Archive for August 25th, 2011

WATERCOOLER CHAT: COLLINS OUT OF RETIREMENT, CHRIS JOHNSON WANTS THE BIG BUCKS, VEGAS BBALL LEAGUE

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, with Peyton Manning battling a neck injury, the Colts… are getting a bit nervous.  They know that their success is directly linked to Manning’s health, and he’s been the starter for so long, that they’re not exactly trusting of back-up Jim Sorgi.  So, to hedge their bets for the season, they made a call to a skilled, albeit retired veteran to provide some QB insurance.  That’s right, Kerry Collins is coming out of retirement and will serve as either Manning’s back-up, or potentially, start Week 1.  Collins is getting up there in age, but with a good playbook and a healthy set of receivers, he can win football games.

And, in a follow-up from yesterday’s story, Titans star running back Chris Johnson finally had his ‘sit-down’ talk with the organization. The top running backs in the league make about $8-$9million per year.   Johnson wants more than the top running-back, he wants to be among the overall top paid players.  For example, Larry Fitzgerald just got signed for $15 million per year.  THAT’S the type of money that Johnson wants, and feels he deserves it.  Most likely, he won’t get that much, but they will probably quote him at $10 million and let him mull that over.  Obviously, that’s not chump change, but Johnson’s value will never be higher than it is now (a young running-back putting up major numbers), and he’s looking for the biggest pay day of his life.

BASKETBALL

 

Finally, a make shift NBA is developing out in Las Vegas.  The players are clearly locked out from the NBA right now, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to stay in shape.  Being a physically fit and skilled athlete is their livelihood, and they don’t want to lose that.  That’s why a league is forming in Vegas that could feature about 50 NBA players, including some major stars.  Blake Griffin is expected to be there, as is Rudy Gay and maybe even Kevin Durant.  These guys simply want to play ball, and not with the rigors that playing overseas would demand.  This is more casual play, but competitive nonetheless.  Unfortunately for us fans, the players and owners don’t seem to be talking much, and there’s an increasingly likely chance that we won’t have basketball this upcoming season.

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