Gridiron goose's nfl update (2.20.17)

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Portions of the following information courtesy of the National Football LeagueFor entertainment purposes only.

BEATING THE ODDS-By Brian Slack

Adversity; we all face it and some more than others. To make it in the National Football League is no different. For any aspiring 10-year old boy competing in Pop Warner football who has hopes and dreams of making it into the NFL, the odds are so insurmountable, it teeters on the impossible. The odds of a child advancing from Pop Warner to high school football are 1 in 3. The odds of a high school football player advancing into the college ranks are 1 in 30. The odds of a college football player being drafted by an NFL team are 1 in 313. Even if a player is blessed and/or lucky enough to be drafted doesnt mean his problems are over. In fact, it is just the opposite. From the time training camp opens with each team filling 90-man rosters, to the final cut where teams are reduced to 53 players, a player has slightly more than a 50% chance hell make the grade. His chance of making the starting roster is 42%. Notwithstanding, there are players who do beat the odds, who achieve the seemingly impossible. Lets examine a few of these players.

Cardinals RB David Johnson- DJ was selected 86th overall in the 2015 draft. Six running backs were drafted ahead of the Northern Iowa-grad. Going into the 2015 campaign, Johnson was penciled in as the 4th-string back behind Andre Ellington, Chris Johnson and Stepfan Taylor. In what little time and opportunities DJ was given to play, he maximized every single bit of it. In fact, DJ made such an impact as a backup, that when Ellington and Chris Johnson sustained injuries, DJ earned the starting role. And once that happened, it was off to the races and DJ hasnt looked back since. 2016 FACT- David Johnson led the NFL in yards-from-scrimmage with 2,118 yards (1,239 rushing, 879 receiving).

Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi- The London-born native of Nigerian decent was drafted 149th overall in the 2015 draft. 11 running backs were selected ahead of Ajayi, despite originally being ranked 3rd among RB draft prospects. The former-Boise State products rookie year was quite lackluster, having missed the first half of the season with broken ribs and ended up averaging under 4 yards per carry, while playing second-fiddle to Lamar Miller. Yet, things seemed to fall into place for Ajayi in his sophomore season. After Arian Foster went down with a groin injury and less than stellar performances from Miamis other backs, Ajayi became the eventual starter, more so by desperation than anything else. Ajayis defining moment would come in Week 6 against the Steelers when he racked up 204 yards, including a 62-yard burst that resulting in one of his two touchdowns. Ajayi proved he was no 1-game wonder the following week as he piled up another 214 yards against the Buffalo Bills, thus becoming just the 4th player in NFL history to rush for 200+ yards in back-to-back games.

Bears RB Jordan Howard- Howard was the 10th running back taken in the 2016 draft and was selected 150th overall by Da Bearz. Regardless, he finished his rookie season ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards. In 10 of his 13 starts, the former Hoosier amassed 100+ all-purpose yards. 7 times Howard rushed for 100 or more yards, including in 5 of his last 9 games. Not too shabby for a rookie. I bet there are more than a few personnel directors who are kicking themselves in the butt for letting Howard slip through their fingers.

Falcons RB Devonta Freeman- Freeman was the 103rd overall pick and the 9th running back selected in the 2014 draft. By the way, the 8 running backs that were drafted ahead of Freeman rushed for less yards than Freeman did, last season. What has Freeman done lately? Not much. Hes just ranked in the top-six in yards from scrimmage in each of the last two years and on a Falcons team that passes first then asks questions later.

Colts WR T.Y. Hilton- Hilton was drafted 92nd overall out of tiny Florida International in the 2012 draft. Twelve wideouts were selected before the 59 speedster was plucked off the board. Despite being utilized in a backup role, Hilton finished his rookie season leading the Colts in TD catches, with 7. Hilton also returned a 75-yard punt that proved to be the difference in Indys win over the Buffalo Bills. Eventually the Miami, Florida native worked his way up in the pecking order to earn the starting role. Since then, Hilton has recorded 4-straight 1,000-yard seasons, including 2016, when he led the NFL with 1,448 yards.

Steelers WR Antonio Brown- There must be something in South Floridas water, because, like T.Y. Hilton, Antonio Brown was born and bred in Miami. And like Hilton, Brown was snubbed in the draft, yet beat the odds to become one of the NFLs premier players. In 2010, Brown was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 195th overall selection behind 21 other wide receivers. Like Hilton, Brown played his college days at an obscure school, namely Central Michigan. Brown entered his rookie season as the 5th wideout on the depth chart, but even that did not stop him. Doubling up as a kick and punt returner, Brown impressed his coaches with his elusiveness and bursts of speed. Brown followed up his sophomore year with the first of his five 1,000-yard seasons. In his last 4 years, Brown has strung together 4-straight 100-catch, 1,000-yard seasons. In 2014 and 2015, Brown led the league in receptions (129, 136). In 2015, he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,834).

Patriots QB Tom Brady- Question: What do Spergon Wynn and Giovanni Carmazzi have in common? They were 2 of 6 quarterbacks who were selected ahead of Mr. Tom Terrific Brady in the 2000 draft. Then, Brady was shunned five and in some cases, six times, by every NFL team and it wasnt until late in the 6th round before Bill Belichick yanked Bradys name off the board. In all, 198 players were selected ahead of Brady, none of which have what he hasfive golden Super Bowl rings. Brady entered his rookie season as the Patriots 4th-string quarterback, finishing 1-3 for a mere 6 yards. The start of Bradys sophomore season did not fare much better. After then-starter Drew Bledsoe went down with internal injuries, Brady was officially named the starter in Week 3, but compiled with less-than-spectacular numbers. Week 4 was no different. Yet, in Week 5, like someone turning on a light switch, everything came together for Brady and the Patriots, as they would go on to win the first of their five championships. The rest, of course, is history.

2017 NFL DRAFT FIRST ROUND ORDER

Following is the 2017 NFL Draft first round order. The first round will start on Thursday, April 27 in Philadelphia with the second and third rounds on Friday, April 28 followed by rounds four through seven on Saturday, April 29.

1. Cleveland Browns2. San Francisco 49ers3. Chicago Bears 4. Jacksonville Jaguars 5. Tennessee Titans 6. New York Jets 7. Los Angeles Chargers 8. Carolina Panthers 9. Cincinnati Bengals 10. Buffalo Bills 11. New Orleans Saints 12. Cleveland Browns 13. Arizona Cardinals14. Indianapolis Colts15. Philadelphia Eagles 16. Baltimore Ravens17. Washington Redskins18. Tennessee Titans 19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers20. Denver Broncos21. Detroit Lions22. Miami Dolphins23. New York Giants24. Oakland Raiders25. Houston Texans26. Seattle Seahawks27. Kansas City Chiefs28. Dallas Cowboys29. Green Bay Packers30. Pittsburgh Steelers31. Atlanta Falcons32. New England PatriotsNo 1st round selection- Minnesota Vikings

PEPSI ZERO SUGAR SUPER BOWL LI HALFTIME SHOW IS MOST-WATCHED MUSICALEVENTIN HISTORY ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS

The NFL today announced that the PEPSI ZERO SUGAR SUPER BOWL LI HALFTIME SHOW featuring global superstar LADY GAGA is the most-watched musical event of all-time across all platforms and the most-watched Super Bowl halftime performance in history through broadcast and digital channels.

Nearly 118 million viewers tuned into the performance on the FOX broadcast network. In addition, Lady Gagas performance at NRG Stadium in Houston is the most-viewed content on NFLs digital platforms, including but not limited to NFL.com, NFL Mobile, Twitter, YouTube, and Giphy. Through these channels, the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show reached at least 150 million unique people, garnering more than 80 million views and totaling 260 million minutes watched.

We were thrilled to collaborate with Lady Gaga one of the most talented and versatile performers in the world on the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show, said MARK QUENZEL, NFL Networks Senior Vice President of Programming and Production. The Halftime show provides the ultimate world stage for an artist. Through her incredible music, choreography and unifying message, Lady Gaga created a unique performance that will remembered for years to come."

YouTubeThe Halftime Show is the most-watched video on the NFLs YouTube channel, with more than 24 million views and more than 140 million minutes watched.If Lady Gagas performance was its own NFL week on YouTube, it would be the fifth-highest watched week of all-time.

TwitterDuring Lady Gagas live performance, there were 2.2 million real-time tweets about the #PepsiHalftime show, as well as a total of 5.1 million tweets about the performance leading up to, during, and in the 10 minutes following.@NFLs tweet drove 47 thousand retweets and 29 thousand likes.

FacebookMore than 49 million video views, and more than 5 million reactions, comments, and shares.

GiphyGIFs from the Halftime show generated more than 75 million views across GIPHYs network.Four of the top ten most-viewed GIFs of the night were from the performance.

The Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show, an NFL NETWORK PRODUCTION, was executive produced by RICKY KIRSHNER and directed by HAMISH HAMILTON. This years performance was broadcast in 180 countries and territories, reaching millions of fans around the world.

KEY NFL DATES

2/25/2017 To 2/26/2017 NFL Regional Combines, Inova Sports Performance Center, Washington, D.C. (*Kicker/Punter Combine)

2/28/2017 To 3/6/2017 Combine Timing and Testing, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.

3/1/2017 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

3/4/2017 NFL Regional Combines, Minnesota Vikings Practice Facility, Eden Prairie, Minnesota

3/7/2017 To 3/9/2017 Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2016 Player Contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 9.

3/9/2017 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must exercise options for 2017 on all players who have option clauses in their 2016 contracts.

3/9/2017 The 2017 league year and free agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time

3/9/2017 Trading period for 2017 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2016 contracts.

3/11/2017 NFL Regional Combines, New Orleans Saints Training Facility, Metairie, Louisiana.

3/26/2017 To 3/29/2017 Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.4/3/2017 Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2016 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.

4/17/2017 Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

4/21/2017 Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign Offer Sheets.

4/27/2017 To 4/29/2017 2017 NFL Draft, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

5/5/2017 To 5/8/2017 Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

5/9/2017 Deadline for Prior Club to send May 9 Tender to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents. If the player has not signed a Player Contract with a club by July 22 or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later, he may negotiate

5/12/2017 To 5/15/2017 Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

5/15/2017 Rookie Football Development Programs begin

5/18/2017 To 5/21/2017 NFLPA Rookie Premiere. Invited Rookies (typically, first and/or second-round selections) must be permitted by their respective clubs to attend. Such players are unavailable for offseason workouts, OTA days, and minicamps during this period.

5/22/2017 To 5/24/2017 Spring League Meeting, Chicago, Illinois.

6/1/2017 Deadline for Prior Club to send June 1 Tender to its unsigned Restricted Free Agents who received a qualifying offer for a Right of First Refusal Only in order for such player to be subject to the CBAs June 15 Tender provision.

6/2/2017 For any player removed from the clubs roster or whose contract is assigned via waivers or trade on or after June 2, any unamortized signing bonus amounts for future years will be included fully in Team Salary at the start of the 2018 League Year.

6/15/2017 Deadline for club to withdraw qualifying offer to Restricted Free Agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting June 15 Tender of one-year contract at 110 percent of the players prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms

7/15/2017 At 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for any club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multiyear contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a oneyear contract with his prior club for the 2017 season, and such

KEY INTERNATIONAL FANTASY FOOTBALL DATESFriday, May- 2017 IFFL Draft LotterySaturday, August 19- 2017 IFFL Draft Thursday, September 6- 2017 NFL & IFFL Kickoff Week (New England vs. Pending Team)