Tinderbox: Mlive’s Ndamukong Suh Camp Giveaway

You’ve likely heard Ndamukong Suh is hosting a football camp for kids aged 7 to 12. You may have heard that Mlive.com is giving away two tickets, as well as offering a discount on purchased ones. You may even have already entered in the contest, or bought tickets for your kids. You should still read Phil Zaroo’s column announcing the giveaway. It’s majestic. 

Progress on the labor front continues in the best, if most boring way—quietly. The owners are meeting today in Chicago, and have been told to be ready for it to be a two-day affair. Quote Mike Florio:

The planning undoubtedly relates to the looming effort to persuade most, and preferably all, of the other owners to buy in to the notion that a fair, win-win deal should be finalized, and that any desire to force the players to take a bad deal should be abandoned.

Finally, Lomas Brown recently said Jeff Backus could be an All-Pro guard, which, gee, thanks to Lomas for swatting that hornet’s nest. It’s not that he’s wrong—Lomas was an All-Pro left tackle—as well as a seven-time Pro Bowler, so he knows exactly what it takes. But, at this point, there’s been so much hot air expelled on Backus and whether he passes muster at tackle,  even intelligent, credible discussion on the topic is unwelcome.

Remember when Tom Kowalski mentioned on WDFN that some thought Backus might lack the raw power to play guard?  “Backus is too weak” was the Detroit Lions Internet Meme Du Jour for several weeks. Now, I’m sure everyone is ready to wail and gnash their teeth over what Jeff Backus might have been—instead, let’s focus on what he is:

Brown, 48, who hosts his sixth annual free football camp July 22-23 at Detroit King, said Backus was "one of the top 10 tackles in our league now" but that his physical attributes might necessitate a move before too long.

Interestingly, I’m not seeing a lot of “Lomas Brown Says Jeff Backus is a Top 10 Tackle” headlines this morning.