POSTED 2:06 p.m. EST, December 31, 2005

 

SNYDER COMMITTED TO KEEPING WILLIAMS

 

Although league rules don't allow Redskins owner Dan Snyder to block defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from taking a head coaching job with another team after the 2005 season, we're told that Snyder plans to match any financial package that might be offered to Williams.

 

Williams, at more than a million bucks per year, already earns more as a defensive coordinator than some head coaches.  If, in the end, Williams accepts a hefty raise to stay put, he could end up being the highest-paid non-head coach in any sport, ever.

 

It's one of the spoils of having $300 million in total revenue and no salary cap for coaches and staff.  And it'll likely anger other owners who already resent the efforts of Snyder and Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga to blow out the curve for assistant coach compensation.

 

But Snyder's ultimate motivation, we hear, is to have Williams in place to succeed coach Joe Gibbs when he retires.  And Snyder legitimately can avoid the requirements of the Rooney Rule by striking a deal to make Williams the head coach after Gibbs leaves.

 

Williams previously coached the Bills for three years, and his contract was not renewed.  Some league insiders believe that he's ready to have the kind of success in his second chance at a head coaching job that Bill Belichick enjoyed in New England after a failed stint with the old Browns.

 

POSTED 1:00 p.m. EST, December 31, 2005

 

NEW YEAR'S EVE TEN-PACK:  THE COACHING CAROUSEL

 

We've decided to ring out 2005 -- the first year in which we updated this here site at least once a day every single day (finally, we found a New Year's resolution we could honor) --  with a look at the changes that will, or won't, be coming not long after 2006 gets started.

 

And although this is technically called the "Ten-Pack," we've actually got eleven items to report.  (Hey, if it works for the Big Ten, it works for us, too.)

 

Here we go.

 

1.  Norv Is Done.

 

We've been reporting this for weeks and the outcome is only becoming more and more obvious.  The Raiders will fire coach Norv Turner.

 

There's no word on the possible replacements.  We wouldn't be surprised to see guys like Mike Martz and Mike Tice get a sniff, since both could be suited to getting the ball into the hands of Randy Moss on a regular basis.

 

For Tice, though, our guess is that he's more likely to land somewhere as an offensive coordinator (a job that he never held before becoming Minnesota's head coach) or as an offensive line coach, a position in which he excelled with the Vikings.

 

2.  Martz Will Get A New Job.

 

One guy who won't have to wait long for a new head coaching gig is Rams coach Mike Martz.  Even with his heart infection and the team's lackluster play during his latter years in St. Louis, Martz will be a hot candidate, we hear.

 

Though we've never been members of the Mike Martz fan club, we think that he generally has done well in St. Louis, especially in light of the dysfunctional front office with which he has been dealing.

 

Some league insiders regard Martz as a top candidate for the job in Houston.  Whether it's with the Texans or someone else, the expectation is that Martz will land somewhere as the head coach in 2006.

 

3.  Reeves Won't Coach The Texans.

 

Despite a belief in some league circles that "consultant" Dan Reeves will eventually position himself to coach the Houston Texans in 2006, we're hearing that Reeves won't get -- and doesn't want -- the job.

 

With that said, we don't rule out Reeves sticking around with the Texans for the foreseeable future in a low-stress, low-accountability position.

 

4.  Haslett Out In New Orleans.

 

Look for the Saints to part ways with coach Jim Haslett, as soon as Monday.  Though the move likely will be called a "firing," the truth is that Haslett wants out if owner Tom Benson isn't going to extend the contracts of Haslett and his staff, which expire after the 2006 season.

 

Haslett is expected to land elsewhere, with the Rams and Texans the top two possibilities.

 

5.  Mixed Reports on Vitt.

 

Though we've heard from some industry sources that Rams interim coach Joe Vitt has a shot at landing the permanent gig, we're hearing that the Rams will not keep Vitt in that capacity.

 

In our view, the only way Vitt would have a chance at keeping the job would be if the doofi in the front office believe that Vitt will be so grateful to get the gig that he won't try to take them on, as Mike Martz often did.

 

And whether it's Vitt or someone else, look for a guy with a defensive background to get the job.

 

6.  Sherman Back, Rossley Out.

 

The Packers, we hear, genuinely want quarterback Brett Favre to return.  But if he does it will be without offensive coordinator Tom Rossley, who will be fired (we're told) not long after the 2005 season ends.

 

G.M. Ted Thompson is nevertheless expected to keep head coach Mike Sherman, due in large part to the fact that keeping Sherman likely will prompt Favre to stick around.

 

7.  Rivera Will Be In Demand.

 

Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, we hear, will be near the top of the "A" list for head coaching candidates.  Though he has served as a coordinator for only two seasons, the Bears defense has been among the best in the league.

 

Still, in past situations the defensive coordinator of a defensive-minded head coach often gets overlooked for a few years (see Romeo Crennel, Monte Kiffin) since the thinking is that the team's success on "D" has more to do with the head coach than the coordinator.

 

That stigma apparently won't attached to Rivera, who's posied to parlay the team's success this season into a promotion, somewhere.

 

8.  Cards Will Hire New O.C.

 

Assuming that Arizona coach Dennis Green doesn't try to finagle an early release from his contract so that he can land a better gig for 2006, the Cardinals are likely to fire their offensive coordinator, for the second straight season.

 

Last year, the coordinator who got thrown under the bus was Alex Wood, who worked with Green during the latter years of his tenure in Minnesota.  This year, the one-and-out offensive coordinator is Keith Rowen, who also spent a few seasons on Green's staff in Minnesota.

 

Our guess is that the new coordinator could be Mike Tice, another loyal Green lieutenant from his days with the Vikings.

 

9.  Lions Aiming High.

 

Our reaction to rumors that Lions CEO Matt Millen would like to hire Cowboys coach Bill Parcells was that Millen knows that he needs to make a big splash in order to get Motown locals to put the ix-nay of the ire-fay illen-may talk.

 

And we're now hearing that it is indeed Millen's objective to land a big-name, high-profile coach.

 

But who?  There really aren't many guys out there whose arrival could make the fans give Millen the benefit of the doubt. 

 

Dick Vermeil?  Close, but not quite.  Jimmy Johnson?  Not interested. 

 

In our view, nothing short of luring Bill Belichick to town would given Millen a chance to quiet the calls for his head.

 

Look for Millen to try to lure one of the big-name college coaches to Detroit -- Pete Carroll, Kirk Ferentz, or Bob Stoops.  We also don't rule out the possibility of Millen lobbying the Ford family to put together the kind of financial package that might prompt Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis to at least think twice about reversing course on his stated intention to stay in South Bend.

 

10.  Tuna Angling For A Better Deal.

 

In response to reports that Cowboys coach Bill Parcells has been offered a contract extension in Dallas and that he's thinking about retiring, we're hearing that Parcells is merely trying to sweeten the terms of the package that owner Jerry Jones has dropped onto the table.

 

Sure, there's still a chance that Parcells packs it in.  But word is that, if he's going to stay in Dallas beyond 2006, it will be under a contract that pays him more than what Jones has offered.

 

11.  Donahoe, Mularkey Safe?

 

The curent thinking in league circles is that Bills G.M. Tom Donahoe and coach Mike Mularkey will be back for 2006, despite rampant speculation that both will be gone.

 

The thinking is that 80-something owner Ralph Wilson would rather stick with the guys who are already in the building, since there's no guarantee that he'll find better candidates on the open market.  Also, Wilson doesn't have a reputation for handing free money to guys who get bumped off with time left on their deals.

 

POSTED 11:18 a.m. EST, December 31, 2005

 

COLLINS MUST GO

 

In response to an excellent article from Patrick McManamon of The Akron Beacon Journal regarding the events from Friday that nearly claimed the position of Browns G.M. Phil Savage (and still might), we've parsed through the quotes from team President/CEO John Collins, and we've concluded, based on all of the information we have collected from our network of sources, that Collins has exposed himself as a complete fraud, and that owner Randy Lerner needs to fire him. 

 

Now.

 

Let's take a look at Collins' words, and their likely import.

 

"I would think [Savage] would want to be here,'' Collins said Friday night. "I would really be as surprised as I was today if he came in when we get together on Monday and said, 'I've rethought this.'" 

 

Translation:  Something is indeed happening that has caused Savage to at least raise the possibility of walking away.  And as we've heard from multiple sources (and as McManamon reports) that "something" came to a head with the under-the-radar hiring by Collins of Mike Keenan to manage the salary cap, a function falling exclusively within Savage's purview. 

 

Regarding Collins' confirmation that Keenan will be joining the team, the more important question Collins didn't address is why the whole thing was done on such a top-secret basis.  We've heard that Keenan already has resigned his position with the league and accepted a job with the Browns, but there was no announcement of any kind regarding the move.  The inference we (and others) are drawing is that Savage wasn't consulted and didn't know that Keenan was coming aboard.

 

Collins justifies the move by saying that "Phil needs help."  But didn't they know this when they hired him?  And doesn't the same observation apply to Collins, who never worked in any capacity with a football team before becoming President of the Browns?

 

Let's be clear on this.  Collins has worked in marketing.  He never worked for the Management Council, never in player personnel, never anywhere close to anything dealing with anyone in football operations, and now he's in charge of helping the owner decide, judge, and critique how the football operation should be staffed and run.

 

He doesn't know what he doesn't know, and that's the biggest flaw for anyone who's trying to run a football team. 

 

Instead, Collins is a marketing guy with the gift of gab and all the substance of a balsa wood baseball bat.   It's no wonder he's seduced the owner.

Collins started working for the Browns on May 1, 2004, and less than a year later he was involved in and suggesting to Randy Lerner who should be running a football operation and after a full 19 months of working on the job, he knows more about football operations, coaches, scouting, players, the salary cap, football staffing, etc. than Phil Savage, who has been in the football side of the business for 16 years.

 

Regarding the notion that Savage was meticulous in the wording of his contract regarding salary cap responsibilities, our understanding is that Savage had to be meticulous, because everyone suspected that Collins would try to pull something like this if Savage didn't get his authority and responsibility in writing.

 

So what we have here, in our opinion, is a new level of asshole.  At least other guys who have risen to power in football organizations despite having no football knowledge had fancy degrees or proven success in some other field of business -- Collins has merely marketed his way into becoming the right hand man of an NFL owner, and already is the most powerful man in the organization.

 

How did this happen, you ask?  Our understanding is that a small group of league office personnel and owners lobbied Lerner to hire Collins at a time when the league office was looking for a way to ease Collins out, following the Janet Jackson Super Bowl boob flap.  Lerner ended up taking to Collins more enthusiastically than expected, and other owners (who want to be helpful but not too helpful to their competitors) didn't tell Lerner that maybe Collins shouldn't be given such a key role so soon.

 

And now Collins is trying to build his power.  He's hiring guys like Keenan not to "help" Savage, but to undermine him and, in the end, push him out.

 

Why?  In our view, which is based on the various conversations we've had over the past couple of days with folks in the know, Collins doesn't think that Savage knows his place, and Collins wants to replace him with someone who will submit to Collins' growing authority over the team -- even though Collins has no clue as to how to wield it.

 

Given Randy Lerner's quick efforts to throw water on the Savage flap once fans began to react negatively to the news that he was being squeezed out, Collins' bigger concern in the short term shouldn't be whether he can finish the job on Savage, but whether a "Fire Collins" movement will erupt in Cleveland -- which would make the whole "Fire Millen" thing in Motown look like a tea party at a home for the deaf and blind.

 

POSTED 12:15 a.m. EST, December 31, 2005

 

CLUSTERFUDGE IN CLEVELAND

 

One of the most bizarre days in the history of the Browns organization could lead to more goofiness long before normalcy ever returns to Cuyahoga County's football franchise.

 

On Friday morning, we heard from multiple league insiders who were aware of looming problems between Browns G.M. Phil Savage and President/CEO John Collins.  One source told us that Savage believed that Collins was trying to run him out the door.  Another source was more specific, explaining that Collins had hired NFL in-house counsel Mike Keenan to take over the cap management functions in Cleveland  -- without the blessing or knowledge of Savage, whose jurisdiction as G.M. includes all matters relating to the salary cap.

 

The Keenan hiring appeared at best to be a shot across the bow at Savage, and at worst a direct attempt to undermine Savage and his current cap guy, Trip MacCracken.  Per the grapevine, it looked like Savage's stay in Cleveland could be a short one.

 

So we posted a story outlining what we had heard.  Several hours later, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the Browns planned to fire Savage, and that an announcement of the move could be made as soon as Friday.

 

Then the rumor mill really kicked into high gear.  We heard that Falcons exec Ray Anderson was a candidate to join the team (although at least one  industry source told us that Anderson will be staying in Atlanta).  We also heard that Collins was poised to become the CEO of all of Browns owner Randy Lerner's business interests.

 

Later, we heard that Collins himself was planning to become the "football guy" in the front office after Savage was gone, despite the fact that he has no experience whatsoever evaluating football talent and that his only prior claim to fame is being the guy who ultimately was responsible within the NFL for the exhibition of Janet Jackson's breast to a Super Bowl halftime audience.

 

Finally, the Browns chimed in on the situation, stating that Savage will not be fired.  "Although it is our policy not to respond to rumors, in fairness to our fans, we felt it necessary to dispel them," Browns president and chief executive officer John Collins said.  "It was unfortunate and very unfair to the organization and especially to our fans, but we are happy to put this behind us and focus on our game this Sunday and the busy offseason ahead."

 

So what really happened here?  One league source tells us that once Lerner heard the news -- and once coach Romeo Crennel made his preference known that he wants Savage to stay -- the boss man clunked together the heads of Collins and Savage and told them to kiss and make up.

 

Meanwhile, Mortensen is reporting that Savage might end up in a reduced role, with the salary cap management removed from his authority.

 

In our view, it could be that Lerner's bungling of the Butch Davis situation, in which the former head coach got his coveted ticket out of town along with a full buyout, might have emboldened Savage to try to force the organization's hand.

 

As a result, one of the theories making the rounds as of late Friday/early Saturday is that Collins and Savage have indeed reached rock bottom in their relationship, and that Savage (through agent Neil Cornrich) attempted to provoke a termination, which would then have enabled Savage and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz (another Cornrich client and a close friend of Savage) to partner up in a new city for 2006. 

 

If true, it appears that Savage and Cornrich might have played their hand too early.  Still, the status quo is unacceptable; Savage and Collins don't like each other, and they can't work together moving forward.  So perhaps the statement that Savage won't be fired represents an effort by the team to force Savage to leave.  The hiring of Keenan, we're told, constitutes a breach of Savage's contract, which arguably would permit him to walk away without consequence. 

 

But also without a buyout.

 

In the end, it's possible that the relationship is permanently fractured, and that it's merely a matter of semantics from this point forward.  After being burned by Davis in 2004, we'd like to think that Lerner will play this one a little more astutely, in the hopes of not cutting any more big checks to guys who don't work for him anymore.

 

Regardless of how it all turns out in the short term, we're confident that things will be a mess in Cleveland until either Savage or Collins is out of the organization.  And the best move, based on the overwhelming input we've received from league insiders throughout Friday, would be for Lerner to get rid of Collins.

 

POSTED 3:00 p.m. EST, December 30, 2005

 

SAVAGE OUT SOON

 

Not long after we reported that the Browns G.M. Phil Savage and President/CEO John Collins are on the outs, there are indications that Savage will be fired by the team, as soon as Friday.

 

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the termination is coming soon, and that Falcons exec Ray Anderson is a candidate to replace Savage.

 

While Anderson has the salary cap knowledge, he's not a talent evaluator.  On Friday morning, there were rumors making the rounds that Anderson would become the Browns President, with Collins becoming the CEO as to all of Randy Lerner's business interests.

 

There also are rumors linking Vikings exec Rob Brzezinski to Cleveland.

 

Savage had a key role in building the Ravens team that won the Super Bowl five years ago.  He was hired by the Browns less than a year ago.

 

POSTED 11:12 a.m. EST, December 30, 2005

 

SAVAGE, COLLINS ON THE OUTS IN CLEVELAND

 

There's growing talk in league circles that Browns G.M. Phil Savage and President/CEO John Collins are not getting along and that, by extension, the bad blood is flowing between Savage and owner Randy Lerner.

 

Collins, a previous employee of the league office, was hired by Lerner in May 2004.  The scuttlebutt in league circles is that Collin was the fall guy for the Janet Jackson Super Bowl boob flap, and that the NFL steered him in the direction of Lerner.

 

Lerner, who was still new at the time to the whole ownership thing following his father's passing in October 2002, took a liking to Collins and put him at the top of the organization.

 

After Butch Davis was run out of town in 2004, Lerner and Collins hired Savage away from the Ravens to serve as the new General Manager in January 2005. 

 

Less than a year later, it's apparently not working out.  We're hearing that Collins has concerns about Savage's performance -- which makes no sense to us since Collins, a career marketing and advertising foof, has nothing in his background that would allow him to adequately assess whether the G.M. of a football team is doing his job well.

 

And there's also talk that Collins quietly is in the process of hiring NFL in-house lawyer Mike Keenan to take over the salary cap management duties, which would displace current cap coordinator Trip MacCracken.  The potential move is being viewed as a direct encroachment on Savage's turf, and it's prompting some to wonder whether Savage might soon be leaving the team, voluntarily or otherwise.

 

Stay tuned.

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POSTED 8:05 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 10:26 a.m. EST, December 30, 2005

 

SAINTS GO MARCHING OUT OF SAN ANTONE

 

In a surprising show of compliance, humility, and (to a certain extent) sanity, Saints owner Tom Benson has agreed to return the franchise to its Metairie, Louisiana headquarters after the 2005 regular season ends on Sunday.

 

The San Antonio Express-News reports that the team and the NFL have struck a deal to send the Saints back to Louisiana, and that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is expected to break the news to the players when he finally meets with them face-to-face on Friday, more than four months after Hurricane Katrina forced the team to relocate to San Antonio.

 

Benson recently has said that the team will practice in the state in which it plays its games.  So the return to the practice facility that Benson at one point claimed was unusable means that the games in 2006 will be played in Louisiana, with an expected split schedule between Baton Rouge and the Superdome.

 

The decision to leave Texas likely means that Benson has embraced the league's willingness to help the organization financially at a time when ticket sales in Louisiana likely will continue to be slow.  The team could get a greater piece of the gate, and the Saints also might have more room available to it under the salary cap to sign free agents.

 

Still, the move back to the Bayou doesn't remove all uncertainty regarding the franchise.  Coach Jim Haslett's status is still unresolved; he has one year left under his contract and he wants an extension for himself and his staff, along with a general commitment to winning.  The team will either give him an extension, advise him that he will be expected to fulfill his contract, or terminate the relationship.

 

Finally, the team's commitment to Louisiana could be short-lived.  Per The Express-News, Benson can exercise an exit clause in his Superdome lease by January 15, 2007, and we wouldn't be surprised to see him intentionally field a crappy product in 2006 in the hopes that the attendance numbers are low enough to persuade 23 of his 31 fellow owners to approve a permanent move out of town.

MOSS FLIRTING WITH BRONCOS?

The weekly Broncos Mailbag feature penned by Bill Williamson of The Denver Post leads off with an intriguing question.

Was Raiders receiver Randy Moss quietly lobbying to join the Broncos in 2006 during Saturday's game between Denver and Randy's Raiders?

Writes Williamson:  "Moss does look uninterested in being a Raider.  It's early, but this pairing hasn't worked.  However, with a new quarterback and coach likely coming to the Raiders, his time in Oakland may not be a total loss."

Still, 2005 clearly has been the most disappointing season of Moss's football career.  Though he has more catches and yards in Oakland than he had during a final season with the Vikings in which he missed three games and was greatly limited in two others due to a hamstring injury, Moss has not been the focal point of the passing game -- and his reputation as a game-breaking receiver has been tarnished.

The likely arrival of a new coach and a new quarterback brings hope, if the new coach and the new quarterback are committed to feeding Randy like a spoiled fat kid who has gone months without his heaping helping of Ho-Hos.  Our guess is that Randy will keep his mouth shut as the looming moves are made, but that at the first sign that he's not going to be the shiz-nit next season, he'll start popping off about wanting out.

In this regard, he has some leverage.  He's due to make $8.25 million in 2006, $9.25 million in 2007, and $11.25 million in 2008.  At some point, the Raiders will ask him to restructure his contract, especially since those base salaries in '06 through '08 also carry big chunks of his 2005 salary, nearly all of which was converted to a signing bonus in order to reduce his cap number this season. 

Unless Randy is happy, he'll say no.  And then the Raiders will have to decide whether they're willing to devote so much money to a guy who isn't what he was with the Vikings.

That's why we still have a feeling that, at some point, Moss will find his way back to Minnesota, just as Fran Tarkenton did more than 30 years ago after being traded to the Giants.

That's why it would be our guess that any perception of flirtation with the Broncos more accurately could be described as the first step in an effort to alienate the Raiders, in the hopes that he'll eventually get out of Oakland.

CLEARING THE AIR ON CARSON

 

In response to our analysis comparing Carson Palmer's new deal to Peyton Manning's contract, we received plenty of e-mails from folks reminding us that Palmer's stated objective was not to blow up the team's salary cap situation, in contrast to the cap-hogging deal that Manning signed in 2004.

 

But our decision to compare Palmer to Peyton wasn't something that we came up with on our own.  Instead, it was the product of a memo prepared by Palmer's people, comparing the deal to Manning's package and to the contract signed by Atlanta's Michael Vick.  The memo spread like proverbial wildfire among league insiders on Thursday, and we received it from multiple sources.

 

So if the objective was to do a cap-friendly deal, then Palmer's numbers should have been compared to the contract signed by, say, Tom Brady.

 

With all that said, Palmer's deal is impressive.  He'll pocket $30.5 million within the first 12 months, which is unprecedented.  (Manning's didn't get the last installment of his $34.5 million signing bonus until three days after the first anniversary of the deal.)

 

And Palmer got his monster deal after spending less than three years in the league, one of which primarily was on the bench. 

 

So it's a great contract.  It doesn't quite equal or surpass the Manning deal, but it does help the Cincinnati organization in its efforts to create, at long last, a long-term success story.

 

CLEVELAND CONFLICT OF INTEREST

 

We'd heard way back in July 2004 that the Browns hired Vic Carucci of NFL.com to run its in-house Internet rag.  But since Carucci never exited his post at NFL.com, we assumed that the move never came to fruition.

 

Wrong.

 

Today, Carucci is still writing for NFL.com, where he serves as the "National Editor."  But Carucci also is working for the Browns, as the "Vice President of New Media and Publishing."

 

Though Carucci isn't writing for the Browns' official site, there's still something very odd at best, flat-out unethical at worst, about a guy working both for the NFL as a supposedly objective and even-handed analyst, and then moonlighting as a paid employee for one of its teams. 

 

At a bare minimum, Carucci's work at NFL.com should carry a disclaimer that he is a member of "Senior Management" with the Browns.  Really, how can anything Carucci writes about the Browns or any of its AFC North rivals be taken seriously when each column he writes fails to mention that he's receiving payroll checks on a regular basis signed by Randy Lerner?

 

POSTED 5:23 p.m. EST, December 29, 2005

 

PALMER GETS PAID

 

The Cincinnati Bengals have extended the contract of quarterback Carson Palmer by six years.  We're told that the new money on the deal is $98 million, with an average of $16 million per year.  Between the bonus money and the salaries from 2009 through 2014, however, we're presently calculating new money of only (only?) $97 million over six years.

 

For starters, Palmer earns a $15 million roster bonus on December 31.  The money gets paid on February 16, 2006, and $3 million of it counts against the 2005 salary cap.

 

The deal also includes a $9 million option bonus to be exercised in 2006, which will trigger years 2007 through 2014.

 

Under the new deal, Palmer will make $9.5 million for 2009.  In 2010, he'll get $10.5 million in salary.  In 2011, he'll earn $11.5 million.  In 2012, he gets $11.5 million in salary and a $1 million roster bonus.  In 2013, Palmer earns $13.0 million in salary and a $1 million roster bonus.  In 2014, he gets $14 million in salary and a $1 million roster bonus.

 

The deal also includes higher base salaries for 2006 through 2008, but our guess is that the new base salaries reflect his prior paragraph 5 salaries plus the escalators he has triggered, resulting in little or no new money.

 

In all, the deal compares favorably to Michael Vick's contract, which pays a total of $110 million over nine seasons.  Palmer will, in the end, receive $118.75 million from 2006 through 2014.

 

The deal is lacking, however, in the area of guaranteed money.  Palmer gets $24 million in bonus money, with the $9 million option payment virtually certain to be exercised.  In contrast, Peyton Manning got $34.5 million in bonus money in 2004.  

 

So Palmer trails Manning by $10.5 million in bonus money, and over the first seven years he trails Manning by more than $8 million.

 

Even though Palmer's salaries aren't guaranteed, it's unlikely that he'll be released in 2006 or 2007, barring a major injury or a sudden and dramatic drop in his performance.  Thus, he's looking at a total of $38 million over the next two years in football income.  The three-year value of the deal is $45.75 million.

 

But the new salaries kick in from 2009 through 2014, when the market generally will be higher for everyone and, in hindsight, these numbers might not look so good.

 

Don't get us wrong.  It's definitely a very good deal, but some league insiders already are saying that it's not the kind of bar-raising contract that a premier player like Carson Palmer merits.  

 

POSTED 7:26 a.m. EST; UPDATED 8:19 a.m. EST, December 29, 2005

 

ROONEY RULE PROMPTING TEAMS TO STAY PUT?

 

With the news that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti will stick with coach Brian Billick despite a growing string of disappointing seasons, we're beginning to think that more and more guys could save their jobs this year out of fear that a better alternative won't be available -- or that, if one is, the price tag will be too high to get him.

 

Part of the problem in this regard is the Rooney Rule, which requires at least one minority candidate to be interviewed for every head coaching vacancy.  Before implementation of the measure aimed at increasing the number of black head coaches, an NFL owner could quietly court the preferred replacement coach and, if the guy agrees to take the job, the owner then could fire the incumbent.  If the potential replacement declines the offer, then the old coach would keep his job.

 

This is precisely what Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did three years ago when "interviewing" Bill Parcells while Dave Campo was still the head coach.  Although Jones avoided a fine for violating the Rooney Rule via a "phone interview" of Dennis Green, it was clear that Parcells was the guy Jones wanted, and it's not so clear that Campo would have been fired if the Tuna had passed.

 

Today, secret deals won't cut it -- unless those deals are cut with a minority coach.  This year, the top minority candidates (Tim Lewis of the Giants and Ron Rivera of the Bears) won't be available to be hired until after their teams are bounced from the playoffs, meaning that any coaching bait-and-switch would have to wait until deep into January.

 

And even if it's legitimate to hire a minority candidate on a behind-the-scenes basis before firing the current head coach, we think that such a loophole is extremely unfair to the sitting head coach and to any non-minority candidates.  The league thus should consider an amendment to the Rooney Rule banning the hiring of any new coach while the current head coach is still employed, and the league should require at least two interviews for every head coaching job that is filled.

 

With or without such a change, our guess is that teams who might otherwise be inclined to make a change will think long and hard about the likelihood of getting someone better, especially in a year where the vacancies could exceed the number of names on the "A" list.

 

SCHOTT ON THE HOT SEAT?

 

As some coaches save their butts due to the inability of ownership to know in advance that the team will be able to reel in a better alternative, some league insiders are speculating that one of the guys who could get bounced after the 2005 season is Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer.

 

All of the factors are in place for a move that would appear, to the casual observer, to be a shocker.  Schottenheimer widely was regarded as being deep in trouble before that unlikely 12-4 mark in 2004.  Then, a first-round exit from the playoffs did little to dispel the notion that Marty can't win in January.  Next, the team grossly underachieved in 2005, missing the playoffs despite sporting a roster featuring six Pro Bowlers. 

 

Also, Schottenheimer and G.M. A.J. Smith have had their share of conflict over the years, including most recently the decision by Smith to trade quarterback Cleo Lemon, who was a Schottenheimer guy, without telling the head coach that the move was coming.  The coach and G.M. also clashed in the past regarding backup quarterback Doug Flutie, a Smith favorite.

 

Plus, Smith is a guy who fancies himself a hard ass.  He pulled his photo from the team's media guide because he was smiling in the shot.  His negotiating tactics with tight end Antonio Gates caused the team to be without his services in the season opener against the Cowboys -- which the team might have won if Gates had played, and which might have enabled them to get into the postseason field.

 

The fact that Schottenheimer has no plans to let quarterback Philip Rivers play in the meaningless regular season finale also could be more evidence of growing rancor between Marty and A.J. regarding whether the long-term answer at the position should be the guy with whom the team has won games (Drew Brees) or the guy obtained by Smith to replace him (Rivers).

 

Indeed, Smith publicly said a year ago that he'd put the franchise tag on Brees and then try to trade him.  When he couldn't be traded, Brees remained as the starter.  But that was after taking the team to the playoffs.  This time around, Brees didn't get it done.  So what better time to make the guy that Smith acquired in a 2004 draft-day trade the starter?

 

Perhaps, then, it will be Smith's plan to remove the franchise tag from Brees if a trade can't be struck and/or if Brees rejects Smith's best offer on a long-term deal.  And if Marty sees it coming -- and bitches loudly enough about it -- there's a chance that all of the various factors will come together, and that Smith will send Marty packing.

 

CARROLL TRYING TO HOLD RECRUITS TOGETHER?

 

As speculation mounts that some NFL team looking for a new head coach will offer USC boss Pete Carroll a deal worth $6 million per year including total control of the football operations, Carroll has agreed to a contract extension with the Trojans.

 

But the details are extremely sketchy, which prompts us (and likely others) to conclude that the measure is nothing more than a Band-Aid aimed at keeping the incoming recruiting class on track through February 1, the national letter-of-intent signing day. 

 

Previously, Carroll said that he wouldn't interview for any NFL jobs, sparking speculation as to whether this also meant that he would spurn any and all offers that might be made absent a formal interview.  Indeed, there have been reports that Carroll's intermediaries are testing the waters regarding a possible return to the NFL.  Surely, recruiters from other schools have been hammering away at USC's targets with such information.

 

Even now, Carroll is less than unequivocal regarding his lack of interest in an NFL gig.

 

"I'm not looking."  (But they could come looking for me.)

 

"I don't care about those [NFL] opportunities."  (But I might not turn up my nose at a jaw-dropping offer.)

 

"They don't fit right now."  (As in "right at this moment.")

 

"They haven't even really been a consideration at any time in the five years I've been here."  (But they could be in the immediate future.)

 

Look, the reality is that any coach with an NFL pedigree who has tremendous success at the college level will be mentioned as a potential candidate for a return to the pro game, since the NFL generally is regarded as the pinnacle of the sport.  Besides, how many championships can a guy win at the JV level before taking another shot at vindicating his abilities in the professional ranks?

 

So Carroll can't be upset with the fact that he's on the short list of viable candidates for the coming round of NFL vacancies, and that he'll continue to be on that list until he takes a pro job -- or until the Trojans fall of the map and another coach with an NFL background becomes the perennial flavor of the month.

 

LORD FAVRE CLIMBS THE LADDER

 

Packers quarterback Brett Favre has said that he doesn't intend to continue playing in order to set any all-time records.  But maybe one of the factors he should consider in deciding whether to return next year should be one of the all-time records that he surely doesn't want to set.

 

Currently, Lord Favre is sixth on the all-time interception list and rising, with 254 picks thrown.  This month alone, he has climbed three spots, leapfrogging Jim Hart (247), Dan Marino (252), and John Unitas (253).

 

With four picks in the season finale, Favre will pass Norm Snead (257) for the five hole on the list.

 

And if he plays another year and throws as many picks in 2006 as he already has in 2005, he'll sail past Vinny Testaverde (261), Fran Tarkenton (266), John Hadl (268), and George Blanda (277) for the "record."

 

Look, we're not trying to take anything away from Favre's career.  He won a Super Bowl.  Most of the guys at the top of the picks list haven't -- and for good reason.  But maybe now it's becoming clear why the Packers, who were poised to become a dynasty in the latter half of the 1990s, never added to the single Lombardi that Favre delivered nine years ago.

 

THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

 

Former Vikings owner Red McCombs needs to shut the hell up.

 

Jets C Pete Kendall thinks that past rumors linking coach Herm Edwards to Kansas City had some merit:  "Do I believe there was fire when there was smoke six or eight weeks ago?  Sure, there was probably something.  In my humble opinion, do I think Herm will be back?  Yeah.  Am I going to lose my breath and take a big gasp if the coaching situation changes?  No."

 

A not-so-Fat Albert returned to practice on Wednesday.

 

[Dude, what did you do to the big slob who used to wear No. 7?]

 

Brentson Buckner could be kissing his cleats for the last time on Sunday.

 

Joey Sunshine says that the 'Skins will go to the Super Bowl.

 

With their head coach poised to return, Ravens players are lining up to kiss his ring (and/or his bare ass).

 

Redskins QB Mark Brunell says that his injured knee is feeling better every day.

 

Jags DE Paul Spicer will miss Sunday's game but hopes to be ready for the playoffs despite a broken hand.

 

Pats LB Tedy Bruschi is questionable for Sunday with a calf injury.

 

Brian the Brain could be Brian the Butt-Kicker in 2006.

 

Saints WR Joe Horn plans to ask the Commish why Falcons coach Jim Mora wasn't fined 30 large for making an in-game cell phone call.

 

The folks who run the L.A. Coliseum were pissed to learn that the NFL has met twice with the Dodgers about building a football venue next to their baseball digs. 

 

Chiefs LT Willie Roaf has suggested that he'll return in 2006.

 

Colts RB Edgerrin James says he's not worried about where he'll be playing in 2006.

 

Complaints continue that the Jags are too cocky.

 

The Soup Nazi disputes complaints from LB Carlos Emmons that he could have been ready for the playoffs.

 

Bears C Olin Kreutz has worked his way onto the sh-t list of Vikings DT Pat Williams:  "I must have made him mad,'' Kreutz said. "I stole his cheeseburger or something.''

 

POSTED 10:20 p.m. EST, December 28, 2005

 

LORD FAVRE LOOKING FOR LOVE

 

The Associated Press reports that Packers quarterback Brett Favre isn't sure whether he'll return to the team in 2006 -- or whether he's wanted.

 

"It is a business," Favre said.  "And up to this point, we're 3-12.  And from a business standpoint, wouldn't you think they're sitting there going, 'OK, if we're running a risk of this happening next year, we might as well save the money and put that money elsewhere for the future'?"

 

Packers G.M. Ted Thompson said that the team wants Favre to come back, and that "we're assuming he will be back."

 

But we're not sure we believe it.  Really, what else would Thompson say?  That Favre is a gray-headed shadow of his former self?  That the "chuck-and-duck" offense won't win more games than it loses?  That he secretly wishes Favre will finally walk away?

 

No, speaking ill of Lord Favre is sacrilege in Title Town, especially for the folks who run the team.  And Thompson is wise to realize that the organization created the monster -- and that the organization therefore must continue to embrace it until the very "will he or won't he?" routine that Favre's own musings spawned several years ago has run its final course. 

 

ARRINGTON SOUNDS OFF

 

After a couple of months of relative calm, Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington has questioned whether his tenure with the team is coming to an end, at a time when the team's season could be.

 

Speaking on Tuesday to The Washington Times, Arrington suggested that he might not play at all in 2006, if the team opts to release him before a $6.5 million roster bonus comes due on July 15.

 

"It's not a given that I'll continue playing if the Redskins get rid of me," Arrington said.  "I don't really want to play for anyone else.  I don't feel bad about it.  I've had my time.  I'm capable of doing other things besides football."

 

(Yeah, but nothing that pays nearly as well.)

 

Coach Joe Gibbs didn't react well to the news that Arrington was thinking about anything other than the next game, on Sunday at Philadelphia.

 

"Right now, for anybody in this organization I would hope in the entire town to be focused on anything other than Philly would be ridiculous," Gibbs said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.  "We're getting ready to play the most important game that a lot of our players will play. . . .  If we lose the game, we're not going anywhere.  So my mind-set is on one thing, Philadelphia.  That's the way I feel about it."

 

Arrington also told The Times that he has no plans to restructure his contract in order to stay with the team next year, and he believes that an early-season stretch that had him relegated to the bench was the product of retaliation for a contract dispute in which he and his agents accused the team of intentionally removed an additional $6.5 million roster bonus due in 2006 from the final draft of his December 2003 contract extension.

 

"I'm not wanted here," he said.  "I believe in my heart that the Redskins faithful love me as Ravens fans love Ray Lewis or Packers fans love Brett Favre.  Some individuals hate it that there are more of my jerseys in the stands than anyone else's."

 

Hey, LaVar -- if the 'Skins lose Sunday at the Philly and the fickle faithful blame you for causing the franchise to lose focus, they'll send those "56" jerseys to the Salvation Army faster than you can say "Richie Petitbon."

 

POSTED 12:29 p.m. EST, December 28, 2005

 

BILLICK SAVES HIS BUTT, BUT CHANGES COMING

 

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has advised the team that coach Brian Billick will return in 2006.

 

"We have an ongoing and extensive process to find ways to win," Bisciotti said.  "This included a thorough evaluation of Brian Billick.  Collectively, we concluded that continuing with Brian as head coach gives us the best opportunity to win."

 

One league insider calls the development "miraculous," and that the team's performance in the past two games sealed the deal for Billick, who has been the head coach since 1999.

 

We're told that, even though Billick will be back, the team will be making changes to the coaching staff, with offensive coordinator Jim Fassel, special team coordinator Gary Zauner, receivers coach David Shaw, and secondary coach Johnnie Lynn likely to be gone.

 

Apparently, none of these guys have engendered sufficient loyalty with Billick to prompt him to refuse to fire them, as many head coaches have done in the past, often in order to get fired themselves.

 

Billick's stance in this regard (or, more accurately, his failure to take one) also indicates that he genuinely wants to stay with the Ravens.  He could have had an easy way out by refusing to make any changes whatsoever to his staff.  Instead, some will go -- but Billick will be back for his eighth season as the head coach of the team.

 

POSTED 10:34 a.m. EST, December 28, 2005

 

DICK GETS PISSY

 

The Kansas City Star reports that Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil became "visibly irritated" on Tuesday when faced with questions regarding his future with the organization.  There has been rampant speculation this season that Vermeil will retire if the team doesn't make the playoffs, and Jay Glazer of FOX recently reported that Vermeil won't be back regardless of whether the Chiefs qualify for the postseason.

 

"Really, it's old," Vermeil said.  "I’m not going to talk about it anymore.  It's a waste of time."

 

Vermeil also bristled at reports that the organization might not allow him to return even if he wants to, calling such reports "bullsh-t."

 

But G.M. Carl Peterson recognizes that the franchise has at least a little say in the question of whether Vermieil will return.  "It's our decision," Peterson said.  "It always has been.  That hasn't changed.  There's a lot that goes into that decision."

 

"The reality will be that after the season is over with, we'll sit down and discuss it like we always have.  Every year.  I've done it with my previous head coaches too, with Marty Schottenheimer and with Gunther [Cunningham]."

 

We've previously reported that the players have grown weary of Vermeil's high intensity style, and that the ups-and-downs of the current season have taken a serious emotional toll on the notoriously emotional coach.

 

And there continue to be rumors linking Jets coach Herm Edwards to the Chiefs job if/when it becomes vacant.  Peterson recently denied our report that he met with Edwards when the Chiefs were in New York for a December 17 game against the Giants, but the factual basis for King Carl's claim (i.e., that Edwards was in Miami) didn't hold water.

 

It could be, then, that Peterson has decided that he wants Edwards to take the thing over in 2006, regardless of whether Vermeil wants to come back.  

 

As for Vermeil, the question then becomes whether he walks away from the game, or whether he makes another fresh start elsewhere.  In an offseason that could have seven or more vacancies and not enough high-end candidates to fill them, we wouldn't be surprised to see Vermeil land in a new city for one final shot at riding off into the sunset -- again -- with a Lombardi under his arm.   

 

POSTED 11:48 a.m. EST, December 27, 2005

 

BILLICK ANGLING FOR AN EXTENSION?

 

Following back-to-back victories against NFC North teams in prime-time games, including a 45-point pasting of the Pack and a win over the playoff-desperate Vikings, Ravens coach Brian Billick is suddenly feeling pretty good about his chances of avoiding a pink slip following the 2005 season. 

 

How good?  We're now hearing that Billick is making noise about a possible extension to his contract, which expires after the 2007 season.

 

Although the Ravens are at a disappointing 6-9 for the season, the thinking is that owner Steve Bisciotti isn't ready to make a change, possibly because of the dearth of clear-cut "A" list candidates to take over the job.  The bigger question could be whether he's ready to give Billick more than two years of security as his "lame duck" season inches ever closer.

 

Our guess is that Bisciotti will wait, and that Billick will be required to earn an extension by getting the team back to the right side of .500 in 2006.

 

With all that said, expect to see changes to the coaching staff in the offseason.  Our guess is that offensive coordinator Jim Fassel won't be back, due in large part to rumors that he was undermining Billick earlier in the season.

 

PARCELLS WON'T ADDRESS RETIREMENT RUMORS

 

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells would neither confirm nor deny a report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the Tuna is thinking about packing it in for good after the 2005 season.

 

"I'm not talking about any of that," Parcells said Monday, according to The Associated Press.  "When you're 64 years old, they can say anything they want.  They're probably going to be pretty close to being right, someday."

 

Parcells also denied reports from Mortensen and FOX's John Czarnecki that owner Jerry Jones has offered the three-year coach an extension, and that Parcells hasn't signed it.  Czarnecki also has reported that Parcells is the top choice of Lions CEO Matt Millen.

 

And that makes sense to us.  Millen needs a high-profile coaching hire in order to throw water on the "Fire Millen" inferno in Motown, and if the CEO could finagle a guy like the Tuna, some of the thousands of fed-up fans might just step back and give the program yet another chance to become something other than a steaming pile of poop.

 

TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

 

The Meathead wants his situation in Minnesota resolved "sooner rather than later" (okay, Mike, just starting packing your stuff up right now).

 

There's a cat fight brewing between former Trojans Jack Del Rio and Jeff Fisher (but it's still not nearly enough to get anyone to give a sh-t about this week's game between the Jags and Titans).

 

Raiders QB Kerry Collins is still upset that the Giants dumped him in favor of Eli Manning (and you've really proved them wrong, Kerry, with those two stellar seasons in Oakland).

 

The Chargers won't be showcasing QB Philip Rivers in the team's meaningless season finale.

 

Jim Mora Jr. got called to the principal's office on Monday night.

 

San Antonio mayor Phil Turdburger thinks Saints owner Tom Benson should pull a Wapner with the NFL.

 

Bills G.M. Tom Donahoe plans on being in Buffalo "a long time" (where he'll soon be working at the local Wal-Mart).

 

Fins coach Nick Saban won't comment on potential roster changes for 2006.

 

The Colts expect to be at full strength when the playoffs start.

 

The NFL might have pulled a "Dewey Defeats Truman" on Monday by offering NFC East championship gear for sale showing the Giants, not the Redskins, as the winners.

 

Jets QB Vinny Testaverde got a chance to say farewell to the home fans with only 8,000 or so of them left in the stands.

 

Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall is out 4-6 weeks with a separated shoulder (which really doesn't matter since, you know, the Falcons won't be playing beyond Sunday).

 

Bears QB Rex Grossman might not play a full game on Sunday at the same place where he tore an ACL last season.

 

Browns QB Charlie Frye had some mild amnesia after Saturday's loss to the Steelers (and he's hoping the memories of that game will never creep back into his grill).

 

Rams interim coach Joe Vitt liked everything about the job, except talking to the media every day.

 

The Seahawks will give some rest to their starters on Sunday (but will Shaun Alexander accuse the Big Show of stabbing him in the back and/or kicking him in the jewels if Alexander doesn't break the single-season touchdown record?).

 

CB Ty Law says he's not thinking about returning to the Patriots next year.

 

FOX analyst Bill Maas thinks that Brett Favre won't be back in 2006 (then again, Maas likely also thinks that he doesn't suck as an analyst).

 

The Pats are tight-lipped regarding the injury suffered by LB Tedy Bruschi on Monday night against the Jets.

 

Ravens coach Brian Billick says that the status of QB Kyle Boller won't be determined until after the season.

 

The Giants have re-signed LB Kevin Lewis, who started 16 games in the middle last season.

 

Fat Albert has been cleared to return to the field, but Jags coach Jack Del Rio isn't saying whether he'll supplant current starter David Garrard.

 

Panthers CB Ken Lucas insists that he touched the ball on the field goal try that gave the Cowboys a key first down following a roughing the kicker penalty.

 

From the "I Got Your Peace on Earth Right Here" file, police made 25 arrests and a total of 60 fans were ejected from the Christmas Day game between the Packers and the Bears.

 

Jags DT Marcus Stroud flipped his SUV on Saturday night, but suffered only minor injuries.

 

POSTED 9:27 a.m. EST; UPDATED 9:55 a.m. EST, December 26, 2005

 

CAN VICK, MORA COEXIST?

 

In the wake of a stunning fall from Super Bowl contender to at least seven losses and no shot at the playoffs, there's very good reason to believe that Falcons coach Jim Mora and starting quarterback Michael Vick cannot coexist on  long-term basis.

 

Apart from the chronic efforts of Mora and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp to make Vick into the kind of quarterback that he isn't and will never be, Mora soon might realize that Michael also isn't, and never will be, the kind of leader who can take a team to the top of the NFL mountain.

 

Here's Exhibit A.  Following Saturday's overtime loss to the Bucs, Vick offered this explanation regarding the impact of the blocked field goal following the recovery of a Tampa fumble early in the fifth quarter:  "It kind of put everything in perspective, like maybe this just ain't our year."

 

In contrast, when a reporter asked Mora whether the blocked field goal made him think that "it just wasn't meant to be," Mora said:  "That's a loser's attitude, and I would like to think we don't have a whole lot of losers in the locker room . . . .  People like that don't accomplish much in life."

 

Ouch.

 

Though the two quotes weren't identical, with Vick saying it "ain't our year" and Mora reacting to whether "it just wasn't meant to be," Mora's message is that folks who say things like it "ain't our year" or it "wasn't meant to be" have a mindset that regards losing as a product of fate, not the consequence of a failure to perform.  The difference is that people who don't recognize winning and losing as something over which they have total control will more often than not find a way to will themselves to defeat.

 

The other thing that Mora might find troubling is the shot of Vick smiling and yukking it up with Chris Simms and other Bucs players immediately after Tampa stuck a knife in the heart of the team's season.  Kudos to the guy in the FOX trailer who promptly cut to an image of defensive tackle Darrell Shropshire standing on the sideline with a "What the f--k just happened to us?" look on his face.

 

Shropshire is a seventh-round rookie who didn't play at all until the seventh game of the season, not the face of the franchise and one of the highest-paid players in the game.

 

Because of his salary and his stature in Atlanta, Vick won't be going anywhere any time soon.  As a result, our guess is that Mora might soon be thinking about his next career move, especially in an offseason in which there are plenty of other teams who would love to have a guy like Mora on the sidelines.  

 

MORA LOSING IT?

 

Though he's yet to utter "diddly poo" or spout the word "playoffs" in a squeaky, foot-in-the-nuts voice, the coconut might not have fallen far from the tree for the son of the former NFL head coach who had a couple of public meltdowns in seasons when his teams were bounced from postseason contention.

 

Jim Mora Sr., a respected and capable coach who was successful with both the Saints and the Colts, became almost as well known for his periodic tantrums that were more endearing than offensive.

 

Mora's final season with the Saints was punctuated with his memorable "diddly poo" rant, and Mora left the Colts following the year in which a loss to the 49ers prompted his "playoffs" diatribe.

 

Following the 40-21 defeat, Mora lambasted his offensive unit, directing some not-so-thinly veiled criticism at quarterback Peyton Manning:

 

"Do not blame that game on defense," Mora said.  "I don't care who you play, whether it's a high school team, a junior college team much less an NFL team.  When you turn the ball over five times -- four interceptions, one for a touchdown, three others in field position to set up touchdowns -- you ain't going to beat anybody.  I just talked about anybody.  And that was a disgraceful performance in my opinion.  We threw that game.  We gave it away by doing that.  We gave away that friggin' game.  In my opinion, that sucks." 

 

And given that Jim Jr. was the Niners' defensive coordinator in 2001, it now appears that the tantrum torch might have passed from father to son on that fateful day in Indy.

 

The Associated Press reports that the Falcons might be disciplining Mora for his reaction to a question he didn't like, after the Falcons lost to the Buccaneers in overtime.  Asked why he opted to punt with a minute left in overtime by the crew from the team's flagship radio station, Mora threw off his headseat and tossed a microphone that nearly hit the station's sideline employee.

 

Falcons G.M. and president Rich McKay declined to comment on whether any sanctions will be imposed on Mora.  "Let me get through the weekend," he said.  "Right now I don't know."

 

And maybe what McKay "doesn't know" stretches farther than whether Mora will get his knuckles rapped.  Maybe McKay is starting to realize that his coach and quarterback fit like farts in a French restaurant, and maybe McKay is tussling internally with the broader question of whether to let Mora walk in order to reel in someone else. 

 

Someone who wasn't available when Mora was hired.  Someone who would design an offense that glorifies Vick's unique talents, not stifles them.  Someone who would show Vick how to be a leader, by example more than by word.

 

Someone whom McKay once hired in another city.  Someone who might desperately need a change of scenery after suffering an unspeakable family tragedy.  Someone who has the gravitas and goodwill to secure with little or no effort a release from his current contract with another team.

 

Look, it's wild speculation on our part.  But the only guy, in our opinion, who could ever make the Falcons into a winner with Michael Vick as the starting quarterback is Tony Dungy. 

 

And our guess is that the thought has crossed McKay's mind at least once or twice in the past week.

 

THE WISDOM OF MESSAGE BOARDS

 

As we've explained in the past, we don't frequent message boards, and we don't pay much attention to e-mails from readers alerting us to the fact that we're being "ripped" by (drum roll, please) some guy who has a computer and an Internet connection.

 

But we got a kick out of the fact that multiple readers on a Giants message board somehow found a way to break away from all of their friends and family members on Christmas Day (that's sarcasm, by the way) to criticize us for getting linebacker Jessie Armstead's age wrong in Sunday's lead item.

 

Folks, we don't really think Jessie is 47 years old.  It's called exaggeration.  It's a common technique in efforts at humor.  The point was/is that Armstead is old and washed up. 

 

In all of NFL history, only 44 players have suited up at or over age 40.  Most have been quarterbacks or kickers.  None have been linebackers.

 

The two oldest players in NFL history other than kickers and quarterbacks were Bobby Marshall and John Nesser.  Never heard of them?  There's a good reason for it.  Marshall, at age 45, last played in 1925 for the Duluth Kelleys, and Nesser, also at 45, played in 1921 for the Columbus Panhandles.  So the notion that a linebacker might get on the field at age 47 is, to the trained eye, unrealistic -- and we'd like to think that most of our readers spotted that one instantly.

 

POSTED 9:52 a.m. EST; UPDATED 10:58 a.m. EST, December 25, 2005

 

GIANTS FALLING DOWN THE BEANSTALK?

 

What a difference a week makes.  

 

Last Saturday, the Giants looked like the best threat to unseat the Seattle Seahawks as the presumptive NFC representative in the Super Bowl, following New York's pummeling of the Chiefs.

 

Now, the Giants are reeling after a convincing loss to the suddenly surging Redskins, and there are signs that the G-men could be coming apart at the seams.

 

Indeed, the worst thing any team needs at a time when every game counts is dissension in the locker room, and we're told that there's plenty of finger-pointing after the Christmas Eve Massacre at FedEx Field.

 

First, we're told that some players believe that tight end Jeremy Shockey and receiver Plaxico Burress quit on the team in the second half of the game.  

 

To make matters worse, coach Tom Coughlin called for the team to gather 'round -- but Burress remained at his locker.  Then Coughlin specifically told Burress to come over and Burress said, "I can hear you" (or words to that effect).  Coughlin said nothing more.

 

Another bone of contention within the locker room is the manner in which the team has handled its injury-riddled linebacker position.  The presence of guys like Alonzo Jackson and Roman Phifer, and the recent decision to give 47-year-old Jessie Armstead a look-see, has prompted at least one player to describe the situation as a "f--kin' joke."

 

Though we don't think any of this will keep the Giants from having a successful New Year's Eve journey to the Black Hole, the team had better be on the same page for that long flight to Oakland, because if they lose to the Raiders and the remaining dominoes fall the wrong way, the flight home could be a lot longer.

 

CHRISTMAS DAY ONE-LINERS

 

The Jaguars could be the worst 11-4 team in NFL history.

 

Kansas City gets to the playoffs if the Chiefs beat the Bengals, if the Chargers beat the Broncos, and if the Lions beat the Steelers (the odds of that happening are roughly the same as that of a fully-grown African elephant emerging from Dick Vermeil's colon playing the bass line to 'My Sharona' on a rubber band).

 

FOX's Jay Glazer reports that Vermeil is retiring even if his underachieving team somehow achieves a spot in the postseason.

 

Could this be the worst Raiders team ever?

 

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the Tuna is thinking about packing it in, even as owner Jerry Jones tries to get him to extend his deal.

 

Since the day the Nicktator said he doesn't care about the team's record this year, the Fins have won five in a row (maybe their theme for 2006 should be "We're Only Here For The Exercise").

 

Said coach Jeff Fisher after his Titans fell to the Fins:  "The only positive is that it's over."

 

The Meathead apparently hooked plenty of Steelers fans up with tickets to the game at Cleveland.

 

Said Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh after his team lost by ten to the Bills at home:  "If anybody thought we were that great, this brings them back to earth."  (And if that didn't do it, wait until the Steelers come to town and bust up the Orange in two weeks.)

 

RB Shaun Alexander has tied the single-season touchdown record with 27, and he'd get our vote for MVP if, you know, we had one.

 

The Eagles deny sitting DT Hollis Thomas to keep him from triggering a play-time incentive in his contract (yeah, that team never would manipulate the rules for financial gain).

 

Texans owner Bob McNair should send Mike Nolan a fruit basket.

 

Chicago mayor Richard Daley reportedly is thinking about trying to lure another NFL team to the Windy City (which would be a nice addition to the one that finally showed up this year).

 

The bandwagon is getting pretty full in Seattle (where have these folks been for the last, oh, 30 years?).

 

Could Ravens RB Jamal Lewis be auditioning in person on Christmas night for his next NFL gig?  (Maybe having a convicted felon on the roster in Minny will draw some attention away from the guys with the misdemeanors.)

 

Panthers WR Steve Smith was ejected late in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Cowboys.

 

Chargers LB Randall Godfrey is rethinking his retirement plans.

 

You can usually count on a guy named "Moss" to score three touchdowns in a key division game in December, but usually that guy's first name is "Randy."

 

POSTED 8:00 a.m. EST, December 24, 2005

 

PETERSON DENIES MEETING WITH HERM

 

The Kansas City Star reports that Chief G.M. Carl Peterson denies rumors (which originated in this here space) that he had a sit-down in New York with Jets coach Herm Edwards last Friday night.

 

Earlier in the year, Edwards was linked to the potential vacancy on the sidelines in Kansas City, if/when Dick Vermeil packs it in.

 

Said King Carl:  "No, I didn't [meet with Edwards].  He was in Miami.  I’ve had no conversations with him."

 

Not so fast, Peterman.  We've confirmed that the Jets didn't make the trek until Saturday afternoon for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.  The Chiefs, on the other hand, were in New York on Friday for Saturday's game against the Giants.

 

So on Friday night both Peterson and Edwards were in New York.  For Peterson to try to deny the rumored meeting by suggesting that Herm had a rock-solid alibi when he actually didn't lends credence to the suspicions that something might be going on.

 

REFERENCE TO DUNGY PROFILE CAUSES MINI-STIR

 

We received a variety of e-mails on Friday regarding our handling of reports that James Dungy's apparent profile on myspace.com contained text and images hinting at a troubled youth.  Some readers commended us for not posting a link to the profile on Thursday, the same day that the son of Colts coach Tony Dungy died.  Others questioned whether the information was even relevant to our ongoing coverage of the NFL.  Others chastised us for broaching the issue at all.

 

For anyone who thought that we shouldn't have mentioned the online profile, please note that we only did so after we found an article in The Indianapolis Star linking the profile to James Dungy.  Indeed, several other media outlets have acknowledge the existence of the profile, including MSNBC and The Wall Street Journal.

 

And as we explained to those readers who thought that we should not have mentioned the profile, anyone who had seen it would have been troubled by it.  Don't believe us?  Then peruse this screen capture, which was preserved by the folks at frycookonvenus.com before the profile was deactivated on Thursday.  

 

Meanwhile, some of the details regarding Dungy's passing make no sense to us.  We continue to see and hear reports, delivered with a straight face, that his girlfriend left his apartment to go for a walk -- at one in the morning -- and that she found him when she returned ten minutes later.

 

Something stinks, and it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure it out.  Although the autopsy report confirms that Dungy took his own life, we think that there's a lot more to this one that has not yet come to light.  

 

SATURDAY ONE-LINERS

 

Giants DE Osi Umenyiora has signed a six-year extension.

 

If Washington, Dallas, and Tampa lose on Saturday, the Vikings control their destiny for a wild-card berth; if the Bears fall at Lambeau on Christmas Day, the Vikes control their destiny for the NFC North crown.

 

Is Brian the Brain begging for his job?

 

Is it just us, or is there a certain irony to the NFL's embrace of Tony Dungy's commitment to his family when the league's schedule-makers have made it difficult if not impossible for many players and coaches to be with their families on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day?

 

Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel says that he's not uncomfortable with the manner in which offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon has called plays.

 

Dolphins CB Sam Madison knows that his days in Dade are numbered.

 

Are the Falcons now trying to blame the O-line for Mike Vick's mediocrity?

 

The Nicktator recently forgot his wedding anniversary (and now there's Mistletoe hanging just above Mrs. Nicktator's butt).

 

POSTED 7:50 a.m. EST, December 23, 2005

 

DUNGY'S SON A TROUBLED YOUTH?

 

Multiple readers sent to us on Thursday a link to a profile on myspace.com, which profile supposedly was registered to James Dungy, the 18-year-old son of Colts coach Tony Dungy who was found dead in his apartment on Thursday.

 

We opted not to post the link because of its content, which included healthy doses of drug and sexual references, with a twist of overt racism.

 

The Indianapolis Star reports that it was unable to verify that the profile had been created by James Dungy.  The profile was taken down on Thursday afternoon.

 

A friend of his told The Star that the profile was a front, and that James Dungy was "trying to portray himself as being tough."

 

"Tough" wasn't the word that came to mind when we saw the profile.  And we think that anyone who saw it on Thursday will agree.

PICK2PICK.COM CONTINUES ITS TEAR

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FRIDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

 

QB Daunte Culpepper's lawyer says that prosecutors are applying a double standard in light of evidence that a non-Vikings player admitted to the same kind of conduct with which Culpepper is charged, but the other guy isn't.

 

The Giants are concerned about their sudden inability to stop the run.

 

And they won't be able to do it with the 37-year-old linebacker they recently signed; Roman Phifer hasn't played all year but he already is injured.

 

Though he won't start, Jets QB Vinny Flintaverde could play Monday night against the Pats.

 

Ryan Flinn has gone from mixing drinks to kicking balls for a team that you need to be drunk to watch.

 

Daunte Culpepper is an ex-spokesman for FedEx.

 

The Steelers think NT Casey Hampton should have made it onto the Pro Bowl roster.

 

Pittsburgh WR Hines Ward reacted to his own Pro Bowl snub with the latest annoying cliche:  "It is what it is."

 

It looks like Jags RB Greg Jones is indeed ready to replace Fred Taylor, since Jones might miss Saturday's game due to an injury.

 

Fins RB Ronnie Brown missed practice again on Thursday, and his status for Saturday is uncertain.

 

Texans QB David Carr was given plenty of leeway to change plays in the first half of last weekend's game -- and he led the team to 24 points.

 

It appears that QB Jamie Martin will start for the Rams on Saturday.

 

Rams RB Steven Jackson (hip) will be a game-time decision.

 

Despite the Pro Bowl performance from RB Larry Johnson, Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson hopes that Priest Holmes will return in 2006 (yeah, so Peterson can trade his ass).

 

30 percent of the tickets sold for Saturday's San Antonio Saints finale were purchased by corporations hoping to lure the NFL to town permanently.

 

Packers RB Tony Fisher isn't happy that Noah Herron might get the start at tailback.

 

The Packers have placed TE Bubba Franks on IR.

 

POSTED 9:46 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:30 p.m. EST, December 22, 2005

 

DOES DENNY WANT OUT OF THE DESERT?

 

John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com reported last month on rumors that Cardinals coach Dennis Green might try to get out from under the last three years of his contract with the team.  And those rumblings continue to make the rounds as the coaching carousel gears up for another whirl.

 

As we hear it, the thinking is that Green wants to hit the market in a year when there are too many seats and not enough qualified rear ends to fill them.  We also have a feeling that Denny might have his eyeballs on the looming vacancy in Oakland, where Norv Turner most likely will be out the door.

 

Green signed a five-year contract in 2004 with the Cardinals.  He previously coached the Vikings from 1992 through December 2001.

 

THURSDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

 

PewterReport.com reports that Bucs defensive backs coach Raheem Morris will become the new defensive coordinator at Kansas State University.

 

Jets WR Wayne Chrebet has announced his retirement after 11 seasons.

 

The Rams have placed QB Marc Bulger and LB Chris Claiborne on IR.

 

The Dolphins home game against the Titans has been declared a sell out, and will be televised in Miami.

 

LB Jonathan Vilma is the Jets MVP.

 

Bengals Pro Bowl CB Deltha O'Neal recently has signed with Athletes First.

 

Louisiana formally has asked the Saints to come home (but they said it's okay if Tom Benson stays in San Antone).

 

Steelers RB Willie Parker needs 63 yards for 1,000 on the season.

 

The Chiefs and Royals signed letters-of-intent on Thursday for 25-year leases, in exchange for $575 million in improvements to their side-by-side venues.

 

POSTED 9:21 a.m. EST; UPDATED 10:11 a.m. EST, December 22, 2005

 

DUNGY'S SON DEAD AT 18

 

Our hearts are shattered this morning for Colts coach Tony Dungy amid reports that his 18-year-old son James has died in Tampa.  620 WDAE is reporting that the apparent cause of death was suicide.

 

For anyone who has children, this is the worst nightmare imaginable, and our prayers are with Dungy and his family at a time when football and buying those last few Christmas gifts suddenly has taken on zero relevance.

 

James Dungy's body was found in his North Tampa apartment by his girlfriend this morning.

 

Just this past Sunday, Dungy had this to say in an article regarding Marvin Harrison and his 3-year-old son:  "Fatherhood impacts all of us. When you have a son and you know he's looking at you, at what you do, you think about it a little bit more."