Around the NFL is a weekly offseason feature on Foxboro Blog offering an irreverent (and sometimes humorous) look at some of the top news stories from the NFL. Read at your own risk!

• NFL players and owners are closer than ever to a new CBA after agreeing in principle on a salary cap and rookie wage scale this week. Most onlookers expressed shock and amazement that an agreement is coming together around the same time that both parties are facing the loss of up to $200 million in revenue from preseason games.
• Ya know, I realize that if it weren’t for stupid, immature, overgrown children in the NFL, this column would be as dry and uninspired as Rebecca Black lyrics. But no player I cover in this space has proven to be quite as stupid, immature and childish as Steelers LB James Harrison. He gets top billing in this space again this week. And this time, it’s not for beating up a woman. His recent interview in Men’s Journal included enough silliness to fill this entire column.
• Of greatest interest to Patriots fans were his claims that he should have won another Super Bowl in 2004. “We were the best team in football in 2004, but the Patriots, who we beat during the regular season, stole our signals and picked up 90 percent of our blitzes. They got busted for it later.” Harrison’s completely unsubstantiated accusations are troubling, but not for the reason you’d think. After all, the Pats gave up more sacks per passing attempt in that game (1 sack for every 11.5 dropbacks) than the Pittsburgh defense averaged all season (1 sack for every 13.4 dropbacks). If the Patriots were stealing signals, the only logical conclusion must be that all of Pittsburgh’s other opponents that year were also illegally videotaping signals. It's clearly a league-wide conspiracy against Harrison and the Steelers. Somebody get Jesse Ventura on the phone!
• Also, if having the best record in the regular season somehow entitles a team to a Super Bowl win no matter how bad that team shits the bed in the playoffs, I’m sure Harrison wouldn’t mind giving up his 2008 Super Bowl ring to a member of the Titans. I’d suggest mailing it to Lendale White so he can subsequently pawn it for $2000 worth of McBucks.
• Harrison also had choice words for his own team’s quarterback, criticizing Roethlisberger’s two interceptions in the Super Bowl. “Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again. Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain’t that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does.” This one isn’t even worth a sexual assault joke. I’m no fan of Big Ben, but how much of a sniveling little bitch do you have to be to throw your own quarterback under the bus after you were nearly invisible for the entire game? Harrison had one freakin’ tackle in the Super Bowl. One. That’s the same number as Packers kicker Mason Crosby. Harrison played for a defense that couldn’t force a single turnover, gave up 338 yards and allowed four scoring drives that started in Green Bay territory. He also characterized RB Rashard Mendenhall as a “fumble machine,” further endearing himself in the locker room. He’s got be one wrong word away from being the next sketch in Dave Chappelle’s “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong.”
• I’m done talking about Harrison for today. If I keep going, I’m going to end up challenging him to a cage match. And I can’t win in that scenario. Even if I beat his ass, he’d find a way to blame Roger Goodell, the Patriots, the lighting, his teammates or maybe even the dimensions of the cage. He has the same sense of personal responsibility you’d expect from a belligerent spoiled teenager.
• Kenny Britt was NOT involved in any police incidents this week. I found that item to be more newsworthy than Pacman Jones’ latest arrest.
  I kinda miss the days when I could type “Pacman” into a Google search box and the first predictive text suggestion was for a little yellow guy chasing ghosts and eating pellets instead of stories about strip club arrests.
• Dancing With the Stars phenom Hines Ward was arrested in Georgia this week for a DUI. I feel for Hines. If I had to deal with all of the
  Big Ben jokes down there in Georgia, I think I’d need a few stiff drinks too.
• And finally, Eagles WR Desean Jackson is in hot water this week after launching a string of anti-gay slurs during a radio show that would make the most ardent neo-Nazi blush. He was immediately indignant about the backlash, saying on Twitter that he was "standing tall" against people who want to "bring him down" (presumably the roughly 95% of the human population who cares about bullying, gay rights and/or common decency).

When it comes to special teams, the Patriots haven’t always been among the league’s elite.

Last year, there were definite improvements.

According to Rick Gosselin’s rankings (Dallas Morning News), the Patriots finished first in special teams prowess.

Football Outsiders’ rating system had the Patriots eighth overall.

One of the primary reasons for the jump in special teams rankings was the emergence of Brandon Tate and Julian Edelman in the return game.

While Tate was inconsistent at receiver, he ranked sixth in kick return average (25.8 yards) and scored two touchdowns.

Edelman also stood out in the return game, ranking only behind return man extraordinaire Devin Hester with a 15.3-yard average on punt returns.

Despite the loss of Pro Bowler Stephen Gostowski, the kicking game was still solid, especially when it came to rookie punter Zoltan Mesko.

The giant Michigan alum ranked 11^th in net punt average, and proved his booming leg was well worth a fifth-round pick.

The team also improved on its coverage and boasts quality depth to fill out those units.

Overall, the Patriots feature two top returners and young kickers who round out a top-five special teams unit.

State of the Position Grade: A

McCourty had some great picks in 2010, but this one might just be my favorite. Not only did it come against Grandpa Favre, but it demonstrated protypical Patriots football - keeping your head in the game and playing until you hear the whistle. It would have been all too easy for McCourty to give up on this play, but at a critical juncture - late in the 3rd, up four, with the Vikings driving and gaining steam - he came up with the big ricochet grab to force the turnover.

Past Top Plays

#8 - Woodhead's Darting TD Against Indy

#9 - McCourty Forces Snow Fumble

#10 - Sanders TAINTs Roethlisberger

#11 - Gronk's Hopping TD

#12 - Branch's TD in the Snow

Do you believe that Danny Woodhead is going to be as successful next year or will have defenses figured him out?

Jason: I can't see Woodhead having the same level of success this year, but that has nothing to do with defenses figuring him out. I don't think the Pats drafted two running backs in the first three rounds to watch them ride the pine. Woodhead should still handle the load on third downs due to his blocking and receiving skills, but Ridley and Vereen will be competing with BJGE for touches on first and second down. Due to that competition for carries, I think his 2010 season (130 touches, 900+ yards and 6 TDs) is a whole lot closer to his ceiling than his floor.

Trevor: Woodhead had a career year this past season, and it will be tough to replicate especially considering the addition of running backs Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley through the draft. I see Woodhead having slightly less touches than last season due to a more crowded backfield, but I see his production dropping considerably. Woodhead's 5.6 yards per carry (YPC) and 11.1 yards per reception (YPR) were well above the league average, and regression to the mean should be expected, with 4.5 YPC and 8.0 YPR more realistic numbers. A slight statistical drop-off seems to be in the future for Danny Woodhead, but his status as a New England fan favorite should remain the same.

Stephen: The Danny Woodhead storyline was compelling in 2010. In typical Patriot fashion, the team got contributions from another undersized castoff. However with the additions of Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley, I think Woodhead will have less opportunities and defenses will be better geared to stop him. Another factor to consider is his size which could lead to injury.

Unlike many other positions, there is no uncertainty when it comes to quarterback – Tom Brady is the man.

The three-time Super Bowl Champion and six-time Pro Bowler was recently voted the top player in the NFL by his own peers after capturing the first unanimous MVP award in 2010.

Brady’s 2010 performance was historic. Despite losing his top deep threat, and probably most talented wide receiver ever in Randy Moss, Brady actually took his game to another level.

Tom Terrific was just that, tossing 36 touchdowns and only four interceptions during the regular season. His ability to lead an offense that featured two rookie tight ends and two undrafted running backs along with only above-average receivers was truly impressive.

With Brady locked down for the next four years, the team is set for the foreseeable future, but there will be life after Brady hangs em up.

That’s where the question begins: Who will be his successor?

After trading Matt Cassel in 2009, Brian Hoyer stepped in as the backup and has garnered some attention around the league as a potential future starter.

However, Hoyer hasn’t played any significant snaps during the regular season and was an undrafted free agent.

While he is certainly a serviceable backup, his future with the team certainly came into question when Bill Belichick threw a curveball at fans and the league with the 74^th pick in the 2011 draft.

Despite a ton of character concerns (drug use, leadership, attitude), Ryan Mallet’s elite arm strength and production and football smarts apparently made him the perfect value in the third round.

In my mind, Mallet probably will be used as a future trade chip although he does have the physical tools and experience to be a potential Pro Bowl player.

However, he will have to work extremely hard and stay clean and focused in order to stick on the squad.

He’ll have one chance to make a good impression, otherwise we know Belichick will have no problem sending him packing.

With Brady at the helm and Hoyer and Mallet serving as valuable trade commodities, quarterback is probably the strongest position on the team.

State of the Position Grade: A

Around the NFL is a weekly feature on Foxboro Blog offering an irreverent (and sometimes humorous) look at some of the top news stories from the NFL. Read at your own risk!

• The Eighth Circuit Court ruled that the lockout was legal today. While the court’s decision is unpopular, I still don’t think that ruling will be the most maligned legal decision in the news this week. They may want to send Nancy Grace a fruit basket for covering their ass.
• Cowboys WR Roy Williams recently sued former Miss Texas Brooke Daniels for the return of a $76,000 engagement ring after the beauty queen turned down his videotaped marriage proposal (nothing says romance like a marriage proposal mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, right?). The producers of The Real Housewives of Tarrant County must be scrambling for a replacement as we speak. It’s hard to blame Roy for wanting the ring back; it’s not like he’ll ever win one.
• Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said this week that Mike Vick could be better than Steve Young. After watching Donovan McNabb for so many years, I’d imagine every other quarterback on the roster looks like Steve Young.
• In other Cowboys news (it’s a slow news week, even by July lockout standards), the team reached an agreement this week on a joint marketing deal with Marvel Comics. The agreement also requires Magneto to assassinate DeMaurice Smith if the player reps don’t cave to the owners’ financial demands next week.
• Former Titans, Raiders, Giants, Saints and Panthers QB Kerry Collins announced his retirement this week after 16 milquetoast years in the NFL. Can’t say I blame him. If my current employer only wanted to pay me $3 million to hold a clipboard for the next six months and occasionally help train my replacement, I’d give them a polite “thanks, but not thanks” too.
• A pair of sources are reporting that former Patriots LB Mike Vrabel may join the Ohio State coaching staff. It’s not a done deal yet, so Buckeye players might want to hold off on getting their “Coach Vrabel” tattoos, no matter how cheaply they can get their ink done.

Danny Woodhead certainly racked up quite the highlight reel in his first season with the Pats. However, this darting and diving 36 yard run against the Colts was my favorite. Just a classic Danny run that was a key play in New England's win over Indy.

Past Top Plays

#9 - McCourty Forces Snow Fumble

#10 - Sanders TAINTs Roethlisberger

#11 - Gronk's Hopping TD

#12 - Branch's TD in the Snow

Which player deserves to be ranked #1 overall on the NFL Network's player rankings?

Stephen: Even as a Patriots fan, I would have to say Tom Brady is the best player in the NFL. He possesses an unparalleled work ethic, a knack for clutch plays and tremendous leadership. These intangible qualities combined with his physical skills allow him to pick apart defenses year in and year out. With the game on the line, there's no other quarterback I'd want with the ball in his hands than Tom Brady.

Rick:  The player that should be rated number one has to be Tom Brady. I would think Peyton Manning would be the number 2 player on that list. I always make this argument with people I know. Peyton Manning won a title with Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark who are three very good receivers. The year that Manning took Indy past the Pats, Tom Brady took a ragtag receiving core of Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney to the AFC Championship Game and within 12 minutes of the Super Bowl. Brady has all the clutchness in the world, he can read defenses and he has great presence in the pocket, but the one thing that sets him apart from Manning is that he makes everyone else better. You ask people to name the receivers Brady had in the championship years and not a lot of people can do that. I disagree with Derrick Mason because even though the Pats did go 11-5 in 2008 without Tom, they ended up not making the playoffs.

Derek: I know that we're going to look like a bunch of homers by all saying Brady, but the #1 ranking is his and his alone.  Despite the clear window for bias here, my answer to the question has nothing to do with my favorite team.  If you had asked me this question a year ago, I would have said Peyton Manning.  Manning and the Colts would have likely gone 16-0 if they had wanted to and he came this close to winning a second championship. However, that was then, and this is now. And right now, Tom Brady is coming off a season in which he was the first ever unanimous MVP winner.  He took a team of largely first and second year players to a 14-2 record.  He threw a measley five INT's in 17 games. He was simply on another level this year.  Maybe next year I'll be saying Manning again, or Aaron Rodgers, or some other player.  But until somebody knocks Tom Brady off his pedastal, anyone handing the #1 spot to anyone else is simply delusional or hating.

Trevor: There are only four quarterbacks in the history of the NFL with at least three Super Bowl wins, Brady is one of those four. Peyton Manning, Brady's likely competitor for the number one spot on the NFL Network's list, only has one Super Bowl win. Tom Brady has the second most playoff wins in playoff history (14). Peyton Manning has the second most playoff losses in playoff history (10). The ultimate measure of success for a quarterback is his ability to win, especially to win Super Bowls. There are very few quarterbacks in history who can match Brady in that regard, and no one comes close in today's league. Tom Brady deserves to be ranked #1 on the NFL Network's list for his winning ways.

Around the NFL is a weekly feature on Foxboro Blog offering an irreverent (and sometimes humorous) look at some of the top news stories from the NFL. Read at your own risk!

• Former Patriot Heath Evans was in the news this week after admitting to using a SWATS spray that may include banned performance enhancers. It also includes deer antler velvet extract. The stuff not only makes players run faster, but also causes rutting season in late April or early May (hey, it beats training camp, right?).
• During his radio show this week, Dolphins LB Channing Crowder said that he “hypothetically” received improper benefits from selling his college jerseys. After a small media uproar, he backtracked, saying that it was a publicity stunt to draw more attention to his new radio show. I’m glad we all learned that lying about illicit activity is a perfectly acceptable way to draw attention to yourself. I might have to try that sometime.
• Wisconsin’s new concealed firearms law may allow fans to bring guns to games. Packers officials fear that the law could give Lions fans another avenue to end their suffering.
• Kenny Britt surrendered to Nashville police this week on two warrants pertaining to submitting false information on driver’s license applications. I’m sure it was an honest mistake. He probably just listed the county courthouse as his mailing address.
• The LeSean McCoy-New York Giants Twitter slapfight continued this week with Justin Tuck calling McCoy a coward. It’s amazing how grown men can devolve into the cast of Hell Cats as soon as you hand them a smartphone.
• T.O. was in the news twice this week, and neither story is good. He had surgery to repair a torn ACL in April, which is never a good sign for opening the season healthy (unless you’re Wes Welker). He also failed to make a $5K child support payment this week, reportedly on the advice of his financial advisors. I’m not sure what kind of financial advisor tells his client to stop supporting his family so he can continue to live comfortably in his mansion, but I’d imagine that firm scored a few new clients from the NBA.
• I just hypothetically took a very satisfying dump on Channing Crowder’s porch.

Over the past three seasons, the matchup between the Patriots and the Ravens has become a fierce battle in the AFC. Baltimore went into New England two seasons ago and blew them out of the playoffs. Then, there is the war of words between the Ravens’ defense and Tom Brady over the calls that Baltimore says they get all the time. Linebacker Terrell Suggs even casted his Pro Bowl vote for Ryan Fitzpatrick of all quarterbacks over Tom Brady just a year ago. Now, over the past week, two Ravens have been in the news involving Tom Brady.

The first one involves veteran WR Derrick Mason. In an interview with a local radio station in Baltimore, Mason gave his opinions on who was the best player in football. This comes at a time where the NFL Network is doing the top 100 players in the league with Brady’s standing being decided this Sunday night (9 ET, NFLN). In the interview, Mason states that Colts’ QB Peyton Manning and Ravens’ safety Ed Reed are more valuable than Brady. Here is a sample of Mason’s comments: "You take Tom Brady off New England they showed that they can go 11-5. Now you take Peyton Manning off the Colts I don’t know where that teams goes offensively."

While what he says is true about the Colts struggling without Manning, the Patriots do not even win three Super Bowls and be in the position to win a fourth without Brady. Ed Reed is an impactful safety, but he can’t lead a team down the field in the final two minutes for a score like Brady can. I fully expect number 12 to be ranked number one in the top 100 when the results come out on Sunday.

Now, the man who will be presenting Brady during the telecast is none other than Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis has been critical to the media about the officials’ treatment of the Patriots’ quarterback, particularly after a tough loss in 2009. Back then, Lewis told the media: "It's embarrassing to the game, … Brady is "a man ... they can be hit just like us."

I give Ray Lewis a ton of credit for presenting Brady on Sunday. This shows that he has a ton of respect for Brady’s accomplishments. He knows what kind of player Brady is and he won’t let anger at the officials’ calls or lack of calls ruin his perception of Brady.

Even though the Patriots do not play the Ravens in the regular season this year, these two teams could meet up on a cold January afternoon with everything on the line. Then, we will see all the bad blood spoil over once again. However, regardless of team, now Brady and the Ravens’ defense can agree on one thing: Let’s end this lockout!