Good morning, New York Giants fans! Not much Giants news to report this morning, so today's notebook is more of a look around the league.
Eli Manning: I wasn't nervous hosting 'Saturday Night Live' - NFL.com
According to Manning, though, the cast of the long-running NBC show was surprised that he wasn't nervous. "I do live every Sunday," he said he told them. "If I mess up (on stage) I just say, hey, I’m a football player, not an actor, no big deal. Sundays, I don’t have that excuse."
Two techniques rookie WRs must develop | National Football Post
If you want to produce, then these two techniques are crucial.
Three and out: Robert Griffin III the starter in D.C. - NFL.com
An end to Shanahanigans? Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan wasted little time as he installed Robert Griffin III as the team’s starting quarterback.
"Obviously any time you pick a player with the second pick in the draft and you give up two No. 1s and a No. 2 to move up four spots, you’ve got a game plan in mind," Shanahan said at the conclusion of this weekend’s rookie minicamp. "We’re going to put him with the first team, when we come back.
"He’s the starter, period."
Yes, that kind of stuff is obvious to most NFL coaches, but not Shanahan. So please, forgive us if we were a little bit skeptical. That said, it still wouldn’t surprise me to see RG3 benched at some point.
Why Redskins fans should be doing cartwheels over what coach Mike Shanahan said this weekend - NFL.com
Do people do cartwheels when they’re happy? I don’t know if they really do. But if that happens, Redskins fans should do some. The reason why has nothing to do with drafting Robert Griffin III or anything else. Although… that’s clearly a good thing.
Instead, it has to do with coach Mike Shanahan’s comments over the weekend. Essentially, Shanahan said he wanted to cater his offense to the talents of the ultra athletic pocket passer, RGIII. Not fit Griffin into a mold Shanahan already has. Yes, really. The same rigid, stubborn Shanahan.
Jonathan Vilma appeals yearlong suspension for participation in Saints bounty program | NJ.com
Saints linebacker asking to see evidence NFL has that he led bounty program.
NFL isn't in danger of dying soon, but you can hear whispers - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy
In this era of strife and distrust between the union and owners there is one potential area of agreement, and it's the possibility that the numerous concussion lawsuits represent the greatest threat the NFL has ever seen.
"The league has lived through wars," said one owner, "and I believe it will live through this, but this is the biggest challenge we may ever face."
The NFL is in an extremely difficult spot. In order to keep itself alive, it may have to lower the level of violence dramatically, but it is that level of intense violence that draws many fans.
The crux of this conundrum, which will undoubtedly be discussed repeatedly as various lawsuits proceed through the legal system, is that all players -- current and retired -- have different definitions of just how much violence is too much. Or too little. There are now just as many former players who say there is too much violence in football as there are current ones claiming Goodell has made the sport soft.
The 10 best rookie quarterback seasons in modern NFL history | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
From the blog Shutdown Corner: Two things stand out looking at the 10 best rookie quarterback seasons in modern (post-merger) NFL history: one, that there aren't very many great ones; and two, that most of those are recent.