This week, Brayden Flack asked some of the VAVEL USA NFL team to respond to several hot topics in the league today. Enjoy reading through the opinions of each author!

Your Thoughts on Richard Sherman's Recent Comments Towards Michael Crabtree?

Ryan Dunne: This is who Richard Sherman is. He is a player that shows tremendous passion for the game and if he wants to continue to hold a grudge against Michael Crabtree for the rest of his career, then that’s the way he wants to play. We always talk about rivalries like Manning - Brady, Steelers - Ravens, and now more recent the Adrian Peterson - LeSean McCoy debate. How great is it that we have a rivalry in Sherman and Crabtree that is growing? I think now we will be more tuned into games to see how these two play against each other for years to come. A lot of us will probably be looking to see if Crabtree is able to have games where he is able to beat Sherman. I will be interested to see it, that’s for sure. I have no problem with the comments Sherman made because that is who he is.

Matthew Dixon: Does Sherman have anything better to do? It feels as if Sherman is holding onto a grudge and he really should not have one. After all, Sherman has a Super Bowl ring and Crabtree does not. Sherman showed us how great he is last season, but the trash talk is way over the top and unnecessary from a guy who is at the pinnacle of his NFL career.

Kevin Connaghan: I don’t mind a little antagonism between opponents; it adds spice to the matchup and feistiness to their on field play. Their spat during and after the NFC championship game was as entertaining as it was one sided, but it should have been left there, Sherman won and it was over. If this had happened on November 25th, two days before the Seahawks visited the 49ers for their first meeting of the season, I’d understand why Sherman wanted to bring it up and instigate the mind games ahead of their clash. However to do so at a seemingly random point in the offseason feels a little off, it’s gloating rather than mind games. It’s possible that this is something that has rumbled on between the pair in private throughout the offseason, but neither has said anything to suggest that is the case. As a Super Bowl champion who has recently signed an extremely lucrative contract, Sherman should be riding on the crest of a wave, why lower himself to some petty taunting of a beaten opponent?

Mitchell Evans: I may be in the minority on this subject, but my thoughts on the comments Sherman made actually help football. There’s been a lot of talk the last few years about the NFL getting 'soft' and this 'drama' between Sherman and Crabtree makes the game great. People seem to forget that football isn’t a fun and loving game. People with helmets on are running to kill a guy running with a football. It’s not civil and this rivalry makes it interesting.

Stavenly Spielbrick: Richard Sherman's comments towards Crabtree are more akin to 'art of war' tactics than actual hatred. Sherman's tactics worked well for him in NFC Championship Game, propelling his Seahawks into Super Bowl 48. Since the two have been seen shaking hands, you have to wonder if the 4.0 college graduate has been psyching out his 6'1" 214 lb rival. Why not build a psychological advantage over your nemesis? Maybe Crabtree needs a copy of Sun Tzu's infamous work to take a page from Sherman!

Dan Schmelzer: When it comes to Michael Crabtree, it is time for Richard Sherman to give it up. Sherman is the best cornerback in the NFL, and while Crabtree is a good wide receiver, he simply is not on Sherman’s level. We all know that. The outspoken Seahawks’ defensive back should consistently dominate Crabtree, so when he does, it should not be a surprise to anyone. We get it, you’re good, really good, much better than Crabtree, now shut up.

Caleb Wahlgren: These are two divisional rivals. Sherman should want to play Crabtree twice a year for the rest of the career because that’s part of what makes rivalries exciting. They are both young at 26 years of age, but Crabtree is a costless agent next year. There are rumors that the 49ers are not looking at an extension at this time and could let him go to costless agency. Plus, he is Colin Kaepernick’s favorite wide receiver. I think he could be with the 49ers for a long time, but NFL teams often overpay for wide receivers in costless agency too. As far as choking him out goes, it just means he doesn’t want Crabtree to get any catches against him, which that should come as no surprise.

Bryan Castillo: At this point I think Sherman needs to move on from whatever beef he has with Crabtree. He won bragging rights by intercepting Kaepernick’s pass to Crabtree and helped lead the Seahawks to their first ever Super Bowl win. Sherman has proven he is one of the best if not the best cornerback in the league. He just signed one of the most lucrative contracts for a cornerback in the NFL and now has a championship ring to show for it. He has endorsements with Dre Beats and was on the cover of Madden ’15. We get it Sherman, you won. It’s time to move on and get back to focusing on repeating next season.

Does London Deserve an NFL Team?

USA TODAY Sports

Dunne: I can’t see how having an NFL team located in London can be good for the NFL. I think the format they have when it comes to having future games over there is a great idea, but that is all it should be. Look, the time difference between London and even the East coast of the United States is a five hour difference. So let’s say a team like the Miami Dolphins goes over and plays a team located in London, the advantage no matter what would go to the home team. A game played at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. in London would be like playing a game at 9 a.m. or 11a.m. for the Dolphins. And that is just for an East coast team. Can you imagine what it would be like for a team like San Francisco or Seattle; insane. London does deserve games, but they don’t deserve their own team.

Dixon: Probably, but it is not going to happen anytime soon. The logistics of having a London team would be immense and deeply complicated. Any team that travels to London would probably get a bye week. What about when the London travels to the United States? Would they have three or four weeks in the United States before traveling back to London to save on traveling costs? Lots of factors will go into this decision, but more time is needed before a team is based out of London

Connaghan: The fans in the British Isles and those who travel from Europe have been hugely supportive of the NFL. They travel in their droves, buy tickets that are more expensive than those in the United States, and have ensured each event has been a success. If any fan base deserves an NFL team, they do. However, I’m not sure that’s the issue. The idea of having a team based in London just isn’t that practical. There are very real scheduling and travel issues, though. They may be easy to overcome through the use of bye weeks after games, but can that really be achieved for eight visiting teams? Does the London based team need to play all of its away games in one eight week block, or are they really expected to travel back and forth? Given some of the legal problems certain players have had, visas could become an issue, particularly if players have to live in London for an extended period of time. It’s true that the support has been tremendous, but many of the fans travel to London for the event. Will they continue to travel for eight games a year? Will they switch their allegiance to the London team? Ultimately I think issues of practicality should trump those of merit.

Evans: I’m not seeing where this makes sense at a football standpoint. For the fans, a London team would be great. The idea of bringing football to London would create a new and unique fan base, as well as making money. However, it would be so tough on the players in London. Getting back and forth makes no sense in terms of competition. London teams would be at a disadvantage and teams having to travel to play the hometown London team would be at a disadvantage.

Spielbrick: In short terms the answer to the lengthy debate on whether London deserves NFL franchise is yes. But, is it feasible in the near future? No, its not. In the words of Clint Eastwood's William Munny in Unforgiven, "Deserve aint got nothing to do with it." Long flight jet lag on players and faulty division re-alignment stops this wagon train dead in its tracks. Forget jet lag for now and imagine what adding one team does to divisions and teams. It just doesn't work in any mathematical equation. What equation does work is the NFL's financial success in a sport played only by one nation. So, add that equation to Europe and global success is inevitable, just not today, tomorrow or the next.

Schmelzer: Sure logistically it would be a pain, but London not only deserves an NFL franchise, sending one there would do wonders for the game. Every year when the NFL sends individual games to London, fans come out in droves. That part of the world obviously has some sort of interest in American Football, and I believe sending a full-time NFL franchise there would make the game even more popular than it is now. If the NFL gives the people of London their own franchise, there will certainly be some kids over there who will be much more attracted to football. That will only widen the talent pool for the NFL. This would be a healthy long-term move for the NFL, but the travel would certainly be annoying.

Wahlgren: No, London does not deserve an NFL team. There are simply way too many logistics that would have to come into play with London having an NFL team. For example, currently when teams play in London, they are off the next week with a bye because of the difficult travel schedule. A London team would also need to have a NFL like home base in the United States as well, because if there were two road games in a row, they wouldn’t want to fly all the way back to London and then back to the United States. Also, does this mean an NFL player could file a lawsuit according to the laws of England? Would players be paid in Euros or would the NFL contract just be in dollars? What would happen if someone was traded from London to San Francisco, would they be able to take a game off with pay? This just doesn’t make sense and it would just be better if this argument went away instead of being a yearly discussion. As a side note, I don’t think most people in London want their own NFL team, because they already have interests as fans in current NFL teams.

Castillo: London has shown that they are more than willing to welcome an NFL franchise to their city. Every game that has been played there has been sold out with fans anxious and excited to see American’s version of football. The biggest question would be how fans react to having a team for an entire season, but there’s no reason why London shouldn’t be the perfect spot to help spread the NFL game. The Jaguars would be a perfect fit to relocate to London as they’ve already been playing a game there once a year over the past couple seasons. Also they lack the corporate support, capital, and support to be competitive on a local scale. True, London is a soccer town but we’re only talking about 10 games that would be played there every season.

Is Josh Gordon's NFL Career Over?

Dunne: To see a guy with so much talent and be in the situation Josh Gordon is in, is not surprising. We see it all the time in sports and I think it is so sad that there are other players out there that would kill for the opportunity to play in the NFL and don’t have any issues off the field. For a player like Gordon though, he is lucky. He is young with tremendous talent and potential and the Browns are going to make sure that he continues to stay in shape while he is serving his suspension because let’s face it, there is no way he is playing this season. They will probably hire someone to look over Gordon for the future to make sure he stays out of trouble. But hypothetically, let’s just say Cleveland does release Gordon. Does that mean his career is done? Of course not. As of right now, Gordon is only 23 years-old and still has a lot to offer to any team who would be willing to work with him and control him.

Dixon: No. The amount of talent Gordon showed at wide receiver with the likes of Brian Hoyer, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell, and Thaddeus Lewis throwing to him was impressive. He was impressive enough that some time down the line, a team will take a flier on him at a minimum or low salary deal. A team will see 'small risk, big reward' whenever he is eligible to return to play. Last year's 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and 9 touchdowns is tough to ignore.

Connaghan: Not yet. He is too talented for the NFL to cast aside so easily. Gordon’s career in both college and the NFL has been marred by marijuana use. He was suspended twice while at Baylor, and has tested positive twice in his brief Browns career, which means he is now facing a year long suspension. For most players that would sound the death knell for their NFL career, but Gordon is a proven difference maker who performed at an elite level at times in 2014, just his second year in the league. As a result, the Browns will show great patience with the player. If he successfully jumps through the necessary hoops for the league’s substance abuse program, then he will have another chance with the Browns. Failing that his rare talent will ensure another team is willing to give him an opportunity down the line, offering him a low risk, cut price 'prove it' style deal. The NFL may aspire to a cleaner image, but there will always be a place for troubled players, so long as they can produce to a high level on the field.

Evans: Josh Gordon’s talent level is through the roof. His potential in this league is unreal and it’s a shame really that he is having these off the field struggles. To ask if his career is over, and say yes, is a little bold. Players like Michael Vick are examples of guys who turned their lives around and I believe Gordon can do the same. His career isn’t over.

Spielbrick: Is Josh Gordon running out of chances? We should ask his college teammate that was booted off the team while Josh wasn't. Even though they were busted together, for same crime. His 14 touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons speaks volumes as to how much a team will put up with. In his spectacular two seasons, this means Josh Gordon's potential on field still out weighs his off field troubles from our current professional athlete standards. How many chances should a 23 year-old kid get? Probably 14 of them.

Schmelzer: Josh Gordon was statistically the best wide receiver in the NFL last season. The 23 year-old Cleveland Brown has all the size, speed and athleticism that you could possibly want in an NFL receiver. Unfortunately, the guy simply cannot stay out of trouble. Gordon obviously has a drug problem, and an issue with authority. I would like to say that he figures all of this out and eventually plays in the NFL again, but really, who knows? That is all up to whether he is willing to change or not. Right now, that seems unlikely.

Wahlgren: Josh Gordon will play again in the NFL. I don’t happen to know if it will be for the Cleveland Browns. I don’t know if it will be this year, next year, or two years down the road. But players as talented as Josh Gordon simply get extra chances. He already had two marijuana issues before the Browns even drafted him. Obviously he has had issues there before. But someone is going to find a place for him on their team, because if he can get open and catch the ball from Brian Hoyer and Jason Campbell like he did last year, then he will be able to catch the ball from most of the quarterbacks in this league.

Castillo: While Josh Gordon continues to struggle with issues off the field, his talent is simply too great to not get another chance in the NFL. Some team somewhere will give Gordon another shot if the Browns end up cutting him. Why? Because a 23 year-old Pro Bowl wide receivers that lead the league in receiving yards despite missing four games don’t come around all that often. For as many issues as Gordon has off the field, his talent on the field far surpasses that. Not only that, but whenever Gordon finishes his suspension, that is bound to occur by the end of the month, he’ll be a low-risk, high reward type of player. No team will give Gordon big guarantee money knowing his past history, but teams will line up to add Gordon to their roster at a low price. This isn’t the last that we’ve seen of Josh Gordon on a NFL roster.

Will Jimmy Graham Get a Deal Done With The Saints?

Derick E. Hingle- USA TODAY Sports

Dunne: I think this one is a no-brainer. Jimmy Graham will return to the Saints. I understand that he lost his battle with the arbitrator in trying to get wide receiver money instead of tight end money. However, I don’t think there will be any bad blood between Graham and the Saints as they will work to find a way to make Graham the highest paid tight end in the NFL. The guy is one of the biggest mismatches in the game when it comes to trying to cover him on defense and the Saints know it and above all, Drew Brees knows it. If anyone has a big voice in making sure Graham is happy and with New Orleans, Brees is the guy.

Dixon: Yes. The matchup problems Graham presents has been instrumental in helping Drew Brees and Sean Payton craft a nearly unstoppable offense. The issue is whether Graham needs the Saints. Graham can get a huge deal from nearly any team when the Saints are no longer able to use the franchise tag. Ultimately, cooler heads will prevail and the Saints will give Graham a long-term contract.

Connaghan: Yes. I think the two sides will agree terms on a long-term deal prior to the deadline on Tuesday. The Saints can’t afford to lose him and have shown a willingness to strike a deal, while Graham wants to earn what his talent deserves. Graham could opt to challenge Stephen Burbank's ruling that he should be franchised as a tight end, he has a case to make against that judgement, but ultimately there is every chance that it stands. This means Grahams best course of option is to secure his long-term future with the Saints, so long as the contract they are offering is lucrative enough.

Evans: I think things will be resolved with Graham and the Saints. It’s a tough decision to outright leave a team because of a business aspect and I don’t think Graham leaves. New Orleans has treated him well and it just comes down to time and patience for the negotiations to be solved.

Spielbrick: Jimmy Graham is an exceptional athlete. Jimmy Graham excels at an extremely high level at extremely difficult position in NFL. Jimmy Graham is potentially the best tight end to ever strap on cleats! And, those are huge cleats to fill. So Saints, are you crazy? Find the wiggle room, change your roster to accommodate, do whatever is necessary to not let him play opposite of your defense! Jimmy Graham will wear black and gold as long as sanity prevails or it will be the big crazy.

Schmelzer: Jimmy Graham has a $7 million franchise tag offer from the New Orleans Saints on the table. At some point, he will sign the offer and be a member of the Saints in 2014. That said, this whole is he a wide reciever, is he a tight end arbitration business has ruined Graham’s relationship with the Saints, and at this point, I do not believe he will return to the team in 2015. Graham will become an un-restricted after this season, and while I am sure the Saints will fight to get him back, Graham will get big money on the open market as well. Enjoy him while you can Saints’ fans, I think Graham is as good as gone after this season.

Wahlgren: Yes, Jimmy Graham will play for the Saints. As much as Jimmy Graham wants to make top level wide receiver money, he isn’t going to stop playing football altogether. Besides, the Saints have already had a contract on the table to make him the highest paid tight end in the NFL. They will find some middle ground or he will sign the franchise tender, because $7.5 million is nothing to laugh at.

Castillo: It’ll be a hard pill to swallow for Jimmy Graham to play under the franchise tag this season for the Saints, but he doesn’t have much of a choice. He can choose to hold out of training camp, but that’ll only cost him more money in fines and it doesn’t look like the Saints will offer him a long-term contract that he desires anytime soon. Jimmy Graham means a tremendous amount to the Saints offense and deserves a much needed pay raise. But he’ll likely have to wait until next offseason when he can test out costless agency. Graham is one of the most elite offensive weapons in the league and will earn a huge pay day after the upcoming season. For now, he’ll most likely have to remain a New Orleans Saint.

How Much of a Distraction Will Manziel be to the Browns This Year?

USA TODAY Sports

Dunne: There is no question that Johnny Manziel will be a huge distraction in the NFL this season. We are looking at one of the most polarizing figures in the game since Tim Tebow. The guy can’t even send a tweet out without it getting aired on SportsCenter. He was probably the most exciting player in this year’s draft just like Tebow was as well. Now, don’t get me wrong, Manziel is a much better thrower than Tebow was, so I am not trying to say they are on the same level as far as skill because Manziel brings more to his game than Tebow did. Remember when the Denver Broncos were doing bad? The fans were calling for Tebow because Kyle Orton was struggling and the Broncos were losing games. And what did the Broncos do? They put Tebow in. Not because they wanted to, but because they wanted to shut the fans up and pretty much say “ok, we are giving you what you wanted.” Now looking at the Browns, they are no favorite to win the Super Bowl this year; they aren’t even a favorite to make the playoffs. So if the Browns start the season off slow and Brian Hoyer struggles or even just throws an interception, there is no doubt the dog pound will be barking “Johnny! Johnny! Johnny!”

Dixon: This is a tough question to answer. The mainmedia will make it seem like Manziel is a distraction whenever he does something non-football related. However, it really depends on how the Cleveland Browns feel about Manziel's actions. Honestly, Manziel probably won't be that big of a distraction, compared to how the media will take his every action and blow it out of proportion.

Connaghan: I don’t see Manziel causing that much of a distraction once the season starts. At Texas A&M his off field antics were rarely out of the headlines during the offseason, but once the football season started it was his play on the field that made all the noise. I expect that pattern to hold true in the NFL, where the story will be whether or not he can win the starting job, and how he performs if he does. If the Browns possessed a Super Bowl calibre roster then even a small distraction might be a concern, but they don’t and I think it becomes a non-issue; until the next offseason at least.

Evans: Knowingly drafting the most popular college player in last year’s draft, I’m not entirely sure if it matters if Manziel is a distraction, good or bad. Cleveland knew what they were doing. Manziel is doing things off the field that tons of professional athletes do. The media is the distraction. Manziel will be a distraction unless social media somehow stops working. It comes with the territory. Plus, the good news about the NFL is that if a player is a pain, you can dump him.

Spielbrick: "Manziel takes the snap, he drops back, pumps, signs ball and TOUCHDOWN! Johnny Manziel!' Yeah, that's distracting. Yeah, Johnny Football won't be doing any of that this fall or winter for that matter.There is no denying the talent of the first freshman Heisman Trophy winner; he is unbelievable. His antics were distracting for opposing defenses in college, and may even find some success against the ones he faces in rookie season. But who does that? Who doesn't do that, is the new big name in sports in Cleveland! LeBron James probably will endorse Manziel publicly, and even look him from luxury box, but LeBron is all business. Good for Manziel though, focus will shift off the rookie somewhat now that Ohio's prodigal son has returned.

Schmelzer: Sure, the extreme media attention is mildly annoying, but aside from that, I do not believe that Johnny Manziel will be a distraction for the Cleveland Browns this season. While his partying is not ideal, the guy is 21 years-old, he is just having some fun. He is a professional QB who has incredible upside. When it is time to work, I think Manziel will be ready to put the partying aside, and get to work.

Wahlgren: He definitely will be a media circus all year. I would liken it to the Tim Tebow situation with the New York Jets, which basically ruined Mark Sanchez’s career there. Not to mention any potential off the field issues that could come up, which Tebow was essentially a 'Saint' off the field, and was still all over everything in the news. People want to see Johnny football go out there and do his thing, and until he starts in the NFL and fails, and fails, and fails, this story is not going anywhere anytime soon. But, if he is a successful NFL quarterback, he is probably going to continue to be hyped in the same category as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The good news is that he brought LeBron James back to town, so maybe people won’t notice quite as much.

Castillo: Johnny Manziel can do one thing to silence the circus that surrounds him; win. If Manziel and the Browns win, there will be no distractions surrounding the team. Manziel has been through this before, notably last season with the Aggies coming off a Heisman winning season and a highly controversial offseason. Once the Aggies started winning and eventually beat Duke in the Chik-fil-A bowl, all the talk surrounding Texas A&M were about wins and losses. Hardly did you ever hear anything regarding any of the partying Manziel did before the college season started. The same will happen to the Browns if Manziel is able to produce a winning season in his rookie season. All will be forgotten and no one will bring up any of his partying headlines from this summer. If he stumbles throughout the season there’ll be no end to the criticism and media circus that will surround the entire franchise next season.

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About the author
Brayden Flack
Brayden is a radio host, writer and avid sports fan who lives in the dry and windy deserts of Wyoming.