The Indianapolis Colts have denied a report
from Ed Werder of ESPN that receiver Marvin Harrison will deal with knee
pain for the rest of his playing career.
So why do the Colts even care? If
there's information that makes an opponent uncertain about a guy's health,
so be it. Making a big deal about it only makes people suspicious that
maybe the situation is even worse than advertised.
POSTED 8:52
p.m. EDT, November 2, 2007
REID'S HOME WAS SEARCHED
Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce
Castor said on Friday that
the home of Eagles coach Andy Reid was searched in an effort to
corroborate statements from a cellmate of Garrett Reid. The cellmate
finked on Garrett Reid in connection with the smuggling of medications into
jail via Reid's internal pill box.
Garrett Reid faces new charges arising from
the smuggling incident, a day after he was sentenced to a jail term of two
to 23 months for drug and traffic offenses.
Castor said that most of the 89 pills that
Garrett Reid carried into jail matched prescriptions found in the Reid home.
Authorities also found in Garrett's room an unlabeled bottle containing Vicodin pills, two syringes, and eight needles.
A press release and photos is available
right here.
POSTED 8:35 p.m. EDT,
November 2, 2007
DILLON GETTING READY TO RETURN?
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that
veteran running back Corey Dillon, who has previously rebuffed inquiries
regarding his availability, is receptive to the idea of returning to the
Patriots or signing with another playoff contender, such as the Packers.
Dillion, who last played for the Patriots in
2006, is training in preparation for a comeback.
He won a Super Bowl in 2004 with the Patriots,
and he would be a great addition to a team without many/any guys who have
championship rings on their fingers.
In this regard, we're getting very intrigued
by what the Packers might be able to do in the postseason, especially if
they could get Dillon to shore up the position. At a time when
everyone with a pulse believes that Sunday's game between the Pats and the
Colts is a preview of an AFC title game between the same two teams and that
the winner of the rematch will seize the Lombardi Trophy without breaking a
sweat, we like the idea of Brett Favre sliding a stone into his slingshot
and catching Goliath in the gonads.
If that could happen, Favre would be able to
ride off into the sunset with his own John Elway moment. And we
predict that Favre wouldn't do it, and would instead keep coming back as
long as his body will allow him to do so.
POSTED 8:25 p.m. EDT,
November 2, 2007
ANOTHER "HENRY" IN HOT WATER
With Bengals receiver Chris Henry wrapping up
a multi-game suspension and Broncos running back Travis Henry facing one,
another NFL player with the same surname is on his wait out of the game for
a while.
Per Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Titans
rookie running back Chris Henry will be suspended four games for violating
the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.
Schefter reports that Henry took a prescription medication that appears on
the listed of banned substances.
Henry didn't use steroids or HGH, but the
policy was violated and thus he gets a mandatory four-game suspension.
He'll lose four game checks and a proportionate amount of his rookie signing
bonus.
Reiss believes that the Pats will use the
roster spot for receiver Chad Jackson or cornerback Eddie Jackson, both of
whom are on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
There's been little or no mention of veteran
receiver Troy Brown, who also is on the PUP list and who very well might not
play at all in 2007.
Morris rushed for 117 yards on October 1
against the Bengals as the replacement for starter Laurence Maroney.
With Morris gone for the season, it'll be interesting to see whether the
team gives Corey Dillon a call.
POSTED 5:27 p.m. EDT,
November 2, 2007
RICE'S RECORDS SAFE?
While we were counting down the
top 25 players in
the NFL over the past 25 years, we wrote that Colts receiver Marvin
Harrison could end up breaking all of Jerry Rice's career receiving records.
Surgery, per Werder, is not regarded as a
viable option because there would be no guarantee of success and
rehabilitation time would require six months.
Harrison has been cleared to play on Sunday
against the Patriots, but coach Tony Dungy could hold him out in order to
preserve Harrison for the stretch run.
Harrison's absence would place greater
pressure on -- and would provide more opportunities for -- Reggie Wayne,
rookie Anthony Gonzalez, and tight end Dallas Clark in Sunday's showdown for
regular-season supremacy in the AFC.
As Titans cornerback Pacman Jones made the
trek to New York for a new audience with Commissioner Roger Goodell, Jones
did so as a former employee of TNA wrestling.
According to TNAWrestlingNews.com, which a
reader tells us is regarded as a reputable source of information for this
inherently disreputable form of entertainment,
Jones'
contract expired after the Bound for Glory event, and TNA opted
not to renew it.
That's a nice way of saying that TNA fired
Jones.
Per the report, TNA thought that Jones was
uncooperative regarding media efforts aimed at promoting the product.
He reportedly was paid up to $25,000 per appearance.
Jones initially planned to wrestle, but the
Titans obtained a restraining order based on language in his football
contract that requires him to avoid any activities that pose a risk of
physical harm. We heard at the time that the league was unhappy with
the appearance that Jones was making a mockery of his one-year suspension
from the NFL, and that Goodell is expected to be even less likely to
reinstate Jones to the league when Goodell reviews the situation after ten
games.
JACKSON GETS $582,000
As some Internet hack reported
earlier in the day on SportingNews.com, Jags defensive tackle Grady
Jackson received a one-year deal with a prorated $1.1 million base salary
when he signed with the team earlier in the week. As it turns out,
Jackson will likely be replacing Marcus Stroud for four games, once his
suspension for violation of the policy regarding steroids and related
substances kicks in.
Jackson's deal works out to
$582,000 and change for the rest of the season.
Under the CBA, Jackson also is
entitled to take the balance of his $1 million base salary with the Falcons
as termination pay, if Jackson has not previously utilized this device
during his career. There is no offset for future employment; he can
keep the full $1 million from the Falcons and the $582,000 from the Jags.
POSTED 1:01 p.m. EDT,
November 2, 2007
NEW CHARGES COMING FOR GARRETT REID
Published reports coming out of Philly
indicate that the eldest son of Eagles coach Andy Reid
will
face new charges arising from the discovery that Garrett Reid smuggled
89 pills into jail. Via his rectum.
The discovery was made not long before Garrett
Reid was sentenced to two to 23 months in jail as a result of drug and
traffic charges. A prosecutor said earlier this morning on WIP radio
that the judge's decision to keep the high end of the sentence below two
years keeps Garrett Reid in a more favorable incarceration arrangement.
With new charges, that could potentially change.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's
office is expected to discuss the charges on Friday afternoon.
The appeal hearing on the one-year suspension
of Broncos running back Travis Henry
has been bumped
to November 16, according to the Denver Post.
Per the Post, it might yet be pushed
back even farther.
Also pending is a legal action challenging the
NFL's drug-testing protocol. Henry alleged that the league should have
allowed a Henry-hired expert to monitor the analysis of Henry's "B" sample.
The league claims that Henry's ability to challenge the procedures in Court
is superseded by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the
players' union.
Henry has contended that he did not violate
the substance-abuse policy, arguing that he was exposed to second-hand
marijuana smoke. He has offered to provide hair samples and to submit
to polygraph testing.
The significance of the postponement is that
Henry will continue to play until all pending matters are resolved.
And that's good for Henry, because we have a feeling that it's going to be
difficult for him to get reinstated once all appeals and legal challenges
are wrapped up and he's booted for a full year.
SPRINT LETS YOU PICK
MANNING'S . . . BRAIN
On the same day that we poke
fun at Colts quarterback Peyton Manning for poking a pointer into his
proboscis, we thought it would make sense to remind you that you can while
away some of the hours on a lazy Friday afternoon by squaring off with the
thing that resides at the top of Mr. Manning's nostril via a trivia game
created by Sprint.
The game is
Manning's Mind, and it really is
a lot of fun. Even Florio Jr., who to date is only marginally
interested in football (yet somehow has become a diehard Saints fan) got a
kick out of it.
Besides, it's free to play.
It's just another example of
Sprint's commitment to supporting our pastimes, such as the NFL and NASCAR.
Every company is going to have an advertising budget; Sprint chooses to
makes its presence known in the things that the folks who read this site
like to do. In a world where there are many carriers of wireless
services, supporting the company that supports the NFL is a no-brainer.
Besides, Sprint and Nextel are
the exclusive telecommunications partners of ProFootballTalk.
So click the Sprint links on
this page get yourself a Sprint product. Or two. Or five.
And then when you're done,
enter Manning's Mind. To get there, we suggest using your mouse, not
your finger.
POSTED 8:25 a.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 10:00 a.m. EDT, November 2, 2007
REID'S CRISIS CAN'T BE OVERSTATED
After having a chance to study in more detail
the
Thursday comments of Judge Steven T. O'Neill and the revelations made
regarding the broader scope of conduct of the oldest two sons of Eagles
coach Andy Reid, we're increasingly troubled by the situation -- and we
can't imagine Reid being able to continue as the coach of the team after the
2007 season.
The Judge lambasted Reid and his wife for
creating and enabling the environment that resulted in Garrett and Britt
Reid developing chemical dependency problems that resulted in both of them
committing crimes for which they will be incarcerated.
On one hand, it's easy to argue that Garrett
and Britt Reid, both of whom are in their 20s, are grown men. On the
other hand, modern parents tend to hover more and more over their children,
even after they become "adults." Especially when they still live with
mom and dad.
Regardless, these boys/men likely didn't wake
up one day as fully-formed adults and decided to start taking and/or selling
drugs. Indeed, it was disclosed on Thursday that Garrett Reid began
selling cocaine in North Philadelphia five years ago.
"'I
liked being the rich kid in that area and having my
own high-status life,' " Garrett was quoted as
saying. "'I could go anywhere in the 'hood.
They all knew who I was. I enjoyed it. I
liked being a drug dealer. . . . These kids
were scared of me,' " O'Neill quoted Garrett as
saying. "'I was even selling to their parents
. . . . I turned everyone on to Oxycontin.'"
The
judge chided Reid and his wife for having a "drug
emporium" in their house.
"I have some real difficulty
with the structure in which
these two boys live," Judge
O'Neill said. "What is
the supervision? . . .
You got to take
accountability of what goes
on in the house. This
is a family in crisis and we
have to address it."
Reid's family crisis has
quickly become a crisis for
the Eagles' organization,
and if the team doesn't
parlay last week's win
against the dreadfully bad
Minnesota Vikings into a
streak that culminates in a
playoff berth, the calls
from the media and the fans
to step aside will only
intensify.
And for good reason.
If Reid can't properly take
care of his own house, how
can he be expected to
properly take care of
someone else's?
REID'S KIDS USED STEROIDS,
TOO
Lost in Thursday's flurry of
kidney punches to the image
of Eagles coach Andy Reid
was a disclosure that
Garrett and Britt Reid used
steroids as young athletes.
Let's repeat that.
The sons of an NFL head
coach used steroids as youth
athletes.
Wow.
What would the NFL do if it
was revealed that a player's
kids were or had been using
steroids? Or if the
player was accused of
maintaining a "drug
emporium" at his house?
Cowboys assistant coach Wade
Wilson was suspended five
games for possessing HGH for
his own use because, as
Wilson was told, the league
holds coaches to a higher
standard.
It's a delicate situation,
to be sure. But we
suspect that the folks
running the show are at
least mildly troubled by the
information that has been
disclosed, and that this
could manifest itself in the
Eagles receiving
not-so-subtle indications
that the time might be
coming to accept Reid's
resignation -- even if he's
not ready to provide it.
MAKE YOUR PICKS . . . I
DARE YOU
I took a little bit of a
step back last week in the
PFT Pick Challenge, dropping
from 9-5 to 8-5. I'm
due to rebound in a big way
-- but I probably won't.
So now is your change to
thump me by picking more
games correctly than I do
for Week Nine.
The PFT Pick Challenge is
getting more and more play every week, and for good reason. It's easy,
it's fun, it's free, and you can win stuff.
Plus, we now have rankings
posted, so you can see how
well you're doing. (Or
otherwise.) It also
shows your total ranking in
comparison to yours truly.
The user whose name is drawn
from the names of all users who get more games right than me wins a free Fathead product, under our "Meathead or Fathead?"
contest.
The folks who get the most
games right for the week are entered into a separate drawing, and the winner
gets a free one-year subscription to Sporting News.
Under the "Refer A Friend"
program, the winner of the drawing made up of all folks who refer (again, not
reefer) someone else to the game gets the 2008 Rotoworld online draft guide.
And everyone who correctly
guesses the outcome of the Steelers-Bengals game is entered into a separate
drawing, and the winner gets a copy of
The Bus: My Life In And Out Of A Helmet,
which has been made available to us at no charge by
Jerome Bettis
and by Doubleday Books.
Finally, remember that every
game picked correctly is an entry into the end-of-season grand-prize drawing
for two tickets to the Football Game of Significant Significance, which will
be played this year in Arizona. The tickets have been available to us
at face value from our friends at NFL.com.
For this week, the winning
(eventually) picks are: Redskins, Falcons, Bucs, Chiefs, Bengals,
Chargers, Lions, Titans, Saints, Browns, Raiders, Pats, Cowboys, Steelers.
WE HELP EMMITT OUT
Our disdain for the
performances of ESPN's
Emmitt Smith has been well
documented. So why do
we do it?
First, it's funny to hear a
grown man who went to
college and who is working
for a high-profile sports
network say things like "you
will get blowed out."
Second, we point out
Emmitt's errors because they
are a sad commentary on what
we're willing to accept in
the name of seeing and
hearing a "big name."
There are kids out there
watching the various ESPN
shows on which Emmitt
appears, and they're going
to believe that it's okay to
butcher the English
language. We need to
do a better job than that,
and thus we need to demand a
higher standard from the
folks who are talking to
our kids.
If you went to meet with
your son's teacher, and she
told you, "Jimmy better
rightsize the ship," you'd
be a bit troubled.
Though a teacher's influence
on our children is (or at
least should be) far more
significant than a guy who
talks on television, the
reality is that all adults
who speak aloud for a living
to an audience that surely
includes kids should be
expected to demonstrate at
least a grade-school level
of competence when it comes
to the conjugation of verbs
and the manipulation of
vocabulary.
Especially when the adult is
the NFL's all-time leading
rusher.
And as we've previously
said, we don't blame Emmitt
as much as we blame whoever
it was in Bristol who opted
to put him on the air.
It's not as if Emmitt was
Frasier Crane in his
audition and then showed up
saying "blowed out."
And our guess is that many
of Emmitt's colleagues have
been mortified by the manner
in which he undermines the
credibility of the ESPN
brand, and that they've
likely begun to strike off
the days on the calendar
until the season ends and
Emmitt is quietly nudged
into another line of
post-football work.
10. Emmitt
Smith, ESPN NFL analyst:
The Bills and the Giants
could not stop him. Nor
could Mario Lopez on
Dancing With the Stars.
But Smith is facing an
opponent that might finally
do him in:
Pro Football Talk.com.
The plucky Web site offers a
live blog of ESPN's
Monday Night coverage
where they skewer every
Smith mistake (and there are
many) with bloodthirsty
delight. Not sure Emmitt is
going to outrun the sports
blogsphere here.
Hey, Emmitt -- you're
welcome?
FRIDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB
ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith
Says Patriots coach Bill
Belichick of Colts TE Dallas
Clark, "He's faster than
most linebackers he plays,
he's bigger than most
defensive backs he plays,
plus he's a good receiver.
No matter who you have on
him,
they have trouble covering
him."
Bengals RB Kenny Watson
practiced Thursday and
will play this weekend
despite suffering a
concussion Sunday.
Says Titans C Kevin Mawae of
his younger teammates, "They
want you to go out with them
on Thursday night and I am
sitting there thinking, 'My
son has football practice,
my daughter has a dance
class, and
Frasier comes on at
9:30." [Editor's
note: In six
prior years, we'd never
mentioned Frasier Crane
once. And now we've
done it twice in one
morning.]
Some unnamed Chiefs players
had some fun at the
expense of K Dave Rayner.
Raiders QB Daunte Culpepper
isn't complaining about
being replaced by Josh
McCown.
Says Chargers LB Shawne
Merriman of Sunday's victory
over the Texans, "I was
ready to start a fight
at any point in that game."
[Editor's note:
It's a good thing that
irrational rage isn't a
symptom of steroid use, or
we'd wonder whether Merriman
is back on the juice.]
Broncos CB Champ Bailey says
of playing against his
brother, Lions LB Boss
Bailey, on Sunday, "It's sad
but I don't get to really
play against him. . . .
I don't get to
go out there and hit him in
the mouth a few times."
Cowboys S Roy Williams is
sick of hearing that
he's a liability in pass
coverage.
Lions coach Rod Marinelli
has created a "do-right
list" of things he
expects assistant coach Joe
Cullen to do as a result of
his arrests last year for
driving drunk while clothed
and nude while sober.
The Bears' 3-5 record makes
them less likely to
play in prime time once
the "flexible schedule" for
NBC kicks in.
When asked if he had time to
talk to a reporter Thursday,
Panthers WR Steve Smith
said, "That depends on the
subject." When told the
subject was teammate Dwayne
Jarrett, Smith said, "I
don't have a minute to talk
about that."
Tampa Bay's defensive
players are
showing respect for
Cardinals QB Kurt Warner.
The Saints' defense has gone
six straight games
without allowing a 100-yard
runner.
Goodell suspended Jones for the full 2007
season in April, but agreed to review the case after ten games. The
Commissioner will meet with Jones, apparently at his request, to receive an "update" from the player.
Jones has expressed optimism
that he'll be reinstated early. We suggest that he not hold his
breath, or any other bodily functions.
PFT INVADES NFLN, AGAIN
On Thursday afternoon, yours
truly got another opportunity to ugly up the airwaves on NFL Network.
Specifically, I did a brief segment with Adam Schefter on Point After,
via satellite from the studios of WDTV in Clarksburg/Bridgeport. (If
you're a PFTV aficionado, the setting might
look familiar.)
NFLN has forwarded to us a
link to the segment. Here it is.
It's just a brief example of
the kind of stuff that you get on NFL Network (when, of course, NFLN isn't
otherwise offering up actual football action and/or extended highlights
packages).
Also, keep in mind that NFLN
will be all over the coming Pats-Colts game. Coming up at 9:00 p.m.
EDT on Thursday, NFLN will air Who Is . . . Better: Brady or
Manning? (It re-airs on Friday at 3:00 a.m. EDT and Saturday at
11:30 a.m. EDT).
On Saturday and Sunday, NFLN
presents various replays of classic Pats-Colts contests of the recent past.
By the time Sunday at 4:15
p.m. EST rolls around, there will have been 36.5 hours of programming in
anticipation of the biggest regular-season game in NFL history.
And if you aren't getting NFLN
because your cable company refuses to carry it, click the link at the top of
this page (on the left) and make yourself heard.
A QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTE
With the biggest . . . game .
. . ever coming up this weekend, we're getting more radio requests than
usual. Later tonight, we'll visit for a few minutes with Eddie White
of WIBC in Indianapolis. Then, at some point between 2:00 a.m. and
6:00 a.m. EDT, the web site that rarely sleeps will make an appearance in
the City that Never Sleeps, as yours truly visits with the Gordon Damer Show
on ESPN 1050 in New York.
Next, I'll spend a few minutes
on Friday morning with Lance Zierlein and John Granato of KGOW in Houston.
Lance, by the way, is the son of Larry Zierlein, the Steelers assistant
coach who inadvertently forwarded a certain video via e-mail to a bunch of
NFL big shots. We broke the story back in June.
To his credit, Lance
apparently realizes that news is news and there's nothing personal about it.
Or, alternatively, it's an ambush. Either way, it should be fun.
SO DO THE PATS RUN UP THE
SCORE?
It's been the most debated NFL
question of the week. And so PFTV must chime in on it.
Here's what the guys had to
say.
POSTED 7:58 p.m. EDT,
November 1, 2007
JARVIS MOSS OUT FOR THE YEAR
The Denver Broncos have announced that rookie
defensive end Jarvis Moss, a first-round pick in the 2007 draft,
will miss the rest of the year after he fractured his fibula and tore
ankle ligaments in practice on Thursday.
The injury was described by coach Mike
Shanahan as "kind of a freak accident."
"He'll have surgery here in the next few days
and it will be about a three- or four-month recovery time," Shanahan said.
"It's very similar to the injury Cecil Sapp had, and he came back full
speed. It happened in a nine-on-seven drill today."
The Broncos also announced that receiver Rod
Smith will not be emerging from the Physically Unable to Perform list, which
means that he also will be lost for the year.
POSTED 5:39 p.m. EDT, November 1, 2007
MCCOWN TO START FOR RAIDERS
by Michael David Smith
McDonald reports that Raiders coach Lane
Kiffin made the announcement at practice today.
McCown started the Raiders' first two games, but he suffered a broken toe
against the Cleveland Browns. Daunte Culpepper took over in McCown's place
and played sufficiently well in his first start -- throwing for two
touchdowns and running for three -- that most people thought Culpepper had
earned the job for good, or at least until the Raiders decide it's time to
start rookie JaMarcus Russell.
But Culpepper has struggled recently, so
Kiffin turns back to McCown. Either way, the starter for the Raiders is
mostly just a place holder until Russell is ready.
Raiders fans who live in the Bay Area won't be able to watch McCown lead the
team against the Texans from the comfort of their homes. McDonald also
reports that the Raiders-Texans game hasn't sold out, meaning it will be a
local blackout, and fans in the Bay Area will get to see the Colts-Patriots
game.
The NFL has named its rookies of the month for
October. On the offensive side of the ball, it's the same guy who won
it in September -- Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. He clinched
the prize with a 224-yard rushing output against the Bears.
On defense, the award went to 49ers linebacker
Patrick Willis, who recorded 43 tackles in three games. He is the only
rookie in NFL history to notch at least 10 tackles in each of his first
seven games.
In September, the awards went to Peterson and
Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye. All three of the players to win
the award this year were taken in the top half of the first round of the
draft, between picks seven and thirteen.
ALLEN IS THE AFC DEFENSIVE
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
The Chiefs have announced that
defensive end Jared Allen has been named the AFC defensive player of the
month for October.
Allen, who was suspended for
the first two games of the regular season, made an instant impact when he
returned in Week Three. He has 7.5 sacks in five games, and he is the
first Chief to win the award since Derrick Thomas in 1997.
The high-motor sack specialist
is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. Chiefs G.M.
Carl Peterson has vowed to use the franchise tag on Allen if necessary to
keep him.
POSTED 4:04 p.m. EDT, November 1, 2007
JUDGE CALLS ANDY REID'S
HOME "A DRUG EMPORIUM" by Michael David Smith
A judge in Philadelphia today sentenced
Garrett Reid to two to 23 months in jail and had harsh words for the home
where Reid lives with his father, Eagles coach Andy Reid.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that
Judge Steven O'Neill likened the Reid home to "a
drug emporium" and questioned whether it was a suitable place for Reid's
adult sons to live.
"There isn't any structure there that this court can depend upon . . . this is
a family in crisis," the Inquirer quotes O'Neill as saying.
Those words must have stung Reid, who was in
court at the time but declined to talk to reporters afterward. Although Reid
has said he plans to continue coaching the Eagles, there has been a great
deal of speculation that the legal problems of Garrett and another Reid son,
Britt, could lead to him stepping aside.
The details that emerged about Garrett Reid at
today's sentencing describe a man so desperate for drugs that he smuggled 89
pills into jail by secreting them in his rectum. Garrett Reid spoke in court
and said, "I don't want to be that kid who was the son of the head coach of
the Eagles who was spoiled and on drugs and OD'ed and just faded into
oblivion."
POSTED 2:55 p.m. EDT, November 1, 2007
VILMA'S KNEE WAS FLAGGED AT
2004 COMBINE by Michael David Smith
Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma was placed on
injured reserve last week with a knee injury. It was never quite clear what
happened to Vilma's knee, as Jets coach Eric Mangini said that Vilma had to
leave the Jets' Week Seven game against the Bengals because of a knee
problem, while Vilma said he could have stayed in the game.
Today Rich Cimini of the New York Daily
News reports that Vilma's knee problems go back to high school, and that
NFL doctors
flagged Vilma's knee at the 2004 Indianapolis scouting combine. The knee
condition is known as osteochondritis dissecans, a bone defect that can
cause instability and loose particles in the joint. Terry Bradway, who at
the time was the Jets' general manager, said in 2004 that the team's medical
staff had cleared Vilma.
Neither Vilma nor the Jets will confirm
exactly what is wrong with his knee. Cimini quotes Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an
orthopedic surgeon who consults with the Philadelphia 76ers, as saying that
Vilma could need micro-fracture surgery on the knee, although DiNuble has
not seen the results of Vilma's MRI.
Vilma has one more season remaining on the
contract he signed as the Jets' first-round pick in 2004. There has been
speculation that Vilma will ask for either a new contract or a trade in the
off-season.
POSTED 11:01 a.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 12:00 p.m. EDT, November 1, 2007
ROSENFELS GETS HIS SHOT
With starting quarterback Matt Schaub still
feeling the effects of a concussion that coach Gary Kubiak initially refused
to call a concussion, backup
Sage Rosenfels most likely will play on Sunday against the Raiders.
So while the rest of the free world will be
watching the Patriots and the Colts in Indy, Rosenfels will be taking the
snaps in a battle of the 2-5 Raiders and the 3-5 Texans. It will be
the third start of Rosenfels' career.
For Schaub, it was his first concussion.
But like Travis Henry and Tom Brady discussing their children, most football
players should add the phrase "that I know of" to any attempt to count up
the number of times that their brains have been banged around.
CHILDRESS TELLS GEORGE TO
CHILL OUT
On Monday, former NFL
quarterback Jeff George made it known that he'd like to play for the
Vikings. On Wednesday, coach Brad Childress responded.
"Probably maybe go to a fantasy camp or
something like that," Childress said.
Asked whether George is
on the
downside of his playing career, Childress said, "Downside
would probably be -- I think -- kind."
Ouch. We didn't know an
NFL coach could be so snarky.
George was taken aback by the
remarks.
"It
kind of catches me off guard," George said, according to Sean Jensen of
the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I don't know how to comment on
that."
But then, of course, he did.
"With any team, not just Minnesota, that might
need a quarterback, I would hope someone would overlook what happened 10
years ago, or whoever they got their information from, and just give me an
opportunity. You don't have to sign me. But it won't hurt to bring me
in and take a look."
We agree. George is 38.
Vinny Testaverde is 43. George has far less wear and tear than most
other quarterbacks his age, because he really hasn't played all that much.
And he likely still has a rocket of an arm.
But even bringing George in
for a look-see would be a tacit admission by Childress that his current
quarterbacks suck. The fact that Childress is the only one who
apparently can't see this means that, in due time, it will be kind to say
that Childress is on the downside of his coaching career.
CHANGES COMING FOR PFT
We thought it would be fitting
on the first day of our seventh year of operation to point out that, in the
not-too-distant future, we'll be implementing some long-overdue updates and
changes to the site.
New features will include (we
hope) permalinks for all stories, an RSS feed, and comments sections so that
PFT Planet can sound off whenever and wherever it chooses to do so.
We couldn't install all of
these changes without revising the look of the site. Though we'll
continue to keep the mock up of the redesigned page under wraps for now,
we've decided to pull the curtain off of what will be our new logo.
Here it is. (Please make
a drum roll on your desk, or on the bald spot of the guy in the next
cubicle.)
Each week, we slap together
our Power Rankings. And we also take the time to try to come up with
some smart-alecky (and sometimes humorous) comments about the teams.
Today, though, we're running
low on time. Yours truly is scheduled to make an appearance on NFLN
(more on this later) and there's too much to do and not enough time to do it
all.
So we've limited the comments
in the Power Rankings to one word per team.
Check it out.
And if you don't like the one
word we've assigned to your team, a certain two-word phrase comes to mind.
POSTED 8:59 a.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 10:25 a.m. EDT, November 1, 2007
BUSH DEFENSE TO FOCUS ON CALIFORNIA AGENT
LAW?
Saints running back Reggie Bush and his family
plan to defend against the lawsuit filed by Lloyd Lake of New Era Sports &
Entertainment by citing a California law that prohibits the activities in
which Lake apparently was engaged, according to a source with knowledge of
the defense team's current plans.
Per the source, Bush's camp believes that the
claims made by Lake constitute evidence of multiple violations of the
Miller-Ayala Athlete
Agents Act.
The Act prohibits agents from, for example,
initiating contact with athletes or members of their immediate families.
Also, the Act requires agents to notify the athlete's university if the
player is the one who initiates contact with the agent. Most
importantly, the Act requires any agreements between agents and athletes to
be in writing.
So if Bush and family can show that Lake
violated the Act, the ultimate argument will be that Lake cannot recover any
of the money he allegedly paid to Bush or his family. At
Section 18897.93 of the California Business and Professions Code, the
Act states, "No person shall owe an athlete agent any money or other
consideration pursuant to an endorsement contract, financial services
contract, or professional sports services contract negotiated by the athlete
agent if the athlete agent fails to comply with this chapter."
And there's more. Lake's actions
potentially subject him to liability to Bush and to USC for any damages that
they have suffered (or will suffer) as a result of Lake's alleged violations
of the Act. If, as many believe, the Texans passed on Bush at the very
top of the 2006 draft because of concerns regarding the allegations that
Bush and/or his family were "on the take," then Bush can make a counterclaim
against Lake for the difference between the value of his contract as the No.
2 pick and the contract of the No. 1 pick. Bush also might be entitled
to compensation from Lake if/when Bush suffers the public humiliation of
having to give up the Heisman Trophy.
As to USC, Lake could be responsible for
damages resulting from any games forfeited after the fact -- or from a
National Championship that could be stripped from the school.
But we think there's a potential wrinkle here
that could make this case different than the standard situation in which an
established agent preys on an athlete and/or his immediate family. In
this case, there could be allegations that the entire operation began
because Bush's stepfather, Lamar Griffin, solicited Lake and Michael
Michaels to create with him an agency that would represent Reggie's
interests -- and then use the representation of Reggie as a springboard to
building a full-blown sports agency.
So if Lamar Griffin pitched this concept and
Lake and Michaels decided to do it and then Griffin asked for money and
other stuff as a quasi-advance on future earnings, who's really at fault
here?
And regardless of whether Bush will beat back
a claim for $291,000 that he can easily afford to pay, or whether Bush
and/or USC can sue Lake for hundreds of thousands of dollars that he might
not have, the broader issue (as far as the NCAA and the public are
concerned) is whether Bush and/or his family were getting paid while Reggie
was still playing football for USC.
For the IRS, the next question might be
whether anyone was paying taxes on the money that was changing hands.
So while the Miller-Ayala Athlete Agent Act
might be the silver bullet for defending against Lake's claims, the most
significant damage could be done long before the lawsuit is dismissed.
Especially since Lake is scheduled to be interviewed by the NCAA on Friday.
BROWNS WILL BE BACKED INTO
A CORNER ON ANDERSON
As the Cleveland Browns
prepare to try to strengthen their chances for an unexpected playoff
appearance, there's a looming dilemma at the quarterback position.
Many in the media presume that
the Browns will have to decide whether the starting quarterback in 2008 will
be Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn. But the ultimate choice will have
longer-term repercussions than that, in our view.
Anderson will be a restricted
free agent after the season. Regardless of whether the Browns decide
to go with Anderson or Quinn in 2008, the Browns undoubtedly will slap the
highest possible RFA tender on Anderson, ensuring that they will be entitled
to a first-round pick and a third-round pick as compensation, if he leaves.
(Even if they want to go with Quinn, they can trade Anderson for less than a
first-rounder and a third-rounder, like the Falcons did with Matt Schaub.)
But who wouldn't give up a
first-round pick and a third-round pick for a semi-proven commodity at the
quarterback position? Why spend the No. 1 overall pick (and $32
million or more in guaranteed money) on a potential Tim Couch or Ryan Leaf
when, for a first-round pick and a third-round pick, you can have a guy who
has actually worn an NFL helmet for reasons other than trick-or-treating?
(And performed well while doing so.)
Even if a potential suitor for
Anderson decides not to slip a "poison pill" in the offer sheet to Anderson
that would make it impossible for Cleveland to match the deal, the only way
that the Browns would be able to keep Anderson around for 2008 would be to
make the kind of financial investment that will make it impossible for them
to put him on the bench in 2009. Or 2010.
So who are the candidates to
make a run at Anderson? Obvious possibilities are the Jaguars, Chiefs,
Vikings, Bears, Bucs, and Panthers. (Even if the 49ers were inclined
to give up on Alex Smith after three seasons, they can't extend an offer for
Anderson because their first-round pick was traded to New England. And
having the Colts' first-rounder via the Tony Ugoh trade doesn't count -- the
49ers have to have their own pick.)
And what about the Dolphins?
There's talk that owner Wayne Huizenga might want to make a big splash at
quarterback, if early reviews on rookie John Beck aren't promising.
Making a run at Anderson would have two significant benefits. First,
G.M. Randy Mueller (or whoever has the job at the time) wouldn't have to
play pin the tail on the donkey with Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm and Andre
Woodson. Second, the Fins would foist onto the Browns the requirement
to take a shot in the dark on a blue-chip prospect at a time when the chips
won't likely be as blue as they were in 2007 -- and then pay the guy more
than $30 million guaranteed.
The Ravens need a long-term
answer at the position. But would they be willing to give up a
first-round pick and a third-round pick for the guy whom they cut -- and who
then developed into a star with their arch-rivals in Cleveland? Still,
if Anderson were to become a star in Baltimore and if Brady ends up being a
bust, it would be viewed as a brilliant move.
Bottom line? The way
things are shaping up right now, someone will give up a one and three
for Anderson. And the only way the Browns will be able to keep him is
if they're willing to have two high-priced quarterbacks -- and if they're
able to keep one of them happy while he is languishing on the bench.
NO COLLEGE STATION
DOUBLE-HEADER
Our own MDS has reported for
AOL's FanHouse that the rare simultaneous CBS doubleheader planned by KBTX
in College Station, Texas won't be happening.
On Wednesday, it was disclosed
that KBTX would air the Texans-Raiders game, and that KBTX had made
arrangements for the local cable company to broadcast the CBS feed of the
Pats-Colts game.
As we expected, NFL rules
prevent such arrangements.
An NFL spokesman told MDS, "This
won't be happening despite what is reported. The local affiliate
must be misinformed about its rights under the CBS television contract, but
this is not permissible."
Meanwhile, some readers have
complained that we spoiled the fun by blowing the whistle on the
arrangement. Um, guys? If the NFL is able to find out about
churches that plan on displaying the Super Bowl to its congregation, the
league probably would have caught wind of KBTX's plans -- especially after
KBTX announced them on its web site.
The link to the KBTX story, by
the way, is now
defunct. Imagine that.
THURSDAY MORNING
ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith
Patriots coach Bill Belichick
says of the Colts, "I think the most impressive thing is just
how few mistakes they make."
Tickets to Sunday's game at
the RCA Dome are going for
an average of $372 on StubHub.
Three Bills who missed
Sunday's game against the Jets were
back at practice Wednesday.
Browns QB Derek Anderson is
getting hyped on NFL Network.
The Bengals' single-season
receiving records for catches, yards, and touchdowns are
all within reach of WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
New Jaguars DT Grady Jackson
introduced himself by saying, "I'm just a humble person,
a laid-back type of guy." [Editor's note: ". .
. except when I'm filing a lawsuit against my employer."]
DT Albert Haynesworth
doesn't particularly care who plays quarterback for the Panthers against
the Titans on Sunday.
Texans WR Andre Johnson
pronounced himself
85 percent recovered from a sprained knee.
Chargers coach Norv Turner
credits P Mike Scifres for putting the Texans in bad field position
Sunday.
The Chiefs have announced that
they'll
continue holding training camp at the University of Wisconsin at River
Falls for at least another year.
Broncos RB Selvin Young didn't
feel like he took a beating Monday night, despite getting 24 touches in his
first NFL start: "Actually,
my body feels good."
LB Kirk Morrison is frustrated
that the Raiders
can't close out
games in the fourth quarter.
Says ex-Cowboys coach Bill
Parcells of his old quarterback's new contract, "Now Tony has two things to
be careful with --
the football and his money. Both are equally hard to take care of,
and there's always someone out there trying to strip you of them."
Although he's coming home to
Cleveland on Sunday, Seahawks backup QB Charlie Frye says
no one has asked for tickets because they know he's not playing.
Bill Walsh will be
honored at the Super Bowl in a ceremony that will include several of his
players with the 49ers.
An industry source tells us in response to our
speculation item from earlier today that the Dolphins will stick with Cleo
Lemon at quarterback until the team gets a win that, in reality, owner Wayne
Huizenga wants the coaching staff to play quarterback John Beck.
Per the source, Huizenga wants to find out if
Beck has the potential to become a long-term starter, since the team will be
in position to select a blue-chip quarterback high in the first round of the
draft.
And that reality further highlights how
ridiculous the current financial system for paying first-round rookies has
become. Assuming that the Dolphins and the Rams finish with the two
worst records in the league, their reward will be paying guaranteed money of
$30 million or more to a guy who has never taken a snap in the NFL.
But even if the Fins are in line to draft a
blue-chip quarterback, we think that some patience needs to be exercised.
This franchise has been wasting draft picks for years (primarily by trading
them away) in an effort to find
the next Dan Marino. Whether or not Beck makes a big splash in limited
duty on a bad team in 2007 shouldn't prompt the powers-that-be to burn up a
top-two pick on another rookie quarterback.
POSTED 10:03 p.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 10:26 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2007
VRABEL WINS FIRST POW AWARD
Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, an 11-year
veteran who arguably is having his best season yet, won the first AFC
defensive player of the week award of his career for his role in the team's
dismantling of the Redskins.
Vrabel made 13 tackles, notched three sacks,
and forced three fumbles. He also caught a touchdown pass on offense,
which of course has nothing to do with defense.
Speaking of offense, Colts running back Joseph
Addai won the AFC offensive player of the week honors, the second of his
career. Chargers punter Mike Scifres was the AFC special teams player
of the week.
In the NFC, Saints quarterback Drew Brees was
named the offensive player of the week, thanks to 336 yards passing and four
touchdowns. Eagles defensive end Trent Cole is the NFC defensive
player of the week. And Lions kicker Jason Hanson, who has been with
the team for 16 seasons, won his tenth career POW award for special teams.
With all due respect, and recognizing that we
have a lengthy record of poking fun at Packers quarterback Brett Favre, how
in the heck does Favre not win the NFC offensive player of the week award?
Favre threw two rainbow shots that connected on Monday night, including an
82-yarder that won the game in Denver, a place where Green Bay had never
before prevailed.
PFTV LOOKS AT THE ROMO DEAL
In another PFTV segment for
the week, Florio and Brocato take a look at the Tony Romo deal, and its
potential implications.
Raiders rookie running back Michael Bush, a
potential top-ten pick who decided to spend another year in college only to
see his leg bend in a direction that it wasn't intended by God to bend, has
emerged from the non-football injury list and joined practice, an industry
source tells us.
Bush was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders,
and many thought he could be the steal of the draft. But Bush hadn't
fully healed from the broken leg that ended his college career prematurely,
and he spent all of training camp, all of the preseason, and the first eight
weeks of the regular season on the NFI list.
The Raiders will now have three weeks to
activate Bush or put him on injured reserve. If he is activated, it is
likely that the Raiders will consider cutting running back Dominic Rhodes.
The Steelers recently cut cornerback Ricardo
Colclough, a second-round pick in the 2004 draft.
The Browns made a waivers claim on Colclough,
and were awarded his rights.
The fact that the Browns secured Colclough
means that no one beneath them on the pecking order (determined primarily by
overall record) made a claim.
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the
Panthers also made a claim for Colclough.
Having Colclough around comes in handy, since
the Browns play the Steelers on November 11. And, by the way, the
Browns are currently only a game behind their neighbors to the southeast.
To clear a spot for Colclough, the Browns
placed nose tackle Ted Washington on injured reserve.
The NFL has fined 49ers kicker Joe Nedney
$7,500 for giving a fan the middle finger on Sunday during the team's loss
to the Saints.
"I should've counted to 10 and taken a couple
deep breaths. A comment was made to me at the wrong time and I lashed
out, and now I've financially paid the consequences," Nedney said.
Hey, Joe? What the hell did you think?
That only the guy who was riding you would be looking in your direction
when you flipped him off -- and that none of the other folks in the stands
would notice?
There's a "Real Men of Genius" commercial
floating around in that logic somewhere.
Meanwhile, my kid now wants to go
trick-or-treating as Joe Nedney.
Then again, it could be worse -- Florio Jr.
could ask
to go as Mike Ditka with an itchy groin.
POSTED 3:29 p.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 3:43 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2007
CAT FIGHT COMING FOR PANTHERS RECEIVERS?
Pat Yasinskas of the Charlotte Observer
writes that there was a tense moment on Wednesday between Panthers receiver
Steve Smith and rookie wideout Dwayne Jarrett.
Then Smith, in a "very strong tone," said,
"Seriously."
But Jarrett kept on talking.
For the rookie's sake, we hope he keeps his
distance from Smith when he gets to the film room. Because it was five
years ago that Smith sucker punched a teammate while they were watching
film.
(Thanks to our own MDS for tipping us off to
this one.)
COLLEGE STATION SPECIAL
CONFIRMED
KBTX in Bryan/College Station,
Texas has announced that it will be pulling off a rare, if not
unprecedented, simultaneous CBS double-header.
While KBTX airs the
Texans-Raiders game at 4:15 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Suddenlink cable will
broadcast the CBS feed of the Pats-Colts game in the same market.
The one thing that KBTX
doesn't mention is whether the NFL or CBS have signed off on this deviation
from the usual procedures.
NO SUCH LUCK IN CLEVELAND
With the Browns playing a home
game against the Seahawks on Sunday, folks in Cleveland also won't get to
see the greatest . . . game . . . ever.
Though the Browns game will be
televised by FOX (since an NFC team is the visitor), the CBS affiliate is
barred from televising a game at the same time the local team is playing
a home game.
We're not sure why that is.
Maybe the reason is to ensure that folks at the stadium will actually be
paying attention to the game between the Seahawks and the Browns instead of
huddling around portable televisions to see what's up in Indy.
If the Browns were only
playing a non-West Coast team, the 4:05 p.m. EDT kickoff likely would have
been a 1:00 p.m. start time, allowing local fans to enjoy the Browns game
before the biggest game in NFL regular-season history.
POSTED 2:24 p.m. EDT,
October 31, 2007
NO BECK UNTIL FINS WIN?
Although Dolphins coach Cam Cameron reportedly
will take some time during the bye week to decide whether to stick with
Cleo Lemon as the starting quarterback or give rookie John Beck a shot, we
think that the decision to go with Beck hinges on one very significant
factor.
When -- and if -- the Fins get a win.
Currently, the Miami football franchise is
halfway to the wrong kind of pro sports immortality. And the Fins are
only six losses away from matching the futility of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
some 31 years ago.
At least the Bucs had an excuse; they were an
expansion team in an era without free agency and only 27 other teams.
In the modern NFL, the inability to go an entire season without a win is a
much more "impressive" feat, given that the salary cap has compressed the
talent levels among the various teams (except in New England) and there
simply aren't enough NFL-caliber quarterbacks to fill out the depth charts
for 32 teams.
And anyone who has amassed the kind of fortune
and fame enjoyed by Fins owner Wayne Huizenga is surely proud enough to want
to not be the man who presided over what arguably would be the worst
regular-season in league history.
So with some winnable games left (the Bills
twice, the Jets, and the Bengals), the smart money is on Lemon keeping the
job until there's at least a "1" in the column with the "W" at the top.
Ironically, getting that sole win could be
Lemon's kiss of death as the starter. Because once the pressure to
avoid matching the memories of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins with an 0-16 in
2007 is gone, it will make sense to give Beck some live reps as he prepares
to be the full-time starter in 2008.
POSTED 11:55 a.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 12:26 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2007
STROUD FACES SUSPENSION
As it turns out, Angelo Wright's intuition was
accurate.
The agent for defensive tackle Grady Jackson
sensed that something was going on when the Jaguars called Wright on Sunday
night to commence talks aimed at bringing the veteran run-stuffer to
Jacksonville. Since the call came on Sunday after a game, we assumed
that maybe Marcus Stroud and/or John Henderson had been banged up in the
Bucs game.
As it turns out, Stroud likely will be
unavailable. Due to a looming suspension for violation of the policy
on anabolic steroids and related substances.
Our friends at 1010XL in Jacksonville have
broken the news of the looming suspension. Per the report, the "A"
sample has been confirmed as a positive and the "B" sample is still being
tested. Stroud will have a right to an appeal hearing before the
suspension is finalized.
So if Stroud gets to hang around for a few
more games before the suspension is imposed, it means that Jackson will have
a few more weeks to get ready to play.
UPDATE: The Florida
Times-Union
also is reporting the news. We don't know whether they had it
before 1010XL. If they did, good for them. If they didn't, good
for 1010XL. Maybe Stroud can investigate it during his month off.
SIMULTANEOUS CBS
DOUBLE-HEADER IN COLLEGE STATION?
On Monday, MDS reported that
folks in Houston and San Fran/Oakland might not see the greatest . . . game
. . . ever due to scheduling conflicts with the broadcasts of the local
teams' game.
The Texans and the Raiders
play in Oakland. Both Texans-Raiders and Pats-Colts will be aired by
CBS. In San Fran/Oakland, the only hope for non-DirecTV Sunday Ticket
viewers who don't feel like hanging out at a bar is to not buy
tickets to the Raiders game and hope for a blackout. (Though blackout
rules ordinarily would block any other game from being aired at the same
time, the rule apparently doesn't apply in two-team markets.)
In Houston, there's no
alternative. The Texans are the road team, so their game must air.
But we're catching wind of a
plan in College Station, Texas to broadcast both games at the same time.
As we're hearing it, the local CBS affiliate struck a deal with the local
cable company to pipe the Waco, Texas feed of the Pats-Colts game on a
separate channel normally used for pay-per-view programming.
Thus, both games will be
available for viewing.
Unless, of course, the fact
that we're publicizing the intended move prompts the NFL and/or CBS to tell
the folks in Waco that they're not permitted to funnel their feed to the
local cable company in College Station.
Oops?
POSTED 10:42 a.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 11:21 a.m. EDT, October 31, 2007
AGENTS CLOSING IN ON BIG-NAME ROOKIES
Though the 2008 draft is nearly six months
away, the NFL grapevine already is tying some of the big-name rookies to
big-name agents. Players cannot sign with agents, however, until after
the players' eligibility expires. (Technically, players can
sign with agents, but doing so will cause their eligibility to expire as of
that moment.)
Here's a summary of the current rumors linking
players to agents:
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is
expected to select Tom Condon.
Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson could be
signing with Ben Dogra.
Mike Sullivan is the favorite to land
Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm.
The Tollners (who aren't brothers) are the
leading candidates to sign Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan.
Michigan running back Mike Hart is expected to
sign with Lamont Smith.
Joel Segal is the leading candidate to land
LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
As to Ryan and Woodson, the selection of
Condon and Dogra, respectively, could create a little internal discomfort at
CAA, since Condon and Dogra both work there -- and since they both would be
trying to get their quarterback client taken before anyone else.
FUN WITH HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Though we're not much for the
pagan ritual known widely as Halloween, costume selections are usually good
for a laugh or two.
Lions quarterback Jon Kitna,
for example, had a belly laugh at the expense of defensive line coach Joe
Cullen, who was arrested last year for driving his car in the buff.
Cullen was first spotted at a Wendy's, so Kitna wore to a Monday night party
a Lions hat and a phony bare chest. (We don't know what he did from
the waist down). He carried a Wendy's cup. Kitna's wife was
dressed as the Wendy's girl.
"A lot of the guys on the team
remember what happened," Kitna said. "It's far enough removed that you
can laugh at it now."
First of all, of course they
remember it. How in the hell could anyone forget it?
Second, it's one thing for
folks outside the organization to poke fun. It's another for one of
the team leaders to rub Cullen's face (or other body parts) in it,
regardless of whether it was one year ago or two decades ago.
As Drew Sharp of the
Detroit Free Press opines, "Kitna's
decision didn't make much sense because
Cullen has serious personal issues that'll require daily managing for
the remainder of his life. . . . Cullen exists exclusively in the
background with the Lions. I'm sure he doesn’t want any more attention
directed at what happened that night."
We agree, and we can't imagine
what Kitna was thinking on this one. Maybe God didn't fully cure that
Week Two concussion, after all.
Meanwhile, multiple readers
tell us that the costume them on NBC's Today show was The Munsters,
and that TiVi Barber was dressed as Spot the dragon. (
