Where does it say that ProFootballWeekly is not on the official provider of NFL transaction information, but the exclusive provider of that content?
I do agree that they have a history of being more accurate than other sources for that information, but I'm skeptical about them being either the 'official' or the 'only official' source.
It's the only one I've found in years of following this.
I would also recommend this website for rosters, which coincidentally also uses PFW has a source:
http://www.localsports.ca/nfl_rosters/
Do you have a source for this that you could share?
Many years of daily experience.
Please point out, where ProFootballWeekly, which describes itself as a Fantasy Sports Magazine, says it has the official Transaction list. I don't see that anywhere on their site. I don't see anywhere that the NFL states that ProFootballWeekly has anything to do with being the official transaction list.
On their old website (prior to June/July 2009), they had a line to the effect of "daily transactions as reported to the NFL league office." The transactions I'm using and talking about are different than the ones under the Patriots team section, which are just the Stats, Inc. ones (see ESPN, major newspapers, etc.)
As it is, I'm much more likely to believe THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE NFL, THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, and THE OFFICIAL HEAD COACH OF THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, over a fantasy rag.
Believe me, that is what most people would tihnk, but you are wrong. I don't read any other part of Pro Football Weekly, I just go there for their transaction wire. It's had transctions (especially dealing with reserve lists) that no other outlets, including the teams, have announced. It also gives the injury that the player has when he is placed on IR, which no other outlets give officially, but the teams are obligated to report to the NFL.
For example, NFL.com (and as a result, Stats, Inc.) screwed up a few weeks ago and said Derrick, not Prescott Burgess was released and re-signed to the practice squad. No one at NFL.com (which is operationally different than the NFL) even noticed that such a transaction would be impossible.
NFL.com's transactions have improved over the past year or two, but by no means are they official. They used to only list players that have profiles within their own system. Still, for more complicated transactions (usually cutdowns in August/September) NFL.com missed about half of the players. It was laughable.
PFW also has when contracts are disapproved by the league (which happens often); NFL.com would never have that.
