The Thread: Why we should all root for the players this time of year

Free agency is looming. Millions of dollars are on the line. Here is why players should fight for every damn penny they can.

The dinner seemed innocent enough.

Flattering, even.

At the NFL Combine, a coach for one team wanted to grab dinner and drinks with myself and another writer. We’ll leave the year, the coach’s title and the coach’s name out of this because, after all, this was offered as a chance to shoot the bull and get to know each other and, hey, that’s what Combine…