A college friend who will remain nameless had a habit of flashing people at every possible opportunity. You’d be walking down the hall minding your business when he would jump out, seemingly from nowhere, with his dick hanging out. The worst was going to the bathroom. He would sucker you into a conversation, wait until you turned towards the shower then throw up the shower curtain and yell “Check out my unit!” It’s one thing as a college prank. It’s another when Visanthe Shiancoe flashes almost 65,000 football fans during a game.

The NFL took time away from banning running backs from being running backs to require all NFL teams to install video cameras in their locker rooms for the upcoming season. Footage will only be shown on in-stadium scoreboards. Kommissar Roger Goodell claims that the cameras will “enhance the fan experience”.

How much access is too much during NFL games? Most can agree that nothing is gained from the halftime interview. “We need to stop the run and get back to our game.” Thanks. “We need to put some points on the board.” Really? Coaches just want to get into the locker room to make adjustments, check injuries and get ready for the 2nd half. They’re not going to give anything away or say something controversial.

Sideline reporting has become a distraction more than anything else. What’s the point beyond reporting on injuries or altercations on the sidelines? The rest is just filler. The problem isn’t a lack of journalistic ability (unless your name is Tony Siragusa). It’s an issue of how the reporters are used and how little useful information they provide over the course of the game.

Locker room cameras won’t do much to enhance the fan experience. Coaches aren’t going to open up and lay out their game plan. They won’t let loose and motivate players as they normally would behind closed doors. Players won’t be themselves either at least after the first couple get fined for speaking their minds.

Locker room intrusions will affect how teams conduct business in the locker room. I usually favor openness but it’s unclear how this will benefit the fans.

The NFL would focus on cheaper ticket prices and more television access for fans if they were actually interested in enhancing the experience. Do more like making All-22 coverage available as the league did last season. Sunday Ticket should be accessible on cable and online. Showing replays on stadium scoreboards is a good start. It should be up to the individual teams to make the live experience better for the ticket buying public. Some would be great and others like Dan Snyder would suck the very souls out of people.

“Welcome to sunny Los Angeles and the opening round of the NFL Scouting Combine! I’m your host Jason Sehorn and tonight we’re going to find out which players will be joining us at the scouting combine finals in dreary Indianapolis for a chance to get drafted in the 6th round and latch on to the Jaguars practice squad!”

This scenario could become reality if the NFL has its way. The New York Post reports that the NFL is considering changes to the annual combine that would turn it into a sporting version of American Idol. The 10 regional combines would be turned into a competition in which players would fight for the chance to appear at the main combine in Indianapolis.

According to the NFL Network, that system could soon resemble “Idol” by having those lesser prospects duke it out at the regional combines for an invitation to join the marquee talent in Indianapolis or even a spot at the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall.

There is also talk among league executives of taking Deion Sanders’ advice and having players compete head-to-head in certain combine events — perhaps turning the 40-yard dash into an actual race — in order to ratchet up the tension for TV purposes.

Of course the competition idea is the brainchild of Deion Sanders. If the NFL is going to do this, it might as well go all out. It’s not as though other shows such as The Voice and America’s Got Talent haven’t bitten the Idol format. Cheap imitation without attribution is the way of the television executive.

Let’s flesh out the format of the yet to be named show. First it needs a host. The closest the NFL can get to a Ryan Seacrest type host is probably Jason Sehorn or Jesse Palmer. Wait. Jeff Reed. They might experiment with a co-host who would get bounced after the first season à la Brian Dunkleman. Call it the Sean Salisbury reclamation project. Once the show has been established and Reed gets his legs, Salisbury can be removed from the picture. If he raises a stink, Roger Goodell would have no problem going full Peter Russo to silence him forever and claim his untimely passing was for the good of the league. You will go quietly into the night. His baby will not be turned into another dick pic scandal.

Next we need judges. Obviously Deion Sanders makes the cut. He’d be the one constantly comparing every contestant to himself and talking about how he would have done it better even though he wouldn’t make a tackle if his pre-nup depended on it in college or the NFL.

The panel of judges should be rounded out by Joe Theismann and Joey Porter. They give us the other essential elements of any reality show judiciary. Theismann plays the self-righteous, self-proclaimed “wise” man who judges players solely on whether he can set his watch to their haircut as opposed to their actual on-field talent. Porter plays the role of the loud buffoon/Paula Abdul who has to be settled down or allowed to ramble at length depending on the daily level of insanity. If he gets to be too much, Channing Crowder could replace him the following season with a negligible to negative increase in intelligent, coherent commentary.

The back stories of the players should only be explored if they’ve been in trouble with the law, suspended for violation of team rules, have over three children/baby mamas or played at a program where the head coach instituted the Bobby Bowden “Boys Will Be Boys” policy for exceptional players. These are the stories we want. This is the information teams crave. Just ask Jeff Ireland. No sob stories about a tough upbringing or family getting shot on the streets. The Alabama Four? Treat them like the West Memphis Three and get the real story about what went down that day. The kid who lost his mother, grandmother and brother to disease and the streets and was raised by his high school coach? Keep it moving and save it for Oprah or some sappy ESPN filler segment. Fine. We’re not heartless. Sprinkle some feel good in there but let’s not get carried away.

The players should compete individually as well as against each other in events of speed and strength. The Wonderlic should also be given but the format should be changed. No longer will it be private. It will now be administered in a quiz show format. Your host for this segment? Merrill Hoge. Yes. Poach Merrill Hoge from ESPN. How great would it be to watch him berate random players for absolutely no reason, curse Vince Young then get a Pittsburgh flashback and order Primanti’s into his microphone? “Why isn’t anyone answering me?? Smallman Street Fries on my sandwich!”

Forget amazing. The NFL Network has a chance to be the place where phenomenal happens if they do the regional combine competitions the right way. Keep hope alive.

Winning a Super Bowl can allow a NFL head coach a little bit of candor in his public statements.  Winning two super bowls allows a coach a ton.

New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin took full advantage of that yesterday when he couldn’t resist taking a jab at the “cross-town” rival New York Jets and their recent player acquisitions (ie: Tebowmania in NYC). Here’s what Coughlin had to say about the Jets recent acquisitions:

“You know who won the Super Bowl, you know who the world champions are,” he said. “Whether we’re on the front page every day or not, it’s not that important. New Yorkers know.”

Ouch, little bit of a burn there or what? The best part about that statement is that it pretty much rings true. The Giants go about their business, generally not making too many crazy headlines (minus Brandon Jacobs i guess) and they just go and win two Super Bowls in five years. The loudest Giants in the media are ex-Giants Tiki Barber and Michael Strahan.

Meanwhile, over in Jets country, you’ve got Rex Ryan flapping his gums every other week, talking about winning Super Bowls like he is a fat and sober Joe Namith, showcasing the entire team on HBO’s Hard Knocks, making free agent signing splashes that, all combined together…gets them essentially nowhere. Nowhere, that is, if you consider your season to be a bust if a Super Bowl ring was not won.

Anyway, it is nice to see Coughlin finally give up a little of the “hard ass” persona in his interviews with the media. Generally this is a guy who can make Bill Belichick look like charming. Maybe he’s finally getting soft in his golden years?

If so, I am loving it.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers shelled out $56 million for a 5 year contract with $26 million of it is guaranteed for wide-receiver Vincent Jackson.  HUGE payday for the 29 year old wideout and thankfully for Washington Redskins fans, it was not their favorite team that shelled out that kind of money to just one player.

Most people thought it was surprising that the Washington Redskins didn’t make him their number one priority, as many were stating prior to 4pm on Tuesday, but once you realized what they were up to, their lack of interest in VJax made perfect sense.

If you might recall, starting just last season, the Redskins made a point of signing younger free agents when they have had to dip into the free agent pool.  Productive players last season such as Stephen Bowen, Chris Chester, Barry Cofield and Adam Carriker were examples of this. This year, the Redskins’ free agent approach appears to be no different. So far the ‘Skins have signed wide receivers Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan and have made a strong offer to Eddie Royal out of the free agent pool for a combined $66.5 million, with at least $29 million guaranteed.  Just Garcon was signed to a deal that was longer than 2 years and none of the players are older than 27 years old.

If I was a wide receiver on the Redskins besides 2nd year player Leonard Hankerson, I might be worried about my job next season.

Despite the NFL taking away around half of the Redskins’ available cap space, they have gone out and put together a receiving corps that should be able to catch up to the deep balls that either Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck will be launching.  (Oh, right, if you live under a rock you should know that the Redskins moved up to the number 2 spot in the draft (giving up three 1st round picks and one 2nd round pick in the process) to draft Robert Griffin III.)

If the Redskins can continue to make moves like these, with any luck to their fans, the team will win the title of “Off-season Champs” this year for their shrewd picks instead of for the foolish money they throw at the big name players they acquire who never live up to their price tag.

Note: If you want to buy that logo on a T-shirt, hit up 289 Designs, its yours for $20

Antonio Cromartie and Travis Henry better watch out. Michael Turner’s coming at them with a vengeance. Roger Goodell and Peter King can check their fake indignation. No bounties are involved unless one counts child support.

Police were called to Turner’s house after his current girlfriend attacked his baby mama with a move that would have made Elin Woods proud.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, [Rasheeda] Walker claims she has 2 children with Turner and is “upset because he refuses to see them.” She also claims she’s pregnant with Turner’s 3rd child and wanted to talk to him about the situation.

Walker told cops she knocked on the front door … only to be ambushed by Turner’s new GF Elizabeth Delacruz … who was wielding a golf club and shouting, “YOU AT MY HOUSE NOW B*TCH.”

Walker claims she grabbed the golf club away from Delacruz and the two began to fight … until 5’10″, 244-pound Turner came outside and broke the whole thing up.

What’s the lesson here? Never go out with a shapeshifter. Delacruz went from Elin Woods to Brenda Richie just like that. She’s like a female Manimal. Whoa.

One has to appreciate Turner’s delegation of authority among his women. You strictly for the baby making and you for the sexin’. Never the twain shall meet unless it’s in the front yard and a battle to the death. Perhaps he should consider constructing a Thunderdome in the front yard for times like these. No need for law enforcement as what happens in Thunderdome stays in Thunderdome.

Hats off as well to the Avoid the Shorties strategy. Not seeing the kids means not having to remember their names or naming them the same thing.