"We needed more direction"

That was the word from Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris on why they sacked Jeff Jagodzinski.

Damn, I mean, you wanted out of Chestnut Hill, and now look. No doubt there will be some Eagles fans with [poop]-eating grins on their faces today, but some will also choose to wish Coach Jags the best. However, some, like myself, will do both.

Jagodzinski out in Tampa Bay

Jeff Jagodzinski's NFL comeback tour has hit a snag. Not long after being fired by the Boston College Eagles and subsequently hired as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he now doesn't have that position, either.

This situation fascinates me. The drama he had with Gene DeFilippo and BC is well-documented, both here and elsewhere on the blogosphere, but to be fired by a different organization after a few months, without even coaching a regular season game? There is obviously more to this and I'll stay on top of whatever news comes out.

Somebody call the Dog

Because there's a fugitive on the loose, and his name is Ryan Leaf. I think they should cuff him just for that stint in the pros.

The NFL: Still fixated on the UK

We're not even just talking about Super Bowls anymore; the league wants to put a 2nd regular season game in Great Britain too. All this shows me is that Goodell and the rest of the higher-ups at the commissioner's office really, really want to put the NFL on the map in the UK, regardless of what this does to the fans in the US.

One game is enough. Two is a lot. The Super Bowl would be insane.

Another Brett Favre Update!

According to multiple sources, Brett Favre is sleeping comfortably overnight and remains retired.

Stay tuned to your favorite sports networks for continuing coverage of this dramatic saga.

Looks like he read my letter this morning

Brett Favre will stay retired.

Now we can move on to the important stories: Manny taking women's supplements, a juicy new book about A-Rod, and basketball players getting snippy during playoff games.

Brett Favre Update!

Vikings coach Brad Childress had a tuna salad for lunch. Favre woke up this morning and read a newspaper.

We'll bring you more breaking news as it comes.

Dear Brett,

Despite the fact that it is obvious you are a wishy-washy, attention-craving drama queen who retires more times than Celine Dion, have a little dignity and just hang 'em up. Well, hang 'em up and mean it this time. But I suppose that as long as you've got this "itch" we're going to have to put up with the media training cameras on your front door and spending half of SportsCenter talking about you, and playing the "will he or won't he" game every year until your arm falls off. There's a reason none of us really believed you when you retired the second time.

You have earned your spot in the Hall of Fame, most likely. You have a Super Bowl ring. Go back to Mississippi, catch a few fish, sip some iced tea and enjoy your millions of dollars.

Signed,
Fans of the NFL (sans Vikings)

Stop with the London Super Bowl crap

I mean no disrespect whatsoever to our British/European friends who enjoy the National Football League; in fact, I think it's great that some have taken a liking to our sport. Now that I've got this out of the way -- and I realize I'm a little late to the party -- I am absolutely, fundamentally, and unequivocally opposed to the Super Bowl being played outside the United States. It had been reported several months ago that London had been discussed as a potential future site. Now, a few days ago, it was reported that the city of London had launched a bid to draw the Super Bowl there by 2017. Though we should be flattered, maybe, there's no way Roger Goodell or any in the NFL involved with this should allow it, and if they do, they're dumber than a barrel of mayonnaise.

This is the championship game for the most popular team sport in our nation. There are fans and season ticket holders that wait years for the opportunity to see their team play in the big game and possibly attend, and yet there are those who wish to poach the event from its home country and play it abroad. Don't believe me? Read this article. It may or may not be true, as I can't vouch for the accuracy of this particular British newspaper, but the fact that we're still discussing this story is troublesome to say the least. Out of zeal for new markets and potentially more money down the line (which, let's be honest, is the motivation), there would be no faster way to alienate large sections of the American fanbase (you know, the main one) than to play the Super Bowl somewhere else. It's like taking your long-time girlfriend to a bar and hitting on someone else, hoping that both will go home with you at the end of the night.

Imagine if the British Football/Soccer final was to be played in, let's say, the Meadowlands (and no, I don't want it to happen). You think there would be a few unhappy people across the pond? Exhibitions and regular season games I can live with. Home fans will be able to adapt to losing one game of 8. Taking a playoff game (more like THE playoff game) out of the country, despite already being a neutral-site contest, invites a lot of trouble. American fans who intended on going will now have to have their passports ready to go, as well as the extra money for an international flight and lodging, not to mention the fact that the game will have to start at some ridiculous hour for it to even be close to prime time in the US. I'm sure the people in California would love for the Super Bowl to start at noon. Finally, the Super Bowl, an American institution, will not take place in America because the NFL wants exposure and potential dollars. That's all this is; they can't disguise it.

Besides, we can't have a Super Bowl in New York, our biggest city, media market, and cultural center, because it's too cold, but we can play one in Europe because it's "growing the game"? This is the kind of idiocy we're at odds with here.

Am I the only person...

...who won't believe that Brett Favre is actually retired until the 2009 season starts and he's still at home? He reminded me a lot in this regard of Roger Clemens: years of "will he or won't he" and he's already unretired once. This time, Favre might actually be done, and likely is; last season was not good for him. Yet I still have a slight doubt.

Francois and Robinson signed as undrafted free agents

2 more Boston College Eagles will get their shot: Robert Francois will try out with the Minnesota Vikings and Brandon Robinson will see if he sticks with the Philadelphia Eagles. The best of luck to them as well as Raji and Brace.

Let's play some catchup

It was a nice productive weekend off of the blog...maybe...but here's some of what Soaring to Glory missed:

* The Yankees played a terrible series in Boston and got swept by the Red Sox. Three games, three leads, three losses.

* The Marlins are crashing back to earth after starting 11-1, going 0-for-Pennsylvania in the last 6 games.

* Al Davis did it again by taking Heyward-Bey with the 5th overall pick. He's not a bad player by any stretch, but how can anyone pass up Crabtree in that spot?

* BC baseball lost 2 out of 3 to Duke in their weekend road series to put their record at 26-17 (11-11). They've now matched last season's win total overall at 26 and already have 2 more ACC wins than all of last season.

* The Rangers have all but blown their series against the Washington Capitals.

Boston College in the 2009 NFL Draft

Regularly-scheduled blogging on Soaring to Glory will resume on Monday. I'll catch us all up on what we've missed.

Kevin Akins: undrafted
Ron Brace: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (Rd 2, Pick 40)
Chris Crane: undrafted
Robert Francois: undrafted
Ryan Purvis: undrafted
BJ Raji: GREEN BAY PACKERS (Rd 1, Pick 9)
Eric Ramsey: undrafted
Brian Toal: undrafted
Jerry Willette: undrafted

Update after Pick 232: I'm very pleased and proud for the 2 guys we've put in the NFL, but I'm starting to lose a little hope that there will be any more. Still about 25 picks to go, so there's a chance we'll see one more Eagle get drafted.

Update after Pick 250: Not looking at all good. Only 6 picks left.

FINAL: Nope. Pretty disappointing that the first 2 guys were it. I thought for sure we'd get a third guy to sneak in during Round 7.

Boston College in the 2009 NFL Draft: Pre-game Show

On Saturday I will maintain a list of all of the Boston College football players who have entered into this year's draft and will follow their progress. Stay tuned.

In any case, we have 9 Eagles looking to take up draft picks. A few will, most won't. These are my evaluations:

Definitely Getting Drafted
BJ Raji (DT)
Ron Brace (DT)

Raji is a first round pick for certain, perhaps even a Top 10 pick. Brace is pretty damn good himself, and most mock drafts have him going in the 2nd or 3rd round (some even in the 1st round, which might be a bit optimistic). It's safe to say that both of these guys will have NFL franchises to call home by Sunday.

Possibly Getting Drafted
Robert Francois (LB)
Ryan Purvis (TE)
Brian Toal (LB)

These three guys have appeared in their share of online mock drafts and have performed well at the college level. They're late-round type guys so they'll be waiting on Sunday for the call, not Saturday, should they get one. At the end of the whole thing, I think at least one of these three guys gets picked.

Probably Not Getting Drafted
Kevin Akins (S)
Chris Crane (QB)
Eric Ramsey (G)
Jerry Willette (DT)

But hey, that's just my opinion. I'd love it if they all got into the pros but that's not particularly attainable.

"When your arm gets hit, the ball is not going to go where you want it to."

Never again will we hear nuggets of pure wisdom like these as John Madden is retiring from NFL broadcasting. Regardless of what one thinks of his crafty ability to state the obvious, it just isn't going to be a football Sunday without him. I hope he still sets aside some time for (BOOM) Tough Actin' Tinactin.

NBC should contact Frank Caliendo for an interview immediately.

2009 NFL Schedule released

And you may view it right here at NFL.com.

I haven't reviewed it enough to compose any thoughts, but there it is.

WTF SI?

BJ Raji did not fail his drug test. The link to the original story has been pulled. So why the hell did SI.com say he did?

Looks like bad journalism/sources to me.

Spend it wisely, Plax

Yeah, I'm not counting on it, either.

Are the Giants now finally done with this guy? I hope so. I could not possibly be more disappointed in this man. Thanks for 2007, but take your cash and get lost.

Plaxico Burress released by Giants

Read it for yourself from Ralph Vacchiano.

I support this decision. He's nothing but trouble and it's time to move on.

Not you too, BJ

This isn't the first time BJ Raji has been in trouble, but this one will cost him spots in the draft for sure, as well as money. This was quite dumb if I do say so myself and will bring bad press to the school.