Falcons

It’s always nice to see the NFL actually doing something right.

It all started, although could have gone further, with the changes to the overtime rules at the owners’ meetings not too long ago. Now, the Denver Broncos, who have been less than impressive when it comes to player relations the past few years, decided they would have Jason Elam retire as a Bronco.

Former Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Ed Johnson has signed with the Carolina Panthers as he adds depth to the team’s defensive line with his potential and size.

Johnson, who started all 16 NFL regular season games in the 2007 season [his rookie year] was an undrafted player coming out of Penn State. He also played under current Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks so the coach is aware of the potential and energy Johnson brings to the team for next season.

The Houston Texans with a 9-7 record this season almost made the NFL postseason and in a way to reward their head coach Gary Kubiak, owner Bob McNair and the organization have given the coach a contract extension.

The Texans announced Wednesday that the coach has signed a contract extension that runs through the 2012 season. With Kubiak leading the Texans to their first winning season and record in franchise history, there really is no need for the organization to let go of a successful and a possibility of building on what they had this year.

After such a phenomenal season, though he did not receive a single vote for the NFL MVP, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson has been named the NFL’s offensive player of the year.

His speed during the regular season was obviously blinding and his numbers as well demonstrated that he deserves the award. Considered the fastest player in the NFL, Johnson was not only fast, he was elusive as well.

The Seattle Seahawks have fired head coach Jim Mora after only his first season in charge and there are speculations that USC head coach Pete Carroll might take over the position. According to ESPN.com, an announcement of Carroll becoming the Seahawks’ head coach could happen as early as next week.

ESPN.com is citing league sources that would rather remain anonymous.

Though the sad news that Chris Henry died following the accident when he fell the back of a truck, it has been announced that Warrick Dunn is a minority owner with the Atlanta Falcons.

Dunn, a former Falcons running back, who retired following the 2008 NFL season, has invested in a piece of the team that he played six seasons with.

Though Dunn started his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it seems he has a relationship with the owner of the Falcons Arthur Blank more than he does with the Glazer family and the Buccaneers organization.

According to the Associate Press, Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Michael Vick can keep his $16 million in roster bonuses from the time he was with the Atlanta Falcons.

Apparently a federal appeals court, Tuesday, supported a judge who ruled against the NFL and backed the Eagles quarterback in keeping the bonus.

Judge David Doty had order that Vick could keep the bonus and The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supported that motion, because this was money Vick had already earned before his dogfighting conviction, hence he could not part with the money.

To hear that the Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox is 7-0 in New Orleans against the Saints is quite news to anyone who rarely follows both teams, but this is the beauty of the NFL as both the Panthers and Saints square off on Sunday in New Orleans in a game that would have easily be handed to the Saints if not for the record.

After an interesting Week 7 in the NFC East, it seems like the only thing that can be expected from the division on a weekly basis is, well, uncertainty.

The New York Giants who at one point seemed like the team to beat in the entire league dropped its second game in a row. The Arizona Cardinals were able to showcase their defense in the Meadowlands and forced three interceptions against Eli Manning. Manning had as many interceptions in this game as he had in the first six games of the season, and only managed to find the end zone once.

It was a down week for the teams in the NFC East as the New York Giants finally suffered their first lost of the season, the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the lowly Raiders, and the Washington Redskins keep playing like one of the worst teams in football as they went down to Kansas City.