to perfection against Green Bay when he ran for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. If Kaepernick can continue to play at a high level, he could find his way into the top 5 quarterbacks later this season.

8.) Russell Wilson:

Possibly the biggest rookie gem last season was Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, who took the league by storm despite all of the attention being put on Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Wilson benefited from handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch which helped set up the play action later in the game. Despite only throwing 393 passes last season, Wilson still managed to tie a rookie record with 26 touchdowns and an additional 4 on the ground. Now I admit a touchdown on 15 throws is difficult to repeat, but who is to say he won’t throw the football a lot more this season. The Seahawks limited the passing attack in part last season because of their weakness at receiver. That weakness became much stronger during the offseason after the acquisition of Percy Harvin. When healthy Harvin is one of the most electrifying players in the game, something the Seahawks didn’t have last season. Harvin’s arrival also opens more things up for Sidney Rice who finally showed he could stay healthy last season. Going back to a potential increase in pass attempts, let’s say he throws it 75 more times next season. That would be a little more than 4 attempts more per game, which is reasonable given the progressions he made last season. I have full faith that you can draft Russell Wilson as a Top 10 quarterback and he can be your starter on a weekly basis.

9.) Matthew Stafford:

After finally proving himself as an elite quarterback in 2011, Matthew Stafford took two steps back in 2012. While he only threw one more interception, the big hit came from passing touchdowns. After throwing for 41 touchdowns in 2011, that number was cut in half to 20 in 2012, a devastating statistic for Stafford owners. What makes his season even more disappointing was that he actually led the league in pass attempts and even set the NFL record. Stafford’s 1/36 touchdown per attempt ratio was a sharp decline from 2011 when it was an impressive 1/16. That drop off is just another example of how bad Stafford was last season, but also an indication of how great he can be. He still has Calvin Johnson, the man who can’t be stopped by anyone and his young receivers are starting to develop. Another stat that didn’t help Stafford was Johnson being tackled six times at the 1 yard line. Even if he makes it in only 3 of those times, that would have helped fantasy owners. Ryan Broyles was injured for much of last season but came back late in his rookie year and played well. Detroit also brought in Reggie Bush who may not be a great runner, but gives Stafford an excellent check down man and screen option. You shouldn’t expect Stafford to return to the eye-popping numbers he had in 2011, but he easily can jump back into the 30-touchdown plateau.

10.) Robert Griffin III:

As I am writing this, I can’t help but think what could have been if not for some bad decisions by a coaching staff, and a lack of desire to fix a poor field by ownership. Despite my grievances with how the knee injury was handled, there is still plenty to talk about with Robert Griffin III. The big question here is how healthy is his knee and when he comes back will we see a different player. Some people will want to point to Adrian Peterson’s comeback, but that is the rare exception to the rule of ACL recoveries. This is the second time RGIII has underwent knee surgery and while he came back strong the first time, that is no guarantee here. But for the sake of these rankings, lets say he makes another remarkable comeback and is ready to start on Week 1. When the knee is in great shape, Robert Griffin III is a threat to burn you through the air or on the ground. Just look at what he did as a passer in 15 games, a 20-5 touchdown to interception ratio and 3,200 passing yards. He did all of this while his receivers came on and off the inactive report. Then we have the RGIII the track athlete who outran the Vikings defense for a 76-yard touchdown run. Griffin III ran for 815 yards and 7 touchdowns last season, helping him become a fantasy star. There is no question that if he is healthy, Robert Griffin III is a Top 5 fantasy quarterback, but health remains the question. Can he learn to slide down and avoid hits, and can his knee hold up. Those are the two biggest questions standing in his way this season, but are the same two reasons you can steal him later in the draft as your starter.

After playing 13 seasons for the Chicago Bears, veteran free agent LB Brian Urlacher was rumored to be wanting to continue his NFL career with divisional opponent Minnesota Vikings. According to reports this afternoon, Urlacher has decided to retire instead of playing another season.

Urlacher was a monster in the middle of the Bears during his career, but knee injuries have taken their toll in recent years and he obviously has lost a step or two in his game. Urlacher told ESPN 1500 that he has made the decision so he can retire while wearing just one jersey in his career.

Chicago had little interest in retaining the 34-year old veteran once he became a free agent. Urlacher drew virtually no interest in the offseason and this move by him is perhaps the best of any move that he could have made.

The middle linebacker told reporters that he has no regrets. “I want to thank all of the people in my life that have helped me along the way. I will miss my teammates, my coaches, and the great Bears fans. I’m proud to say that I have all of you everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss the great game, but I leave it with no regrets.”

Urlacher was a fan favorite in Chicago and during his career logged 1,353 tackles and 41.5 sacks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took an expensive risk after trading for former New York Jets CB Darrelle Revis. The pirates gave up a first-round pick in this year’s draft and possibly a third-rounder next year in order to bring him aboard. Tampa Bay struggled last season with pass defense and passed over several free agent corners that would have been immediate upgrades in the offseason.

The Buccaneers have a downside on the risk factor, especially if Revis doesn’t return to the player he was prior to suffering his knee injury. Revis underwent ACL surgery and accrding to reports, has been cleared to start making cuts on his knee as the Bucs hold one of their first offseason OTA’s.

Revis told the NFL Network that he is fine and will start making cuts without thinking twice about his on-field practices. Head coach Greg Schiano believes that Revis will be ready for the Buccaneers season opener in week one.

The move by Tampa doesn’t come without risk, but if Revis is healthy, it will likely be one of the smartest moves this offseason. Tampa was the league’s worst pass defense in 2012 and any move should be considered an upgrade after nearly setting a league record for most yards per game allowed through the air.

Charles Woodson, the former fourth pick of the 1998 NFL draft has returned to the team that selected him, the Oakland Raiders. Woodson has been a free agent for months and is currently 36, turning 37 during the upcoming regular season. The details of his contract outline that he will receive a signing bonus of $700,000 with the ability to reach $4.3 million through incentives.

Woodson had been linked to the Denver Broncos and it is curious as to why he returned to the Raiders than the Broncos. Given his age, his playing time is running out and you have to figure that Denver is closer to possibly reaching the Super Bowl than the Raiders.

The former first-rounder appears to have chased the money on this signing rather than opting for a chance to win a championship. It’s believed that the incentives the Raiders have offered up are not really attainable by Woodson while his level of play on the field continues to erode. Woodson played eight seasons for the Raiders prior to joining the Packers.

The NFL held it’s annual spring meeting yesterday, awarding Super Bowl L and LI to the Bay area and Houston respectively. The NFL also announced that the 2014 NFL Draft will be held next year in May, citing scheduling issues with Radio City Music Hall, but is the league laying the groundwork for an 18-game season?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made no bones about the fact that he wants the league to evolve into an 18-game schedule, eventually eliminating 2 preseason games. On Tuesday while addressing the media, Goodell told reporters that all options were on the table. “As I’ve said before, the structure of the season is something that we consistently reevaluate,” said the commish.

Many skeptics believe that the move of the NFL Draft is not tied to any scheduling conflicts with the Radio City Music Hall but another move by the league to force it’s agenda through. SI.com outlines concerns from NFL executives about moving the draft back to May. Personally, I tend to agree.

These moves will push up the start of the NFL calendar year and the start of free agency further while pushing the NFL Combine back into March. Mr. Goodell has stated over and over that he wants to make the NFL season a year round event, but his motives must be questioned.

If he is indeed positioning the league for the eventuality of an 18-game season, could he be seen as just trying to strike a money grab for the owners with the addition of two more regular season games? While he is trying to cover his backside in the shadow of a looming concussion lawsuit, is he really planning on the addition of 2 more games while trying to tout player safety?

Goodell has shown that he is relentless while trying to push forward his agenda, whether it be an 18-game season or placing a franchise overseas. The veil has been lifted and the NFL world is watching, fully aware of his agenda and skeptics abound.

This is my first post to Thepigskinreport.com. Thanks to the owner for giving me the opportunity to become a contributor here and hope to help provide great football content for the upcoming season.

Usually a scandal in college sports is seen and described as a “black eye” to the school and sports program that is hit by it. But what if a scandal’s details made sense considering what offending school’s program is implicated? Granted, almost every college university with a football, basketball, or baseball program would probably fit the profile of an offender when it comes to providing “illegal or impermissible benefits” at one point or another. In the case of this article I’ll be a bit more specific: the Nevin Shapiro scandal involving the University of Miami (FL) Hurricanes‘ football program is one that is makes perfect sense when considering the football program’s history over the past 35 years.

The U has gained a reputation over the years for not only putting together a winning football program with several national championships won, but also for being a program seen as renegade in comparison to how a college football team supposedly should conduct themselves. This didn’t happen by accident as the influx of local talent through the 80′s helped create the culture and behavior both on and off the field that became synonymous with the program. The culture and behavior of the football team didn’t change during the 90′s until the program got put on probation. And, as the Nevin Shapiro scandal indicates, the program went right back to doing things the way they had done during the days of Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson right after they got off probation.

One of the biggest highlights for The U’s image as renegade program was a 1986 piece in Sports Illustrated that featured a long listing of the off-the-field transgressions of players that played for the Hurricanes at the time. And there was a lot to list in that case. The piece came during one of the best seasons in Hurricanes’ history, a season that set the precedent for similar seasons to come: winning all of the time while dodging controversy the whole way.

Easily the most memorable memory of the 80′s concerning The U was The Fatigues Game. I’m referring to the 1987 Fiesta Bowl where the Hurricanes dominated the Penn St. Nittany Lions only to lose 14-10 thanks to five interceptions from the Heisman Trophy winner in ’86 and recent college football hall of fame inductee Vinnie Testaverde. The Hurricanes came off the plane in Arizona wearing military fatigues. The majority of the team continued to wear the fatigues all the way to the day of the game. Another memorable moment featured the Hurricanes’ best defensive player that year, Jerome Brown, leading a walkout at a steak dinner leading up to the game with himself and teammates once again showing off the fatigues.

One of the most historically significant moments for the Hurricanes’ football program is one that most people don’t even know about unless they saw Billy Corben‘s documentary on the program.

When college football increased their rules concerning sportsmanship, they had the Hurricanes in mind. In particular, the Hurricanes conduct during the 1991 Cotton Bowl. The Hurricanes gave more prudish football fans and followers many reasons to complain during their 46-3 whipping of the Texas Longhorns. In all seriousness, I have always enjoyed the kind of football that the Hurricanes have put out there since the early 1980′s and this game in particular is a guilty pleasure every time I look at highlights from this game or the game’s broadcast.

The sportsmanship rules are something I’ve been against at any level because it robs fans of entertainment within the game, and all in the name of sportsmanship. My problem here is that sportsmanship is best saved for after the game, not before or during it. It seems absurd to me because the fans, coaches and players are all expected to possess a bloodlust in preparation for the game, especially in football, and are all then expected to continue to possess that bloodlust all game in the name of winning. But they also apparently have to be sophisticated while still possessing that bloodlust. The two things don’t mix.

To me, sport is about the highest level and intensity of athletic competition. This will create animosity and hatred between players of opposing teams, and in a way it should because the core thoughts in any sport are to win and better one’s self & team. All of that hatred and animosity should go out the window long enough after the game is completed for players and coaches to shake hands for a good game and then move on. But I digress.

Many people were of the opinion that The U’s image had finally caught up with them when they went on probation and a famous Sports Illustrated cover suggested that the university get rid of the football program altogether. The scandal at that time involved payments to players mainly from Luther Campbell of Miami-based rap group 2 Live Crew.

This is the scandal in the Hurricanes’ football history that best matches the Nevin Shapiro scandal because it involved a fan of the football program using his fame and the wealth that came with it to help out players who needed or wanted spare cash. The main differences between this scandal and the one involving Shapiro was that Campbell actually lived in Miami, Campbell had a closer relationship to the team on an emotional level than Shapiro could have ever had, and Shapiro’s money was fraudulently obtained while Campbell earned his money legally through his music.

It almost makes too much sense that the years of Hurricanes football where Butch Davis and Larry Coker coached winning teams with players such as Ken Dorsey, Willis McGahee, Jeremy Shockey, Jonathan Vilma and Ed Reed. Like the 80′s and early 90′s, this major scandal for the Hurricanes surrounds events that transpired during a time that saw the Hurricanes win a national championship in college football (2001). The details of the scandal may seem shocking to people, though it shouldn’t. The kind of stuff Shapiro was doing is very common in today’s society, both how he obtained his money and how he spent it. The fact that he is tied to a football team synonymous with illegal actions is one of those weird coincidences that makes more sense than it should.

It’s always seemed like this is the time of the year when it’s best to begin taking a good look at the schedule for the upcoming NFL season. The draft has come and gone, the biggest & most exciting part of the off-season free-agent scramble is over and the world has a good idea about what each team will be bringing to training camp.

Living in Wisconsin and being a Green Bay Packers fan, it does piss me off a bit that the Pack Attack only has one game on Monday night this upcoming season. Granted the one is one of their games against the Chicago Bears, so it almost qualifies to be on Monday night on historical significance alone. I am aware that the Packers have three Sunday night games on their schedule, but the point is that there are games on the Packers’ schedule this coming season that are Monday night worthy. Such games include at the San Francisco 49ers (week 1), at the Dallas Cowboys (week 15) and at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers (week 16).

The Packers’ 2013 schedule is balanced out a bit with some high-profile Sunday night games and another installment of Packers/Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. That is something I always enjoy as my Packers provide me with early entertainment that leads to the standard gorging on Turkey Day. Though the fact that the Oakland Raiders will be playing in Thanksgiving Day’s afternoon game against the Cowboys means I’ll probably have to really focus on eating instead of football.

It is a bit of a disgrace that the Baltimore Ravens will be opening the 2013 season on the road instead of at home. It’s only a bit of a disgrace because the tradition of the defending Super Bowl champion beginning their season at home isn’t an old tradition. However, it’s a good tradition and one that deserves to be continued. Also, the fact that a scheduling conflict with the Baltimore Orioles forcing the Ravens to begin on the road isn’t good enough for me and shouldn’t be good enough for football fans.

I’m a supporter of the Orioles because they play against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball’s American League East division, as well as the fact that Buck Showalter is their current manager. However, football is a far more beloved sport in this country than baseball and a Super Bowl champion football team should rank higher than a baseball team just returning to the playoffs after a long postseason absence. Had the Orioles won the AL or World Series last year, I might be willing to bend with my opinion in this case. But likely not.

As far as the games themselves, I’ve got seven that have yet to be mentioned in this article, but also have particular importance or appeal.

Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars, September 8
It doesn’t happen every year that the first two draft picks play against each other to begin the following season. This year will be such a year as it was a draft heavy with lineman, no pun intended. Eric Fisher (Chiefs) and Luke Joeckel (Jaguars) will go head-to-head on opening weekend where both lineman will experience a high-profile debut due to where they went in the draft and the coincidence of when their teams are playing against each other.

Denver Broncos at New York Giants, September 15
It’s the return of The Manning Bowl. Both brothers have Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl MVP’s, but you have to assume that games like this one take on a particular importance to Peyton Manning (Broncos) and Eli Manning (Giants). It may be team against team, but it’s really brother against brother, especially when both brothers are quarterbacks. Some might think it’s unbelievable that this wouldn’t be on Sunday night, but…

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, September 15
Even though they went to the Super Bowl and nearly won it all, I believe this is the game that coach Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers have circled on their calendar more than any other game on their 2013 season. This will be the 49ers’ return to Seattle after their 42-13 loss in Seattle last December. Ironically, the rematch will be under the lights just like last season’s blowout.

New England Patriots at Atlanta Falcons, September 29
It’s Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, a domed environment and it’s in primetime. As far as marquee non-conference match-ups go, this one is up there with the best that could be made. I’m expecting plenty of passing and plenty of scoring from both as neither team’s defense will likely have an answer for the other team’s quarterback.

Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, October 20
It’s the quarterback match-up that NFL fans have been waiting for since the Colts’ run to the playoffs last season: Peyton Manning Vs. Andrew Luck. And like the Brady/Ryan duel, this game will be inside of a dome and on Sunday night. It wouldn’t and shouldn’t surprise anyone if this ends up as the most watched Sunday night football game of the 2013 season.

Washington Redskins at Broncos, October 27
This game has a real chance of being the most watched NFL game of the 2013 season as it will be the first meeting between Peyton Manning and Robert Griffin III. After RG3‘s tremendous rookie season, people will be expecting more, and if RG3′s recovery goes as well as Adrian Peterson’s did last year from a massive knee injury, he will provide more. This game is an automatic marquee game no matter how good each team is doing beforehand. But if both teams are doing really good, this game could also end up being pivotal to both team’s postseason aspirations.

Broncos at Patriots, November 24
Finally a high-profile game involving the Broncos that is high-profile for reasons other than the quarterback match-up. Not only is it Broncos/Patriots, meaning that division titles and playoff positions will be at stake by this point in the season, but it will be Wes Welker‘s first trip back to New England since not be re-signed by the Pats during this offseason. For Patriots fans and followers that didn’t want to see Welker go, this will be an extremely bittersweet game no matter what happens.

Recently I wrote my thoughts on this year’s class that will be inducted into college football’s hall of fame. Along with the celebratory tone that goes with such an announcement comes the analysis of who is getting in, who didn’t get in and who didn’t get in that should already be in. With that in mind, these are the players that I believe already should be in the college football hall of fame, as well as players who should forever be on the radar as far as getting into the hall of fame is concerned. This list will focus on the 80′s as it is the decade furthest in the past that I have a great deal of knowledge and have seen a great deal of the games and great players thanks to ESPN Classic and YouTube.

Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, WR/KR, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Because he never played one position full-time is the only reason I can possibly see how this man isn’t in the hall already. All of those who follow college football either know the name or have heard the name. Because of how he played and where he went to college, it’s impossible for you to have not heard of this man’s name before. That aside, The Rocket covered the All-American qualifications, was part of a national title team and nearly two others, nearly won the Heisman Trophy in 1990. He was a star during his three years playing for the Fighting Irish with his star and stature in the college football world growing each season.

Eric Dickerson, RB, SMU Mustangs
This is where that moral high ground stuff comes into play as far as hall of fame inductions are concerned. I’ll get to that in more detail later, but I’ll just say that the transgressions of the school is what will likely always keep Dickerson out. I hope not because I’ve always been more of the mindset that a hall of fame should honor the best who played the sport as well as the history of the sport. Put in the details of the SMU scandal if you want, but this guy should be inducted.

Derrick Thomas, LB, Alabama Crimson Tide
This one has always been the consensus choice for most puzzling snub when it comes to college football’s hall of fame. Can’t really argue with that. Thomas’ 1988 season not only still ranks as one of the best defensive seasons in college football history, but only gets more impressive with each passing year. His career numbers and Butkus Award in ’88 should warrant induction, especially with the anti-defensive nature of college football today.

Lorenzo White, RB, Michigan St. Spartans
This one is a bit of a puzzlement to me. It’s likely that White not being a star on the national stage is what is keeping him out because, as is the trend in this article, his qualifications seem solid enough. White was a two-time All-American, ran for over 2,000 yards in 1985, was the first Big-Ten player to ever do so and lead the nation in rushing yards in that ’85 season.

Mark Carrier, S, USC Trojans
Being part of one of the golden children of college football (the most famous/prestigious/winningest programs) during a successful period in their history and being a key player in that success should get you into the hall of fame, right? Not in the case of Carrier, a two-time All-American and only Jim Thorpe Award winner in Trojans’ history. Carrier was part of the 1988 Trojans team that won ten games and the 1989 team that won the Rose Bowl, with conference titles both seasons and a near national title in ’88.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU Horned Frogs
As far as a first-ballot inductee goes, Tomlinson would have been absolutely perfect for the 2013 class. As someone who saw Tomlinson play on T.V. with the Horned Frogs as a child, in awe at times I might add, this snub angers me a bit. Only a bit because if he gets in next year it’ll only be one year too many that he was kept out. As long as his induction doesn’t get delayed too long I can live with him not getting in this year.

But seriously, how could he have not gotten in this year? His 2000 season was one for the record books both figuratively and literally with Tomlinson leading the nation in rushing yards and winning the Doak Walker Award. And then there was the 1999 season where Tomlinson lead the nation in rushing yards (out-gaining 2013 inductee Ron Dayne) and set the NCAA record for rushing yards in a game with his 406-yard performance against the UTEP Miners.

One other name that would otherwise be a slam-dunk, easy first ballot choice for the hall that I didn’t mention as needing to be inducted is Brian Bosworth. Bosworth would have been inducted years ago if induction was solely about on-the-field achievement and excellence. At Oklahoma, Bosworth personified that on the field during his three seasons in Norman with the All-American honors and awards to back it up. However, the steroid scandal that surrounded his exit from the college game will forever keep him out of the hall of fame in my opinion. In this case, I don’t have a problem with it. I love watching film of Boz and the Sooners during that period, but what got him into trouble was something involving performance enhancement. That is something I am okay with using as reason to keep someone out of a hall of fame when it is confirmed, as it was in Bosworth’s case.

I am hoping that Dickerson ends up getting into the hall within the next five to seven years. If he doesn’t, then I believe the argument is going to shift from Dickerson to Reggie Bush as far as awesome running backs not getting into the hall due to a major scandal during their playing days involving payments to players. That means that Dickerson may never get in.

This is the kind of thing I don’t believe should exclude players from induction. Yes it’s cheating in recruiting of athletes, but to me that’s as far as it goes. They cheated to get the player and should be punished for that, but don’t lose perspective. Just because you bought the player or players doesn’t automatically mean you are going to be a successful team. There are plenty (and I mean plenty) of instances where bought players helped produce winning teams. But don’t think that buying players never backfired on a team.

In the end, on-the-field achievement and excellence should weigh the most for induction because it is what is around forever. Once it’s happened, it’s happened, and it’s a matter of record with no amount of erasing wins after the fact being able to change that. If a hall of fame is about the game’s history, these kinds of players need to get in because they represent the game’s history and greatness within the game the same as the people who have been inducted. The only difference is their stories are a little darker, and I say, “so what?” All the stories of the game’s greats need to be told.

Every year a new group of men who played or coached college football are welcomed into its hall of fame. This year’s class was one that featured a posthumous selection, a veterans committee selection, and at least one selection from the 1950′s, 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, and 90′s. However, the class of 2013 is one that focuses more on football from the 90′s than anything else.

Of the 14 inductees, six of them played or coached prominently during the 90′s, and these are some pretty big names from that time in college football. So much so that you could almost tell the history of college football in that decade through this year’s inductees that played or coached in it.

At the beginning of the 90′s there was Bill McCartney and his Colorado Buffaloes on top of college football sharing the first national title of the decade and appearing in two Fiesta Bowls in the years before McCartney’s retirement after the 1994 season. That season that may have been McCartney’s best in Boulder. During this same period, Tedy Bruschi lead an Arizona Wildcats defense that made a few waves by only giving up 8 points to a defending co-champion Miami (FL) Hurricanes team and later beating the top-ranked and defending co-champion Washington Huskies in 1992. They followed this up by shutting out the Hurricanes in the 1994 Fiesta Bowl and began the ’94 season as Sports Illustrated’s #1 team in college football.

During the middle of the 90′s, Tommy Frazier was quarterbacking the Nebraska Cornhuskers to three straight national championship games with titles in 1994 and ’95. Frazier also nearly won the Heisman Trophy in ’95. For me, Frazier’s long touchdown run after breaking nearly ten tackles (literally) in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl is still one of my favorite plays of all-time in football at any level.

The title that got away from Frazier and the Cornhuskers is historically important because it was against the Florida St. Seminoles and gave Bobby Bowden his first national title one year before Tom Osbourne finally got his first. At the same time, Danny Wuerffel was leading the Florida Gators in a few of the most memorable and historically important games of the decade, all of those being against Florida St. Frazier and the Cornhuskers repeated as national champions at Wuerffel’s expense in ’95 only for Wuerffel to come back in ’96, win the Heisman Trophy and then win the national title when given a second chance against Florida St. that season.

Just beneath all of that, Orlando Pace was making a name for himself at Ohio St. during the mid-90′s as the best offensive lineman in college football and was on his way to becoming a #1 draft pick in the NFL. His blocking helped Eddie George to a Heisman Trophy in ’95, not to mention that the Buckeyes were routinely in the top 5 during Pace’s time in Columbus. Pace went out a winner in the Rose Bowl, helping the Buckeyes to victory and preventing the Arizona St. Sun Devils from winning at least a share of the national title at the same time.

And then there was the great Ron Dayne. Remember, we’re talking about the college football hall of fame here. You have to understand, as someone who still lives in Wisconsin, the late-1990′s were a very fun time to be a football fan. Not only were the Green Bay Packers appearing in Super Bowls and conference title games, but the Wisconsin Badgers were going to Rose Bowl games. And on top of it all, here came this big dude running through holes and just through people while aided by the usual big and talented offensive line the Badgers were producing under Barry Alvarez.

Dayne ended up setting the all-time rushing record in FBS college football, breaking the record in his Heisman Trophy season of 1999. He also ran for 200 yards twice in the Rose Bowl. Dayne’s biggest accomplishment to me was becoming famous, and making the team a name in the process, on a national level.

In the end there are two Heisman Trophy winners, four national titles, numerous major bowl appearances, and a pretty good picture of what the 1990′s were about when it came to the big winners in college football. Some spots of that picture aren’t colored in yet, but the picture is already becoming pretty clear.

It’s not that this year’s inductees from other decades weren’t any good, far from it. In fact, Vinnie Testaverde was one of the best inductees of this whole class. To this day it still amazes me to go through history and have to find out all over again that Vinnie never won a bowl game while at The U. Everyone remembers The Fatigues Game against Penn St. in the Fiesta Bowl for the title, but Vinnie ended up 0-2 in national title situations while going 22-1 in the regular season. An easy pick for induction.

I’ve always been in favor of a separate committee made up of former players for any sport’s hall of fame. So obviously I enjoyed seeing that there was a Veterans Committee selection into this year’s class. That selection this year was Steve Meilinger who played end at Kentucky from 1951-53.

The other coaching inductee this year was Wayne Hardin. Hardin is someone who’s work I’m vaguely familiar with. I am aware of his job in the 1960′s with the Navy Midshipmen where he coached them to appearances in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl, Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy under Hardin, and the Midshipmen nearly won a national title with Hardin as coach. With the Temple Owls, Hardin guided thm to their first bowl win as a team, and it turned out to be their last for over 30 years.

Other inductions were before my time, but I do take note of Jerry Gray, Rod Shoate, and Percy Snow‘s inductions. Gray was a defensive back for a very good Texas Longhorns team in the early 80′s that nearly won a national title, Shoate was this year’s posthumous inductee with two national titles during his time as a linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners in the mid-1970′s, and Snow was a linebacker for the Michigan St. Spartans on their last Big-Ten championship team (1987) as well as the team that won the 1988 Rose Bowl.

All in all it was a good job by the selection committee in producing a good list of worthy inductees. There are still those players & coaches that should have been inducted this year or should have been inducted already. But you know what, that’s another topic for another day.

Free agent DB Ronde Barber announced on Wednesday that he would not be returning for an 18th season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The handwriting was on the wall for Barber after the Buccaneers moved aggressively this offseason to repair their biggest flaw during the 2012 season, the secondary. After trading for CB Darrelle Revis, signing free agent S Dashon Goldson and drafting CB Johnthan Banks, Barber’s future with the Buccaneers seemed cloudy.

Tampa did not pressure Barber to make his decision on any timetable. Apparently no other team reached out to Barber with any interest of signing the record setting corner this offseason. It was always assumed that Barber would return to the Buccaneers for one more season or simply retire. He made his decision on Wednesday, he’ll be walking away from the game he so passionately loves.

Barber redefined the way corners play in the Tampa-2 defense and arguably filled that role better than anyone else. A third-round pick out of Virginia, Barber is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 interceptions and 25 sacks. He appeared in 215 consecutive games for the Buccaneers, while appearing in 242 total games (the most in Buccaneers history). He will forever be remembered for the biggest play in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, a 92-yard interception of Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb in the team’s 27-10 victory which sent them to Super Bowl XXXVII.

Head coach Greg Schiano openly stated that Barber would be welcomed back in 2013 but as the offseason progressed, it became clear that his role on the defense would change greatly. Last season, the Buccaneers moved Barber out of his traditional corner role and into a safety position. He responded well, becoming the team’s third leading tackler with 82 and leading the team in interceptions at four. Barber was named as an alternated to the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

There is no doubt that Barber would have been able to play at a high level in 2013 but it’s not clear if his diminished role played a part in his decision. He would more than likely have filled the role of player/coach with just spot duties assigned to him. Riding the bench and participating in perhaps just 15-20 plays a game would simply not do for the highly competitive Barber.

Barber told Jay Glazer of FOX Sports on Wednesday, “I’ve had a better run than I ever could’ve dreamed of having.” 47 interceptions, 28 sacks and 1,476 career tackles later, Buccaneers fans would have to agree. The last question surrounding Barber’s career is whether or not he achieved enough on the field to warrant a trip to Canton.

Although his veteran leadership will be missed on the field, Barber made a wide decision to retire rather than to accept a diminished role where the majority of his season would play out on the sidelines.