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Ten Thoughts on the NFL: Chicago Bears and beyond

Run through my Ten Thoughts on the NFL, and be sure to leave a few of your own in the comment section...

By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

1) There's no question that Michael Vick is one of the greatest running quarterbacks of all time, but I think claiming he was the guy that started it all is a bit of hyperbole. Here's what Vick said when asked about the running QB trend in today's NFL.

"I was the guy who started it all," the New York Jets quarterback told ESPN.com. "I revolutionized the game. I changed the way it was played in the NFL."

While it's possible that many of the young star QBs of today grew up watching the scrambling Vick, I don't think he was the first guy that utilize his feet as well as his arm.

Steve Young, Fran Tarkenten, Randal Cunningham, Steve McNair, John Elway and Kordell Stewart are just a few guys that were well known for their scrambling ability. Bobby Douglas rushed for 978 yards from the QB position in 1972 for the Chicago Bears.

Vick may be the blueprint that Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson follow, but he was far from the first running quarterback in the NFL.

2) I was surprised how much of an uproar was caused when it was revealed that the New England Patriots had a copy of the New York Jets playbook.

It's really not that big a deal, as each week's game plan is team specific and a playbook is just a jumping off point anyway. There's not much more a team can gain from dissecting a playbook that they won't already know from film study.

But if playbooks really excite you, here's a Jets defensive playbook. Here's some of Marc Trestman's Arizona Cardinals playbook. Here's the playbook from Bill Walsh's early West Coast Offense with the San Francisco 49ers.

Football Xs and Os has over 70 NFL playbooks in their database. Enjoy.

3) New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham wants to be paid like a wide receiver under his 2014 franchise tag, claiming he plays more like a wide out than he does as a tight end, even though he calls himself a tight end on Twitter.

Since the NFL plans to use Graham's own bio against him when they go to arbitration, Green Bay Packers offensive lineman T.J. Lang properly prepared himself just in case the Packers ever franchise him.

Well played Lang...

4) Soon to be 32 year old Jason Hatcher made himself a lot of money with his Pro Bowl 2013 season, his final contracted year in Dallas. The Washington Redskins gave him a four year deal worth $27.5 million, with a $9 million guarantee, and he just went under the knife. The team reports he'll be back in 4-6 weeks, but it's never a good sign when someone of his age has knee issues.

5) Speaking of the Washington football club... SB Nation broke it all down in their 12 questions (and answers) that explain the 'Redskins' trademark case.

There's probably going to be a lengthy court battle between Dan Snyder and the NFL to determine if he can keep his team's name, but is it worth it?

Redskins is a word that has a derogatory meaning. That's an unarguable fact. It's also a fact that Snyder doesn't mean to offend anyone with the name, but it does.

Change the name.

Whatever money is spent on rebranding the team, will be more than made up in reselling Washington apparel, paraphernalia, koozies and whathaveyou to their enormous fan base.

It's the right thing to do.

6) Does anyone care about the Aaron Hernandez story?

7) Last week the Houston Texans announced they released backup quarterback T.J. Yates, even though they didn't officially release him. This prompted other teams to contact the Texans and inquire about his services. The Atlanta Falcons offered up a trade for Yates and Houston ended up swinging a deal.

This is the exact reason teams float info to the media on impending cuts. You never know when a team would rather make a trade rather than work through the waiver system to add your soon to be discarded player.

8) Do you remember back in May when we told you about the FXFL? It's being reported that former Chicago Bears pro bowler Tommie Harris will co-own the team based in Austin, Texas. The six team league is still set to kickoff this fall.

9) What does the addition of Adrian Wilson say about how confident the Bears are in rookie safety Brock Vereen? Then again, maybe it says nothing and the Bears just saw an opportunity to add another veteran presence at a position that needs an upgrade from 2012?

I tend to go with the latter.

10) In the NFL.com Around The League Mailbag column they were asked about the possible MVP candidates, and among the usual list of suspects, he lists Jay Cutler as a dark horse candidate.

I hadn't thought about Jay being in the MVP talks at all, but it does makes sense. He's in year two of the offensive system with the entire offense returning, the Bears offense could be something special in 2014. If that happens, and Cutler remains relatively healthy, and the Bears stay in the playoff hunt, it could happen.

I know that's a lot of ifs, but stranger things have happened.

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