A Little Off-Season Football Talk Open Thread - [Niedermeyer's Dead Horse]

It's only a few short months away but feels like an eternity. Fortunately, talk of the draft and of schedules keeps football from disappearing altogether in the off-season.

The 2014 season will kick off Thursday, September 4th, with Green Bay playing at Seattle. The rest of the schedule can be found here.

Reports: Northwestern football players overwhelmingly vote to reject unionization. I suppose the players aren't all the dumb jocks they are made out to be. More from Bloomberg.

Here's the statement from Northwestern following the vote:

We deeply appreciate each and every one of the young men who came out today and allowed their voices to be heard. They represent what we are all about at Northwestern: intelligent, thoughtful, involved students and leaders who make up their own minds on important matters.

We have been at the center of a national discussion about student-athlete welfare that has allowed us to show how much we care about our young men and women and their education. During the most recent academic quarter, all 19 of our varsity programs achieved a GPA above 3.0 and a cumulative GPA of 3.22. Our football student-athletes lead the country with their 97 percent graduation rate.

Moving forward, our football team is concentrating on finishing the academic year with a strong performance in the spring quarter as well as preparing for next season, just as they do every year at this time.

This discussion has put us in the national spotlight. Northwestern strongly believes in the issues that have been raised, and the University has been a leader in several of these areas, including awarding four-year scholarships and providing extended medical benefits.

Our efforts as a University will continue to focus on providing a world-class experience for our 492 student-athletes, as well as working collaboratively to address the broader issues throughout intercollegiate athletics.

We�re looking forward to leading new conversations that involve not just one football team but the hundreds of thousands of student-athletes across the country who participate in collegiate athletics.�

Lots of speculation afoot re who'll go to whom in the draft. All the usual folks have twitter addresses but I also follow these folks: TDdaily

Here's their 2014 mock draft.

Montana and Marino to face off once again? Yep.

For posterity's sake, Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Dan Marino will square off one last time at Candlestick Park.

The San Francisco 49ers announced this week that Montana, 57, and Marino, 52, will headline a flag football game, scheduled for July 12, in a historic final game before the organization moves to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

Silver: The 'Stick's greatest hits
Michael Silver gets an inside perspective on Candlestick's most enduring moments from the men who made them happen. READ
Montana began his illustrious NFL career in 1979, eight years after the 49ers moved from colorful Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park to Candlestick. Among the greatest of Montana's many career highlights is a victory over young phenom Marino and his Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX.

This event offers a rematch of sorts for the two premier quarterbacks of the 1980s.

Each team will feature former all-stars.

Montana will be joined by fellow 49ers legends Jerry Rice, Roger Craig and Dwight Clark. Marino's team has yet to be announced.

Might we suggest 52-year-old marvel Herschel Walker as Marino's versatile backfield mate?

Speaking of Montana:

I deeply regret that I never got to see him play in person.

And, of course, what would a football post be without elbows?

OT, but BTW, don't forget that tonight is Movie Night with the Morons. So, run out and grab Battleship and join us at 8 pm.

Open thread.

posted by Open Blogger at 06:45 PM

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