Here are a few odds and ends related to the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers including scheduling information, compensatory picks and a SPECIAL award for the 49ers.
Special Teams Award
49ers special teams coordinator Al Everest and his former assistant special teams coach Jeff Rodgers were named Special Teams Coaches of the Year by the Aguiar Kicking Academy. The academy was founded by former longtime NFL punter Louis Aguiar.
The award was voted on by NFL special teams coaches.
Rodgers left the 49ers this off-season to take the job as special teams coach at Kansas State.
Compensatory PicksThe NFL announced on Monday the compensatory picks for the upcoming draft.
32 compensatory choices were awarded to 15 teams in the NFL, but the 49ers were not one of them. It does affect San Francisco however in terms of their overall selections in Rounds 4-7, since the compensatory picks are tagged on as early as the end of the third round.
Here's how the compensatory picks are determined and a few more details from the League regarding the picks.
Under terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.
The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 220 choices in the seven rounds of the 2008 NFL Draft (April 26-27). This year, the compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.
Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.
One club this year (St. Louis) will receive a compensatory pick even though it did not suffer a net loss of compensatory free agents. Under the formula, the compensatory free agents St. Louis lost were ranked higher than the ones it signed (by a specified point differential based upon salary and performance).
Kickoff WeekendFor the fifth consecutive season, the defending Super Bowl champion will open the season by hosting the NFL Thursday night season kickoff. The 2008 regular season officially opens on Thursday, Sept. 4 when the New York Giants host the Washington Redskins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.
The kickoff will be 90 minutes earlier than the start time of the traditional season opener due to the Republican National Convention.
The Week 1 Sunday night primetime contest will feature a rematch of of Super Bowl XLI, with the Chicago Bears at the Indianapolis Colts at 8:15 p.m. ET. It will mark the Colts' first game in their new home, Lucas Oil Stadium.
The first Monday night of the 2008 season will feature a doubleheader for the third consecutive season. In two matchups of division rivals on Sept. 8, the Green Bay Packers will host the Minnesota Vikings at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Denver Broncos at the Oakland Raiders at 10:15 p.m. ET. Both games will be televised on ESPN.
The NFL has determined home and away opponents for each of the 32 clubs, but the entire regular-season schedule is not expected to be released until sometime in April.
