Under Center: The NFL In The New Millennium

Chapter Eleven, Part Twelve: The Retrial
October 10, 2011: The Roethlisberger trial moves to another part of Colorado, although it is extremely difficult to find an unbiased jury.

October 15, 2011: Ben Roethlisberger moves to have his retrial dismissed, on the grounds that finding an unbiased jury is nearly impossible. The motion is denied.

October 23, 2011: The Roethlisberger retrial is announced, and it will begin on November 3.

November 3, 2011: The Roethlisberger retrial commences. There is a new strategy taken, as the prosecution talks less of Roethlisberger’s strength, and instead, they talk of how he acted once Erickson was on the ground. The defense more robustly uses the stand-your-ground precedent in the state of Colorado to prove his innocence.

November 9, 2011: Ben Roethlisberger comes to the podium once again, and stresses the danger he felt he was in when the fight took place. He says that the three punches he threw while Erickson was on the ground were due to a genuine fear that Erickson would attack once more unless action was taken.

November 10, 2011: The video evidence is presented, as is the fact that Erickson was a Chiefs fan.

November 13, 2011: The woman the two men were fighting over, who hopes to remain anonymous, testifies through a video chat about that night and says that Erickson was aggressive when flirting.

November 26, 2011: The owner of the bar the two men were at testifies and says that when he attempted to break up the fight, Roethlisberger, who had just thrown the three punches, immediately stopped fighting and displayed a so-called “look of horror” on his face.

December 1, 2011: The video evidence is analyzed by several “experts” in fighting techniques, emotional reactions, and police specializing in murder investigations.

December 7, 2011: The Roethlisberger retrial closes.

December 14, 2011: The retrial ends with a hung jury and another mistrial. The judge then dismisses the case, in line with precedent.
 
Chapter Twelve, Part One: Victorious Vick & Redbird RGIII
February 13, 2012: Michael Vick announces his preferred teams:

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Tennessee Titans
  • New England Patriots
  • New York Jets
  • Carolina Panthers
  • Miami Dolphins

February 14, 2012: Robert Kraft announces that due to the moral behavior of Michael Vick, the New England Patriots have no interest in him.

February 22, 2012: The Tennessee Titans decide against further pursuing Michael Vick after he asks for a contract that would require them to trade several other bit players. It is speculated that due to the Colts playing in the same division as the Titans, Vick intends to get the most money from where he thinks he is the most needed.

February 25, 2012: The New York Jets make it publicly clear they have no intention of pursuing Michael Vick, as they believe he is not suited for such a large media market, and fear that he would be out of shape.

February 29, 2012: Michael Vick holds video calls with the Dolphins, Buccaneers, and Panthers, and he proposes a different contract for each of them, the most expensive from the Dolphins, the longest for the Panthers, and the most convenient for the Buccaneers. He is enthusiastically received by the Dolphins, who want him to sign with them in order to bring back a competitive edge to a weak team in a strong division. The Panthers hope to make him the centerpiece of trade- and draft-based team, off of a contract that will last until 2018. The Buccaneers hope to take him away from the division rival Panthers and begin a rebuild that could allow for them to contend for the division against the defense-heavy Saints and the upcoming Falcons.

April 2, 2012: Michael Vick turns down the Panthers offer, as it quickly becomes apparent that the management would keep him after they passed a “win-now” window.

April 8, 2012: The Arizona Cardinals, holders of the #1 overall pick, sign QB Robert Griffin III from Oregon before the draft. RG3 is considered one of the most exciting prospects out of college in several years, and, while not as safe as Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning were, he is said to be a potentially invigorating pick that could help the ailing franchise. The Cardinals are considered a candidate for relocation, possibly either to Salt Lake City or OKC and will likely only stay in Phoenix if they can increase fan enthusiasm and team income within the next four years.
 
Honestly I think in the Ben piece, he might go to retrial. Depends on big an ass the DA is.

The lawyers for Ben might try to cut a deal to keep a retrial from happening. Ben would plea to one count of Mutual Combat which from my look on the interwebby is a first class misdemeanor in Colorado. It carries a max of up to 18 months and prison and up to a 5,000 dollar fine. But given the fact that Ben is cutting plea deal its most likely going to be as follows. A 5,000 dollar fine. Up to two years of probation. Up to 200 hours of anger management classes and or community service. Given he is facing years in prison if they get anything but a mistrial if I was Ben's lawyers I be telling him to take the deal. The DA would take this unless they are an ass to save the cost of a retrial and clear the case.

As to Vick in Tampa, he might put asses in the seats at RayJay, but I don't think he will get Tampa back to the promise land.
 
Honestly I think in the Ben piece, he might go to retrial. Depends on big an ass the DA is.

The lawyers for Ben might try to cut a deal to keep a retrial from happening. Ben would plea to one count of Mutual Combat which from my look on the interwebby is a first class misdemeanor in Colorado. It carries a max of up to 18 months and prison and up to a 5,000 dollar fine. But given the fact that Ben is cutting plea deal its most likely going to be as follows. A 5,000 dollar fine. Up to two years of probation. Up to 200 hours of anger management classes and or community service. Given he is facing years in prison if they get anything but a mistrial if I was Ben's lawyers I be telling him to take the deal. The DA would take this unless they are an ass to save the cost of a retrial and clear the case.

As to Vick in Tampa, he might put asses in the seats at RayJay, but I don't think he will get Tampa back to the promise land.

For the Ben case, I’ll just say that’s happening. I read while researching that it is highly irregular for two mistrials to be tried once more, but I think since he’s a celebrity your solution is much better.
 
Chapter Twelve, Part Two: Signing & The 2012 NFL Draft
April 10, 2012: The Cincinnati Bengals, holders of the #2 overall pick, sign RB Trent Richardson from Alabama before the draft. Richardson garners comparisons to Walter Payton and Barry Sanders, and is thought to be a can’t miss prospect at the running back position.

April 12, 2012: Michael Vick signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on a contract that will pay him $28 million until 2016.

April 26-28, 2012: With the #1 overall pick, the Arizona Cardinals select QB Robert Griffin III from Oregon. With the #2 overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals select RB Trent Richardson from Alabama. With the #3 overall pick, the San Fransisco 49ers (from Pittsburgh) select LB Luke Kuechly from Stanford. With the #5 overall pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select CB Stephon Gilmore from South Carolina. With the #7 overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles (from Detroit) select QB Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M. With the #10 overall pick, the Carolina Panthers select QB Matt Barkley from UCLA. With the #30 overall pick, the Los Angeles Rams select LB Harrison Smith from Notre Dame. With the #32 overall pick, the New York Giants select DT Fletcher Cox of Ole Miss. With the #55 overall pick, the Miami Dolphins select Heisman-winning QB Russell Wilson from Ohio State. (Wilson would also be selected by the New York Mets in the third round of the MLB Draft, and plans to play minor league baseball as well.) With the #78 overall pick, the Washington Football Club selects QB Nick Foles of Arizona State. With the #88 overall pick, the Los Angeles Rams select WR T.Y. Hilton of Ole Miss. With the #119 overall pick, the Cleveland Browns select QB Ryan Lindley of Pitt. The draft is notable for a relative lack of in-draft trades compared to the previous years.
 
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Chapter Twelve, Part Three: Running Rivers, Welcome Back Ben, & The Reign of Terror
May 5, 2012: Philip Rivers, QB for the Cleveland Browns, is traded to the Dallas Cowboys in a blockbuster that sees Dallas give their 2013 and 2014 first-round picks, along with WR Jordy Nelson, for the Pro Bowler. The Browns plan to start rookie Ryan Lindley in his place, a risky gamble, but one they hope will pay off, as they see their fourth-rounder as a steal.

May 12, 2012: Ben Roethlisberger is officially renamed the Denver Broncos’ starting QB.

September 9, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons defeat the heavily favored Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, 45-13, as Andrew Luck throws for three touchdowns and 406 yards, along with rushing for a touchdown and 34 yards.

September 17, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 56-0, as Andrew Luck passes for five touchdowns, and 459 yards. Falcons S Earl Thomas gets two interceptions, one of which he returns for a touchdown, and a forced fumble, along with a fumble recovery in the game.

September 23, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Raymond James Stadium, 48-39, as Andrew Luck passes for three touchdowns along with 387 yards, and rushes for a touchdown. The former Falcons, now Buccaneers, starting QB, Michael Vick, threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more, in a defeat that saw him throw an interception and fumble once, on the run after an Earl Thomas hit.

September 30, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons defeat the Denver Broncos at Mile High, 41-28, as Andrew Luck passes for 3 touchdowns and 361 yards. Ben Roethlisberger passes for 4 touchdowns, one interception, and 400 yards in the loss.

October 7, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons defeat the Las Vegas Express, 51-9, as Andrew Luck passes for three touchdowns and 406 yards, and rushes for two touchdowns and 106 yards.

October 8, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons’ win streak, during which they have never scored less than 40 points, gains its nickname from Mike Ditka, who refers to it as the “Reign of Terror”, in a discussion with Skip Bayless on the air.

October 14, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons defeat the Toronto Stallions, 50-17, as Andrew Luck passes for six touchdowns and 443 yards. DE Ryan Kerrigan sacks Eli Manning five times, including two times in the end zone.

October 18, 2012: When asked about the “Reign of Terror” nickname, Andrew Luck replies “Let them eat losses.”

October 28, 2012: The Atlanta Falcons defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, 49-14, as Andrew Luck passes for five touchdowns and 384 yards.

November 4, 2012: The New York Giants defeat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime at the Georgia Dome, 59-56, in the highest scoring NFL game of all time. Drew Brees passes for seven touchdowns and 516 yards and Andrew Luck passes for seven touchdowns and 503 yards, along with an interception, as the game becomes the first ever to see both teams’ quarterbacks pass for seven touchdowns and over 500 yards. The Giants officially end the Reign of Terror and claim that they will be able to conquer the Falcons again if they meet in the playoffs.
 
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Chapter Twelve, Part Four: Shoot Out In Indy & Leinart Is Lost
November 4, 2012: The Indianapolis Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 38-3, as Philip Rivers passes for five interceptions and fumbled once in the first three-quarters of the game, before being pulled after his fifth interception. He records a 0.0 passer rating and is benched.

November 25, 2012: Matt Leinart is suspended from playing in the NFL indefinitely, personally by NFL Commissioner Steve Young, and cut by the New Orleans Saints, after many accusations were made against Leinart that alleged that, in order to pay off debts, the Saints now-former starter gambled on his own games, and may have purposefully called plays to help his bets. It is believed that this behavior could possibly go back to his time in Detroit. If these allegations are true, the former Heisman-winning could likely face a lifetime ban from playing in the NFL, and could even be brought to court for his actions. Despite this, the FFL has shown interest in bringing him in to play, as T. Boone Pickens and the Houston Roughnecks attempt to arrange a meeting with the controversial QB.

December 1, 2012: Written and audio evidence of Matt Leinart’s gambling is produced, and he verifies that the allegations are true. He does, however, appeal his lifetime ban from competition, as he hopes to be able to return after spending time in a rehabilitation facility.
 
I can hear the jokes now if he does start for the FFL from places like the Dan LeBatard show. "Hey, why not, people loved pro wrestling and it was scripted, at least here's a guy who admits doing it." :)
 
Chapter Twelve, Part Four: Rebuilding Rogers, Cross-Pollination, & "The Commissioner Tapes"
December 7, 2012: Roger Goodell announces that the Toronto Stallions and Toronto Blue Jays plan to begin a joint effort to renovate Rogers Centre to be more accommodating to both teams. They plan on expanding the hotel in the stadium, upping the capacity, and renovating the locker rooms, as well as making it easier to be turned into a concert or convention hall.

December 10, 2012: NFL Commissioner Steve Young announces that the league will begin exploring the possibility of letting team owners also own other sports teams in the same market. This is after Roger Goodell shows intense interest in purchasing the Toronto Blue Jays, the Maras have shown interest in buying the New York Mets, and Paul Allen shows interest in buying the Seattle SuperSonics.

December 20, 2012: Audio of NFL executive meetings is leaked, and reveals several tactics used by the league, as well as some controversial statements. Commissioner Steve Young said, regarding Matt Leinart’s suspension “He can’t stay… It still baffles me how we haven’t banned him for the stuff he’s been pulling the past year. We should add that to the player conduct rule because he’s clearly shown he cannot handle this experience.” Several executives are heard talking about NASCAR, and the plan too, according to one executive “take that little bug of an organization down a peg.” They expressed dismay and some confusion when NASCAR attempted to challenge them by holding the Indianapolis 500 the same day as the Colts’ home opening, saying “They’re idiots if they think Indiana would rather watch people drive for a few hours instead of the Colts”, “I can’t wait to see all those empty bleachers in front of those cars”, and “Well, we can sure as hell count on NASCAR to make us look good.” Their plan to take down NASCAR, usually a minor disturbance when it comes to ratings when compared to the league, is to market their coverage aggressively during NASCAR broadcasts, and to entice southern audiences to watch the NFL through intense “astroturfed” campaigns for their local teams, in the words of a guest marketing executive “Take the old ‘Luv Ya Blue’ Oilers movement and multiply it across the anywhere the so-called sport of racing is popular.” The anti-racing speak is common, as most executives, including Steve Young, call it variously “As boring as a paint drying competition”, “the laziest sport of all time”, and “something my 17-year-old could do with ease”, and they disparage it for, according to them, “Not being notable for anything except a flaming car wreck, which is a pretty apt comparison to it right now.” They also talk about the relocation of franchises, with Steve Young saying “I think that San Diego should get a team. The Express wanted to a new stadium, and without one, they had no other options than to move. Same with the Bills, although Buffalo is purely toxic, all we’ll get is a welcome home riot from them.” It is also revealed that the executives did, in fact, consider Montreal and San Diego for expansion, and toyed with the names “Metros”, as a revival of the old Montreal Metros team, and “Sailors”, as the Chargers name was staying with the FFL.
 
Chapter Twelve, Part Five: The Champions & The 2012-2013 NFL Honors
January 20, 2013: The New York Giants defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 49-41, in the NFC Championship game. They will go onto face either the Colts or the Broncos.

January 20, 2013: The Indianapolis Colts defeat the Denver Broncos, 38-17, and will advance to the Super Bowl, where they will face the New York Giants, in what many deem “The Power Bowl”, due to the fact that two bona fide contenders will face each other in the Super Bowl for the first time. It is especially notable because Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, considered two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, will face each other.

February 2, 2013: Andrew Luck is named NFL MVP (1) and the winner of the Joe Montana Award (1), after passing for league-leading 45 touchdowns and 5,117 yards, along with a league-leading passer rating of 113.7. (For those of you paying attention, Colin Cowherd won the bet of what year Andrew Luck would win the MVP Award, as he chose Luck’s second year. Skip Bayless chose Luck’s third year, Joel Klatt said year four, Stephen A. Smith said that it would be year five, and Tom Brady chose year six. The bet was for an Andrew Luck jersey, which he would sign, and $1,000, paid for by the other bettors.) Rob Gronkowski of the Green Bay Packers is named Offensive Player of the Year. Earl Thomas wins the Lawrence Taylor Defensive Player of the Year Award. QB Russell Wilson of the Miami Dolphins wins Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, after leading the Dolphins to a 9-7 record, and passing for 21 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions, the best rookie ratio ever, and rushing for four touchdowns and 516 yards. Ben Roethlisberger wins the Comeback Player of the Year Award, after passing for 31 touchdowns and 3,871 yards, and leading his team to the AFC Championship game. His win is controversial, as many objects to honoring a killer with such an award.
 
For a new San Diego team, hear me out: the San Diego Fleet.

Or if you want to do Marine Corps instead of Navy, the San Diego Devil Dogs.

Wasn't the Fleet used in the AAF? I think I may use that one, I don't know, I'm torn between Sailors and Fleet.

I don't think the Devil Dogs would be usable, because the Mexico City Diablos are going to be in the league. Either way, the name would be too long.
 
Wasn't the Fleet used in the AAF? I think I may use that one, I don't know, I'm torn between Sailors and Fleet.

I don't think the Devil Dogs would be usable, because the Mexico City Diablos are going to be in the league. Either way, the name would be too long.

Jarheads? Leathernecks? Crayon-munchers?

Shit, that would be awesome - have a Marine-themed team based out of San Diego, a Navy-themed team in Virginia Beach/Norfolk, an Army-themed team and an Air Force team somewhere else, and the rivalries write themselves.
 
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