Another head coach whom many presumed to be
safe could end up out of a job.
49ers coach Mike Nolan's press conference,
scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time on Monday, was first bumped by two hours
and then canceled.
Nolan currently is meeting with ownership.
It has been reported that V.P. of player
personnel Scot McCloughan is expected to be named General Manager. His
first order of business could be hiring a new head coach.
In three years under Nolan, the 49ers are
16-32.
POSTED 5:16 p.m. EST,
December 31, 2007
SAPP CALLING IT QUITS?
Signs are pointing to the retirement of
veteran defensive tackle Warren Sapp.
One of our friends in the media has pointed
out to us the comments of Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, who was asked on Monday
about whether Sapp is calling it quits.
Said Kiffin:
"I am not going to
comment on that until Warren talks to you guys. Warren has already
made it known what he's doing, but I'm not going to take that from him.
He'll tell you guys whenever he's ready."
However, the Fins are widely expected to hire
Cowboys V.P. of pro and college scouting Jeff Ireland to fill that role.
It could be that Clinkscales is under consideration for another position
with the team. But if that's the case the Jets could have blocked the
interview.
POSTED 1:23 p.m. EST,
December 31, 2007
BUH-BYE, BRIAN
Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the
Baltimore Ravens have fired coach Brian Billick.
The move comes despite insistence from Billick
that he'd return for a tenth season, and despite a report in the
Baltimore Sun citing an unnamed source close to owner Steve Bisciotti
that Billick would be back.
We never believed any of it. It was
obvious that it was time for a change in Baltimore, and a change has indeed
been made.
As the rumor goes, Bisciotti considered firing
Billick after the 2005 season, but the owner decided that he couldn't do
better with a devil he didn't know. Based on 2007, Bisciotti might
have concluded that he can't do much worse.
POSTED 1:16 p.m. EST,
December 31, 2007
COWBOYS PERMIT TUNA TO INTERVIEW IRELAND
Though some league insiders believed that
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would fight, Jones in the end opted not to.
Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the
Cowboys have given the Dolphins permission to interview V.P. of college and
pro scouting Jeff Ireland.
Per Glazer, Fins football poobah Bill Parcells
is expected to offer the G.M. job to Ireland, and Ireland is expected to
accept it.
POSTED 1:02 p.m. EST,
December 31, 2007
COIN FLIP TOURNEY WILL DETERMINE PICKS
THREE THROUGH FIVE
Per Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the league
has unveiled the 2008 draft order, and there's a clusterfudge for the third
pick.
Four teams -- the Falcons, Raiders, Chiefs,
and Jets -- have 4-12 records.
The Jets fell out of the mix first, because
their strength of schedule was 0.523, based on the fact that the Jets'
opponents were a combined 134-122 on the season.
The Falcons, Raiders, and Chiefs had identical
strength of schedule -- 0.516, based on a combined opponents' record of
132-124. S
Because the Raiders finished fourth in the AFC
West behind the Chiefs (due to their record in common games), the Raiders
will pick higher than the Chiefs. So the Falcons and Raiders will flip
first. If the Raiders lose the toss, the Falcons will draft third, the
Raiders will draft fourth, and the Chiefs will draft fifth.
If the Raiders win the toss, they'll draft
third and then the Falcons and the Chiefs will have a coin toss for the
fourth pick.
It's unclear, however, whether it's a good
thing or a bad thing to have the third pick. The slotting process
dictates a big contract in the three hole, especially since the fourth pick
in 2007 (defensive end Gaines Adams) did a deal that some think was worse
than the contract signed by the fifth overall pick, safety LaRon Landry.
So "winning" the third pick might actually not
be a victory. Based on the 2007 contracts, the best bet might be to
have the fourth pick.
POSTED 11:32 a.m. EST,
December 31, 2007
MUELLER IS OFFICIALLY DONE
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the
termination of Dolphins G.M. Randy Mueller became effective at 9:00 a.m. EST
on Monday.
Mueller never had any contact with new Fins
football poobah Bill Parcells.
Before joining the Dolphins as G.M. under Nick
Saban, Mueller was the General Manager of the Saints. He spent several
years in the between the two gigs working for ESPN.
POSTED 11:24 a.m. EST,
December 31, 2007
NEUHEISEL WANTS NORM
New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel knows who he
wants to run the Bruins offense.
The only problem is that the guy already has a
job.
Neuheisel, the former Ravens' offensive
coordinator, wants to hire Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow.
Actually, the guy at the top of the Tuna's
wish list is Browns coach Romeo Crennel, but there's a growing sense that
there's no way that Parcells will be able to pull off the move, given that
Crennel is under contract in Cleveland for two more years.
But reports of Parcells' desire to hire
Sparano could create problems under the Rooney Rule, which requires at least
one minority candidate to be interviewed for each head-coaching vacancy.
If word gets out that Sparano is the guy, the Tuna might not be able to
persuade any minority candidates to sit for the job.
Complicating matters is that Huizenga didn't
follow the spirit of the Rooney Rule in hiring Parcells, and Parcells
apparently won't be adhering to the spirit of the Rooney Rule in chasing
down Jeff Ireland, his former right-hand man in Dallas, to be the G.M. in
Miami.
As to the G.M. position, the current Herald
report contains a factoid that supports the rumor (as we heard it on
Sunday) that current G.M. Randy Mueller already has been fired. Per
the Herald, Mueller was seen driving away from the stadium with two
minutes left in the season-ending game -- and he was nowhere to be seen in
the locker room after the game ended.
MONDAY MORNING
ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith
The Titans were fortunate they
didn't knock Colts QB Jim Sorgi
out of the game Sunday night, seeing as that could have resulted in the
Colts putting Peyton Manning back in.
Even though Colts WR Marvin
Harrison missed yet another game Sunday night, team president Bill Polian
insists that "the
knee is fine."
Says Patriots coach Bill
Belichick of the season-ending win over the Giants, "When you give up 35
points on defense and special teams,
that's not where you want to be."
Chiefs DE Jared Allen is a
free agent this offseason and thinks
he
deserves the kind of money that Colts DE Dwight Freeney got last year.
Said Raiders coach Lane Kiffin
of the team's 12th loss of the season, "I want to make sure that locker room
doesn't get used to this. That's not OK when we're not winning
these games."
Said Cowboys coach Wade
Phillips after the loss to the Redskins, "It shows you what happens when
one team is
fired up and the other one isn't."
Giants coach Tom Coughlin says
he has no regrets about playing his top players Saturday, even though
some suffered injuries.
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said
of getting into the playoffs, "To think four weeks ago where we were and
where we are tonight, everybody would have said
it looks next to impossible."
Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck
injured his right wrist Sunday, but
he should be fine for the playoffs.
Said Cardinals WR Larry
Fitzgerald after Sunday's game, "I'm
just doing my job; this is what they pay me to do. I've got to
come out and try to execute. I'm 24. This is the prime of my
career now, and I've got to keep getting better."
Rams WR Isaac Bruce passed Art
Monk on the all-time receptions list and is now in sixth place, with
942 for his career.
POSTED 8:56 a.m. EST,
December 31, 2007
PATS IN PRIME TIME
As we guessed last night, the New England
Patriots will play their divisional-round playoff game in prime time on
Saturday, January 12.
They'll face the winner of the Jags-Steelers
game, unless Tennessee beats San Diego. If the Titans win, they'll
travel to Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots run of greatness was unofficially
launched on a Saturday night six years ago, when the Pats edged the Raiders
in the epic tuck rule/snow globe game, which also was the final game played
at the team's former stadium.
Earlier on January 12, the Packers will host
the Seahawks, Bucs, or Giants.
On Sunday, January 13, the Colts get started
at 1:00 p.m. EST with the Chargers, Jags, or Steelers. The weekend
ends with the Redskins, Bucs, or Giants heading to Texas Stadium.
The following Sunday, the AFC title game kicks
off at 3:00 p.m. EST, and the NFC championship starts at 6:30 p.m. EST.
POSTED 8:30 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 8:43 a.m. EST, December 31, 2007
SHANAHAN DENIES RUMORS OF JOB CHANGE
Our good friend Dino Costa, whose weekday
radio show can be heard in 87 percent of Colorado, asked Broncos coach Mike
Shanahan after Sunday's season-ending win about rumors linking Shanahan to
other jobs.
Most recently, some Internet hack linked
Shanahan to the vacancy in Atlanta. Previously, there was speculation
that Shanahan could make the jump to Michigan.
Here's the Q&A, per Costa:
Costa: "Mike, with the end of the season
now here, I suppose this is an appropriate time to ask you about your own
future. There have been some reports, and some speculation concerning
your future with the Broncos, and I'm hoping you can clarify some of this."
Shanahan: "What kind of speculation are you referring to?"
Costa: "Speculation that has your name possibly linked to either some
high profile college jobs, or some position with another NFL team."
Shanahan: "All you have to do is ask me. . . . I'm the one to
answer those kinds of questions . . . and I tell you now that there is no
credibility with any of those reports. None."
Fine. Good. Costa supplies it,
Shanahan denies it.
But then something strange happened. In
the post-game quotes sent out by the Broncos' P.R. staff, there was no
mention at all made of the exchange.
So how does that happen? Was Shanahan's
denial deemed not to be worthy of inclusion? Or did Shanahan tell
someone to leave it out, lest he eventually be perceived as failing the
public-opinion polygraph if/when he leaps to a new organization?
We've also heard on the media grapevine that
efforts have been made by some to sniff around the Broncos organization
regarding the Falcons rumor, and that everyone is clamming up on this one.
Thus, while Shanahan might be prepared to
dismiss this rumor as having no credibility, we're not ready to do so until
the Falcons job is filled.
NEW TEN-PACK IS UP
The final Ten-Pack of the
regular season, penned by some Internet hack for SportingNews.com, is up.
This time around, the
adult-ADD tour of the weekend that was looks at whether Pats defensive
tackle Vince Wilfork should be suspended for going Moe on Giants running
back Brandon Jacobs, why the Colts should have knocked out the Titans, and
whether the Chargers are a legitimate force for the AFC playoffs. And
seven more things that I can't remember right now.
Click
here, read it, and then get your rear end back here.
POSTED 11:21 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
TITANS IN, BROWNS OUT
In the NFC, nine wins is enough to get a spot
in the playoffs. In the AFC, ten wins isn't.
The Browns, who finished the season with an
impressive 10-6 record, are on the outside looking in, due to the Colts'
loss to the Titans on Sunday night, 16-10. Tennessee gets the No. 6
seed, with a 10-6 record.
The playoffs get started on Saturday.
The No. 6 seed in the NFC, the Redskins, travel to No. 3 seed Seattle at
4:30 p.m. EST, and the AFC No. 5 seed Jags return to Heinz Field to face the
No. 4 Steelers at 8:00 p.m. Two weeks ago, the Jaguars won at
Pittsburgh, 29-22.
Both Saturday games will be televised by NBC.
On Sunday, the NFC No. 5 Giants play the No. 4
Bucs at 1:00 p.m. EST. And the wild-card round ends with the AFC No. 6
Titans heading to No. 3 San Diego for a 4:30 p.m. EST kickoff.
The early game will be aired on FOX, and the
late game will be broadcast by CBS.
The following weekend, the lowest remaining
AFC seed goes to New England, and the other AFC wild-card winner faces the
Colts in Indy. In the NFC, the Cowboys host the lowest seed left, and
Green Bay faces whoever else is left.
Our guess is that the Pats will get the
prime-time Saturday night game in the divisional round, especially since
last year's Saturday night game went to FOX.
POSTED 10:46 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
AN "INTERESTING WEEK" COMING IN BALTIMORE
A source with knowledge of the current
dynamics of the Baltimore Ravens tells us that it should be an "interesting
week" for the organization.
We're not quite sure what that precisely
means, but it likely doesn't mean that the status quo will prevail in the
wake of a very disappointing year.
Many league observers believe that coach Brian
Billick is safe. We tend to think otherwise.
At a minimum, it's by no means a sure thing
that Bllick will be back for another season.
POSTED 10:39 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
DONAHOE RE-EMERGING IN ST. LOUIS?
There's growing talk in league circles that
former Bills G.M. and one-time Steelers exec Tom Donahoe could end up being
the next General Manager of the St. Louis Rams.
The Rams currently don't have a G.M., and
there are rumors that St. Louis V.P. of player personnel Tony Softli could
be fired.
Donahoe was fired by the Bills after the 2005
season, and has not worked for another team since then.
POSTED 9:16 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
CAMERON TELLS TEAM HE'S COMING BACK
Though everyone expects Fins coach Cam Cameron
to be fired, a league source tells us that Cameron told the team after
Sunday's season-ending loss to the Bengals that he'll return as the team's
coach in 2008.
(Hey, we thought that teams were no longer
serving alcohol in the locker room.)
Even if by some miracle Bill Parcells decides
not to fire Cameron, there's no way that Cameron knew it at any point on
Sunday. Unless, of course, Parcells lied to Cameron in order to loosen
him up.
Either way, the Cameron termination watch is
officially on.
POSTED 9:10 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
IRELAND "DEFINITELY" GETTING FINS' GIG
The same source that told us that Dolphins G.M.
Randy Mueller "definitely" will be fired tells us that Cowboys V.P. of
college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland "definitely" will be installed as the
new General Manager in Miami.
Despite reports that the Cowboys might try to
delay the move until after the 2008 draft, the reality is that, if Ireland
is getting final say over personnel, the Dolphins can immediately hire him.
And because Bill Parcells' contract makes
clear the fact that he doesn't have final say, it's highly unlikely that the
Cowboys will be able to block the move. Though no one believes that
Parcells won't exert authority over Ireland, how is that any different than
the authority than the owner has over his staff?
Like any other G.M., Ireland will have final
say. And there will be times where he might use it at his own peril.
We're also hearing rumblings that Mueller has
already been fired. Stay tuned.
POSTED 9:03 p.m. EST;
UPDATED 10:30 p.m. EST, December 30, 2007
BILLS PUTTING LIST TOGETHER
As word spreads that Bills G.M. Marv Levy is
stepping aside, a league source tells us that the Bills already are
compiling a list of potential successors.
Inside the organization, the candidates are
director of pro scouting John Guy and assistant G.M. Tom Modrak. It's
believed, however, that Modrak won't want the job, because he doesn't want
to move from New Jersey to Buffalo.
Outside the building, the names that have
surfaced are former Titans G.M. Floyd Reese, Chiefs V.P. of player personnel
Bill Kuharich, former Texans and Redskins G.M. Charley Casserly, and
Patriots director of college scouting Tom Dimitroff.
UPDATE: We're told that
Bills V.P. of football administration Jim Overdorf is another in-house
candidate for the job.
The station describes the move as a mutual
decision.
"The long hours
required for the position of General Manager were reportedly wearing on the
82-year-old Levy," the report states, "and the feeling was Marv had done
what he needed to do."
Levy spent two years as
General Manager. He previously coached the team for 12 years, leading
the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances. He spent several
years lobbying for consideration for another opportunity to become a head
coach before landing the G.M. job in Buffalo.
POSTED 4:42 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
SOFTLI TAKING THE HARD FALL IN ST. LOUIS?
There's talk in league circles that Rams V.P.
of player personnel Tony Softli could be terminated by the organization
after the end of the season.
Softli joined the Rams in 2006, making the
jump from the Panthers.
It's presently unclear whether the Rams will
keep their current front-office structure moving forward. Before
Softli, Charley Armey served as the team's General Manager, but former coach
Mike Martz had authority over the personnel.
POSTED 3:06 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
BILLICK'S DAYS NUMBERED?
Though few in the media will acknowledge the
obvious possibility/probability/likelihood that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti
will finally make the first coaching hire of his tenure (after making the
first termination, by firing Brian Billick), we've been pounding the drum
all season regarding the potential move.
And now Jay Glazer of FOX has some details
that support the notion that Billick could be gone. Per Glazer,
Bisciotti and other high-level executives have been privately polling
players as to whether Billick has lost the locker room.
Glazer says that the questions also are being
posed to non-player personnel in the locker room, like the guy who washes
the jock straps.
Though there have been leaks regarding
Bisciotti's intention to keep Billick, we're convinced that Bisciotti has
yet to make a decision. And Glazer believes that, if the owner is
listening to what he's hearing in to locker room, Billick won't be back.
And if Billick does come back, how is
he supposed to be able to function effectively with knowledge that the guys
on the team didn't go to bat for him?
Maybe, just maybe, the goal here is to get
Billick to jump so that Bisciotti won't have to push him.
POSTED 12:54 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
JAGS DUO DOWN FOR SUNDAY
With the Jags locked in as the AFC No. 5 seed,
running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew are inactive for Week
Seventeen, according to NFL.com.
Also, quarterback Quinn Gray will start for
Jacksonville.
There's a belief in league circles is that
safety Bob Sanders got less per year on average than safety Troy Polamalu
because his agent's primary motivation is to get as many clients as possible
who have received $20 million or more guaranteed.
And we're told that Condon already is using
that fact on the recruiting trail, as he tries to reel in more clients from
the group of players who will be entering the 2008 draft.
As one league source opined, "Condon doesn't
care if the deal is weak or soft anywhere else. He wants to be able to
say that he's got more players with $20 million in guarantees than anyone in
the business."
Not that there's anything wrong with getting
more than $20 million in guaranteed money. But each deal, in our view,
should be crafted based on the best interests of the player -- not on the
interests of the agent.
POSTED 12:34 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
STRAHAN WILL MAKE A DECISION BY MARCH
Jay Glazer of FOX reports that Giants
defensive end Michael Strahan won't wait until August to decide whether to
return for 2008.
Instead, Glazer says that Strahan will let the
team know what he plans to do by March, so that the Giants will be able to
plan for life without Strahan.
Strahan told Glazer that he's still enduring
plenty of pain, and that he has been experiencing chronic numbness in his
fingertips.
The veteran sack machine skipped all of
training camp as he contemplated retirement; many league observers thought
that Strahan was merely trying to get more money. To their credit, the
Giants didn't blink.
POSTED 12:03 p.m. EST,
December 30, 2007
ANOTHER JAGUAR ARREST
On the field, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one
of the best teams in the league this year.
McDougle allegedly pushed Quilone Mitchell,
the owner of Mitchell Landscaping, after Mitchell told McDougle that he owed
more than $1,200 in interest on a $1,000 check that McDougle bounced in
2002. McDougle also allegedly shoved the company's bookkeeper as
McDougle left the premises.
Mitchell then struck McDougle's car with a
shovel.
The talk in league circles is that the thing
that got the deal done between the Dolphins and new football poobah Bill
Parcells was that owner Wayne Huizenga gave the Tuna a piece of ownership.
It's unclear whether it is "real" ownership or
just a revenue interest tied to profits. Regardless, Huizenga was
willing to do it, and Falcons owner Arthur Blank (as we hear it) wasn't.
In fact, we're told that Blank offered a
bigger salary to Parcells, but that Parcells held out for ownership interest
in the team.
One source tells us that Parcells is getting
between $3 million and $4 million per year in wages from the Dolphins.
POSTED 11:40 p.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
PATS GET TO 16-0
Trailing with 15 minutes to
play, and losing by as many as 12 points during the third quarter, the New
England Patriots came back and defeated the New York Giants, finishing the
regular season at 16-0.
And within minutes after the
game ended, the Dolphins sent out a statement containing some colorful
comments from members of the 1972 team.
Of course, Mercury Morris was
typically defiant. Said the former Fins running back: "My feeling about it
is as consistent as it has been all year. It doesn't matter to me whether
or not they win them all because it doesn't affect anything we've done.
When all the dust clears, the best they can do is to stand beside us, and in
the end, that's not a bad thing. I will welcome them to the neighborhood
with my Mr. Rogers sweater on, but first they have to get to the
neighborhood."
Said coach Don Shula: "Going
undefeated during the regular season is a remarkable achievement. I know
first hand how difficult it is to win every game, and just as we did in
1972, the Patriots have done a great job concentrating on each week's
opponent and not letting any other distractions interrupt that focus. If
they go on to complete an undefeated season, I will be the first to
congratulate Coach Belichick and the Patriot organization."
Defensive tackle Manny
Fernandez sees a silver lining in the possible 19-0 mark. "If they finish
without a loss, it's almost going to be a relief to me. That way, the media
will start to call them the first eight or nine games each year whenever a
team starts undefeated instead of calling us. That will give us a break."
And offensive lineman Bob
Kuechenberg wasn't afraid to speak his mind: "Obviously, if they can win
their first playoff game, beat an even more dangerous Colts team, and then
Brett Favre or the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl, I will be the first to
take my hat off to them. If they can pull it off, they will have earned
it. But my heart is dead set against it. The '72 team in uniquely immortal
in American sports and I don't want us to lose that special place. We will
forever be immortal, and if they win every game in front of them, then they
will join us among those ranks. They will have deserved it and I will
congratulate them. But something in my heart makes me feel that we
accomplished something so special that it forever sets the standard of
excellence in sports. Imperfect is mortal. Perfect is immortal."
Kudos to the Patriots. Love
them or hate them, we have seen something that we might never see again: An
unblemished regular season in a system designed to level out the playing
field.
POSTED 4:28 p.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
MARTY MAKES A POWER PLAY
A league source tells us that veteran coach
Marty Schottenheimer is trying to finagle full control over the football
operations in Atlanta.
Per the source, Schottenheimer is privately
saying that he's in line to run the show in Kansas City, when President/G.M.
Carl Peterson and coach Herm Edwards are fired after the 2007 season ends.
The only problem? Peterson and Edwards
aren't going anywhere.
So what gives? The theories making the
rounds are that Schottenheimer is simply mistaken, or that he's
intentionally puffing in order to get the Falcons to give him what he wants.
Blank turned to Accorsi after Bill Parcells
used the Falcons' offer as leverage to get a deal done with the Dolphins.
But is Accorsi really all that different than the in-house G.M. whom Blank
has suddenly decided to ignore?
Like Rich McKay, Accorsi enjoys a relationship
with the media that insulates him from criticism. Indeed, no one
(except us) has ever pointed out that Accorsi is the mad scientist who
thought it would be wise to concoct a turd stew that featured personalities
like Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, Jeremy Shockey, and Plaxico Burress.
And then Accorsi gave up the fourth overall
pick, another first-rounder, and more to acquire the rights to quarterback
Eli Manning, a mealy-mouthed milequetoast with the leadership skills of a
baked potato.
Finally, Accorsi hired a red-faced drill
instructor to whip them all into shape.
But Accorsi's involvement favors
Schottenheimer. The question is whether Schottenheimer can get Accorsi
to recommend to Blank that one guy should hold all of the juice as the
Falcons try to return to respectability.
POSTED 4:08 p.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
NO MORE MUELLER
A league source tells us that Dolphins G.M.
Randy Mueller will definitely be fired by new football poobah Bill Parcells.
Actually, Mueller was almost fired a year ago
by former head coach Nick Saban. But when Saban bolted for Alabama,
Mueller won a reprieve.
Mueller, the former Saints G.M., eventually
landed ultimate authority over the roster. But with that authority
comes accountability, and Mueller will one of the guys taking the falls for
the 1-14 performance of the team.
POSTED 3:57 p.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
MARTZ HITS THE MARKET
A league source tells us that Lions offensive
coordinator Mike Martz is actively looking for similar work with other NFL
teams.
This strongly suggests that Martz knows that
he'll soon be relieved of his duties in Detroit.
Martz, the former head coach of the Rams, rose
to prominence as the offensive coordinator under Dick Vermeil, when the Rams
came out of nowhere to win Super Bowl XXXIV. Martz became the head
coach of the Rams when Vermeil retired after the Super Bowl win.
His final season in St. Louis was marred by a
bacterial heart infection and in-fighting with the front office. He
has extensive experience at the college level, and he has also worked for
the Redskins.
POSTED 3:43 p.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
UCLA TO HIRE NEUHEISEL
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that UCLA
will be hiring Ravens offensive coordinator Rick Neuheisel as its next head
coach.
Neuheisel, a former UCLA quarterback,
previously was the head coach at Colorado and at Washington. He was
fired by Washington based on allegations of participation in a March Madness
betting pool, but a lawsuit resulted in a
$4.5 million settlement from the NCAA and the University of Washington.
Neuheisel joined the Ravens in 2005 as
quarterbacks coach. He became the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
coach after Jim Fassel was fired. Head coach Brian Billick, however,
called the plays.
Before becoming the head coach at Colorado in
1995, Neuheisel spent seven seasons as an assistant at UCLA. He was
the head coach at Washington from 1999 through 2002.
POSTED 12:05 p.m. EST; LAST
UPDATED 3:33 p.m. EST, December 29, 2007
NEAL, KACZUR OUT FOR SATURDAY NIGHT
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reports that the right
side of New England's offensive line won't be available on Saturday night
against the Giants.
Specifically, starting right guard Stephen
Neal and starting right tackle Nick Kaczur are out for the game.
Russ Hochstein is likely to replace Neal, and
Ryan O'Callaghan will be called upon to handle left defensive end Michael
Strahan.
Neal was a limited participant in practice on
Thursday with a shoulder injury, and officially was listed as questionable.
Kaczur did not practice on Thursday due to a foot problem, but appeared in
none of the various injury
categories on Friday. (At a minimum, Kaczur should have been
listed as probable, especially since quarterback Tom Brady has been probable
with a shoulder injury, seemingly since birth.)
UPDATE: Tight end Ben
Watson is active, and will pitch in with the effort to contain Strahan.
SECOND UPDATE: There's a
discrepancy between the official injury report made available to the media
by the NFL and the version that was made available by the team. Per
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe,
Kaczur was listed on Friday as questionable.
POSTED 11:52 a.m. EST;
LAST UPDATED 4:55 a.m. EST, December 29, 2007
WE OFFICIALLY ARE INSIDE EMMITT'S HEAD
We've left Emmitt Smith alone for most of the
past month. Part of the reason is that there's really not much else to
say. He's terrible, and he needs to not be on television.
The other reason is that enough other people
are talking about it to allow us to focus on other stuff.
Still, we can't ignore what happened this
morning. Though we didn't see it live (and we're waiting
impatiently for Awful Announcing to get the video), a league source
contacted yours truly moments ago to say that Emmitt couldn't decide whether
he should say "blown out" or "blowed out," and apparently debated the point
with himself. On the air.
As one member of the media has since
commented, "You're in Emmitt's head."
UPDATE: From our friends
at
Awful Announcing, the clip in question. The sad part is that Emmitt
had it right at "blew."
SPECIAL BETA LIVE BLOG
TONIGHT
If Saturday night's
Pats-Giants game is big enough to be televised on 13 networks (and to merit
a special NFL Countdown on one of the networks that was dissed) then it's
big enough to merit its own PFT Live Blog.
But there's a twist. In
an effort to confirm that the new version of the site is ready for the crush
of the day-to-day traffic, we're going to do the Live Blog exclusively on
the PFT beta site.
The direct link to the Live
Blog will be posted on both versions of the site.
POSTED 11:38 a.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
MARVIN WANTS TO "BLOW THE WHOLE THING UP"
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis tells the
Columbus Dispatch that "[i]t's time for us
to blow the whole thing up and start from scratch."
Asked what he means by "blowing it up," Lewis
said: "We've got to start from scratch. We have to blow it up
and empty everything. Just like new people walking in this door and go
from there. That's the only way we're going to shake away from the
cobwebs."
But Lewis didn't offer many details as to how
he plans to get there. He suggested that receiver Chad Johnson won't
be leaving. (Lewis was more ominous regarding the prospects of
receiver Chris Henry.)
The coach wouldn't comment on whether either
or both coordinators will return, and he acknowledged that some pending free
agents will be allowed to leave.
Lewis also insisted that he has not made any
noise internally about hiring a General Manager. But if the current
mess is the result of a front office that isn't constituted to weed out
undesirables, part of the "blowing it up" surely refers to the
player-acquisition process.
Stay tuned. It could be that Lewis is
looking to incite a blow up that includes an opportunity for him to ride the
blast wave right out of town.
POSTED 10:00 a.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
SANDERS GETS LESS PER YEAR THAN POLAMALU
Though the contract signed by Colts safety Bob
Sanders is being trumpeted as the biggest . . . deal . . . ever for a
safety, the real numbers reveal a per-year average that falls behind the
contract given to Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
Per Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the Sanders
contract has a total value of $37.5 million over five years. That
works out to $7.5 million per year. Polamalu received $31 million for
four new years, which equates to $7.75 million per year.
But Sanders received more guaranteed money
than Polamalu. Schefter reports that Sanders will receive $8 million
to sign, a $6 million roster bonus in 2008, and a $5 million roster bonus in
2009. The roster bonuses are guaranteed by injury.
Also, the truly guaranteed portion of the
contract is only (only?) $19 million, not the $20 million that was initially
reported. But, as a practical matter, Sanders will earn the $605,000
and $620,000 base salaries that he'll receive in 2008 and 2009, resulting in
at least $20 million in his pocket.
In 2010, the base jumps to $2.275 million.
The next year, it goes to $5.5 million. For 2012, the base salary is
$7 million.
UPDATE: The bonuses and
salaries don't add up to $37.5 million. The difference comes from
$500,000 per year in workout bonuses.
POSTED 9:23 a.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
ANOTHER ARREST FOR MOON
Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon has been
arrested -- again --
for suspicion of DUI.
Moon was spotted early Friday in Medina,
Washington driving a car with expired tabs. He was also charged with
driving on a suspended license. (He has a valid Texas license, but his
privileges in Washington had been revoked.)
And because Moon is still an employee of the
Seahawks, providing commentary on their radio broadcasts, the 'Hawks will be
picking up some points in Turd Watch.
More importantly, the "days without an arrest"
counter will again be reset to double donuts.
POSTED 9:07 a.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
SANDERS DEAL THE FIRST OF MANY BIG ONES
With Colts safety Bob Sanders snagging a
reported
$20 million in guaranteed money as part of a new five-year deal with the
Colts, a league source predicts that more big deals will be done over the
next 90 days.
And the source points out that, with each
big-money deal, the contract signed by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will
continue to appear to be increasingly substandard.
In late October, Romo received $28.5 million
in guaranteed money on a six-year extension.
"Romo will look like one of the most
shockingly low deals ever done," the source said.
The two packages were negotiated by the same
firm -- CAA. But while Tom Condon's name is on the Sanders contract,
his partner Ken Kremer was listed as the guy who did the Romo deal.
And, as we've previously mentioned, Condon has a reputation for putting
Kremer's name on the deals that might not be perceived as great ones.
Lewis signed a one-year deal with Cleveland
after spending the first seven years of his career with the Ravens. He
received a $3.5 million salary, and earned an additional $1.5 million in
incentives.
Though talks on a new deal have not commenced,
Lewis has said he'd like to stay with the team. "We definitely have
something to build on," he said.
POSTED 8:42 a.m. EST,
December 29, 2007
FOX TO UCLA?
Check out MDS on CFT regarding a potential
bombshell involving an NFL coach who could be jumping ship before he's
forced to walk the plank.
Specifically, Panthers coach John Fox is
suddenly in the mix to become the next head coach at UCLA.
Other new candidates include Eagles secondary
coach John Harbaugh.
After keeping his mouth shut for most of the
past couple of months, Bengals receiver Chad Johnson a/k/a Ocho Cinco a/k/a
Ocho Stinko was interviewed Friday on Sirius NFL Radio by Adam Schein and
Ross Tucker.
Though we didn't hear the whole thing (we're
trying to get audio clips or a transcript), Johnson was talking openly about
not being with the team in 2008.
In fact, its sounded as if he's resigned to
the fact that he won't be back. At times, we got the impression that
he wants to go to a new team.
We'll get more info on what he actually said,
and we'll be posting it here.
POSTED 7:50 p.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
McCLOUGHAN TO BE NEXT NINERS G.M.?
Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa
Press-Democrat reports that 49ers V.P. of player personnel Scot
McCloughan is expected to be offered the position of General Manager.
The offer could come as early as next week.
It would be more than a change in titles.
The move would give McCloughan full power over the personnel aspect of the
operation, which would be a blow to the authority of head coach Mike Nolan.
Nolan has yet to receive any public assurances
regarding this future with the team. Given his catfight with
quarterback Alex Smith, it could be that Nolan will be out the door.
If Nolan becomes available, look for him to be
quickly in play for other head-coaching jobs and/or defensive coordinator
positions.
And if McCloughan gets the gig, he might have
to sign the contract with a bum arm. During Sunday's win over Tampa,
he
smashed a window in the press box while celebrating a Nate Clements
interception, and has stitches. A league source tells us that a couple
of assistant coaches were cut by the flying glass.
POSTED 6:58 p.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
MARTZ REPLACEMENT ALREADY LINED UP?
A league source tells us in response to our
item regarding the potential departure of offensive coordinator Mike Martz
in Motown that Martz will be out, and that his potential replacement already
has been lined up.
We're working on getting the name of the guy
who is slated to take Martz's place.
The lack of offense down
the stretch, the lack of a running game, and the bad personnel decisions
for guys he wanted (Tatum Bell, George Foster, & others) are the reasons
he will be gone," the source said. "It's a done deal."
Martz took the position
with the Lions after being fired by the Rams, with the goal of cleaning
up an image that was in tatters after a series of problems during his
tenure as the successor to Dick Vermeil. Martz hoped to parlay a
strong performance into another head-coaching job, but he's no closer to
serious consideration than he was two years ago.
POSTED 6:49 p.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
RYAN PICKS CONDON?
A league insider tells us that a report of
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan heading to Arizona after his team's
bowl game to work out is possibly evidence of, at a minimum, a verbal
agreement between Ryan and agent Tom Condon.
Ryan is believed to be planning to work out at
API in Arizona. API, per the source, only does business with a handful
of agents. Condon has a proven pipeline to Boston College players.
Condon is known for representing quarterbacks.
Even a verbal agreement between Ryan and
Condon (or any agent) would be enough to make Ryan ineligible for the team's
bowl game. But since the Eagles are playing their bowl game at the
time of this posting, there likely will be no repercussions.
POSTED 4:02 p.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
COLTS EXTEND SANDERS
by Michael David Smith
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the Colts
and safety Bob Sanders have
agreed to a
contract extension that makes Sanders the highest-paid safety in the
NFL.
Per Mortensen, the deal is a five-year, $37.5
million contract with $20 million guaranteed.
Sanders' return from an injury was a huge part of the postseason defensive
turnaround that led Indianapolis to a Super Bowl title a year ago, and he
was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Still, this is a risky move for the Colts. Injuries have limited Sanders to just 38 games in his four-year career, and
the Colts already have a lot of money tied up in a few high-priced players.
With Sanders under contract, the Colts can now
focus on a new deal for tight end Dallas Clark, who becomes a free agent
after the season. Clark is likely to get the franchise tag if he and the
team can't reach an agreement on a contract extension.
POSTED 3:23 p.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
OFFICIAL FINED GAME CHECK
AFTER BARNETT TAKEDOWN by Michael David Smith
Adam Schefter of NFL Network and Jay Glazer of
Fox report that official Jim Quirk was notified today that he has been fined
one game check for inappropriate physical contact with players.
The fine, which amounts to $8,150, comes after
an incident Sunday at Soldier Field, when Quirk grabbed Packers linebacker
Nick Barnett from behind and wrestled him to the ground in an attempt to
keep him from getting into an altercation with a player on the Bears.
Barnett said of the incident, "I got in a
choke hold, I couldn't really breathe a little bit. He got a good one on
me. I don't know how he got under that face mask, but he got a good hold on
me."
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that this is
not the first time the NFL concluded that Quirk made inappropriate physical
contact with a player. Another instance took place on December 16 with
Falcons fullback Jason Snelling.
Mortensen also reports that Barnett's agent,
who had previously planned to file a grievance over Quirk's behavior, said
of the fine, "This
action is more than satisfactory. There is now no reason to pursue a
grievance."
Quirk is an umpire, the official who lines up
in the middle of the field approximately four to five yards off the line of
scrimmage and is therefore often right in the middle of altercations among
players. This is his 20th year in the league, making him one of the NFL's
most experienced officials.
POSTED 12:35 p.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
MARTZ ON THE OUTS IN MOTOWN?
A league source tells us that the Detroit
Lions could be parting ways with offensive coordinator Mike Martz after the
season.
Though there's no clear indication at this
point as to what the Lions will do, Martz has yet to perform like the genius
who took the Rams to the Super Bowl eight years ago.
And the fact that Martz widely is expected to
try to parlay one good season in Detroit into another chance at becoming a
head coach could be working against him. Why should the Lions be
patient with Martz while he tries to get his offense rolling, only to see
him bolt if/when it finally happens?
It's simply not Martz's call. And, in
our view, it's a fairly transparent effort by Martz to punch his own ticket
via the consistency that will come from another season with Kitna at the
helm.
POSTED 11:05 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 11:13 a.m. EST, December 28, 2007
PACMAN'S LAWYER ENTERING THE AGENT BUSINESS
When Atlanta lawyer Manny Arora was constantly
running his mouth regarding his star client, Pacman Jones, often in a manner
that (in our view) wasn't in the best interests of Jones, we wondered what
Arora's agenda was.
Now, his objectives are becoming more clear.
Word on the recruiting trail is that Arora is making a big play for incoming
players, and that he's using his relationship with Jones as a feather in his
cap.
And the NFLPA web site shows that Arora is not
a registered agent, but the page containing his basic information does not
reveal that he has negotiated any active contracts.
FRIDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB
ONE-LINERS by Michael
David Smith
Jets WR Jerricho Cotchery says
of putting up big stats on a bad team, "When you think about the 1,000
yards, it's tough because
you don't know if it's really helped or not."
Dolphins rookie DB Courtney
Bryan knows his increased playing time is a demonstration of
how many injuries the team has.
Bengals WR Chad Johnson won't
talk to the Cincinnati media, but he spoke to Miami-area reporters via
conference call Thursday and called the 2007 season "ridiculously
disappointing."
Chargers FB Lorenzo Neal had
surgery to place a plate in his broken leg two weeks ago, but he says
he thinks he can play once the playoffs start.
The Broncos planned to hold
a tryout for punters
Thursday, but some of the candidates couldn't make it to Denver because of a
snowstorm.
Raiders defensive coordinator
Rob Ryan says
he isn't worried about his job security, even though head coach Lane
Kiffin hasn't assured him he'll be back for 2008, the final year of his
contract.
Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle says,
"I want
to play. There's nobody on this team that enjoys competing more
than I do."
Saints RBs Aaron Stecker and
Reggie Bush
don't expect to know whether they'll play Sunday until just before
kickoff.
The Panthers have signed
British K Rhys Lloyd to handle kickoffs for Sunday's season finale; he hopes
they'll invite
him back for training camp next year.
Sunday's Falcons game has been
blacked out on local TV; Atlanta residents celebrate the news.
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The Sprint ads on this page also will take you
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POSTED 10:17 a.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
"SWEEPING CHANGES" COMING IN MIAMI
A source with knowledge of the situation in
South Florida tells us that "sweeping changes" are most likely coming for
the Dolphins. And soon.
Coach Cam Cameron? Out. General
Manager Randy Mueller? Out as soon as Monday, even though he's been
doing research all year for free agency and the draft.
We're told that Parcells already has been
working directly with the league office to obtain the appropriate
permissions to hire Cowboys V.P. of college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland.
As Peter King of SI.com pointed out earlier in
the week in his MMQB column, Parcells' contract makes clear that he
merely is the overseer of the football operations.
"We set it up so
the general manager I hire will have that authority. I want to
make it clear: I don't want to be the general manager. I don't
want to be the head coach. I told Wayne [Huizenga] that very clearly.
I don't think it will be an issue.''
If it is an issue -- if the league
concludes that Parcells has final say over personnel -- then the Fins might
have trouble finding a G.M. Under league rules, a team is not required
to allow a front office employee to leave unless he will have final say in
his new job.
So if it's determined that the Tuna has the
juice, the only guys he'll be able to hire are guys who are permitted by
their teams to leave, or who have contracts that specifically allow a
premature departure.
And even if a guy is in the final year of his
contract, most front office deals run through the draft.
With all that said, there's a growing sense in
some circles that Parcells will get Ireland, and that the pair will work
together in reshaping the front office.
Another source tells us that the fates of
Mueller and Cameron have been sealed by people telling the Tuna that the
current G.M. and coach don't burn the midnight fish oil in South Florida.
Parcells, a workaholic, doesn't like the idea of guys not doing all they can
to win.
POSTED 9:38 a.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
PORTER DONE IN MIAMI?
With new Fins football poobah Bill Parcells
declaring that he wants no "thugs
and hoodlums" in Miami, the immediate reaction in league circles is that
linebacker Joey Porter won't be long for South Florida.
Though Porter is primarily a bag of hot air,
he was busted earlier in the year for busting up Bengals left tackle Levi
Jones.
And Parcells surely means it. The
Cowboys, a team primarily built by Parcells, have had no arrests in 2007.
Ditto for the Patriots, who are led by a long-time Parcells' lieutenant, and
by Parcells' son-in-law. And the Jets, under the leadership of
Parcells' protege G.M. Mike Tannenbaum, have had only one incident this
year.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have amassed the most
points in our Turd Watch game (which we need to update). Much of the
damage was done by defensive tackle Fred Evans and receiver Kelly Campbell,
who already are long gone.
The only caveat as to Porter is that the $20
million in guaranteed money that he reportedly received when he signed would
hit the cap. Parcells could designate Porter as a post-June 1 cut,
taking the bulk of the hit in 2009.
POSTED 9:21 a.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
NO BOWLING FOR McFADDEN?
Check out our sister site,
CollegeFootballTalk.com,
for a story regarding the possibility that two-time Heisman finalist Darren
McFadden won't be playing in the Cotton Bowl.
On one hand, one more football game provided
another opportunity for McFadden to suffer an injury, which could limit his
draft stock. On the other hand, McFadden could lose a chance to cement
his standing as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
Last year, for example, LSU quarterback
JaMarcus Russell vaulted to the top of the draft board after shredding the
block of Swiss cheese known as the Notre Dame defense.
POSTED 9:12 a.m. EST,
December 28, 2007
CRENNEL TO FINS RUMORS WON'T DIE
As Bill Parcells officially takes the reins as
the chief cook and butt kicker in Miami, rumors persist that he wants Browns
coach Romeo Crennel to replace Cam Cameron.
"Believe
the talk that Bill Parcells is interested in bringing in Cleveland coach
Romeo Crennel to coach the Dolphins," writes Bill Williamson of the
Denver Post.
Crennel tried to dismiss the rumors on
Wednesday, but never said unequivocally that he won't be the coach of the
Dolphins in 2008.
The Browns will make the playoffs if the
Titans lose to the Colts on Sunday; if the Titans win, the Browns are out.
And once the Browns are done, look for the talk of Crennel leaving Cleveland
to intensify.
As to G.M. Randy Mueller, we recently heard
that Parcells might find a way to throw him a bone. Even if Mueller is
out, we don't expect Mueller to leave until May 2008. If Mueller goes
in the short term, he carries with him all of the work that he has done in
preparation for free agency and the draft.
POSTED 10:17 p.m. EST,
December 27, 2007
'BOYS BLOCK TUNA FROM TAKING CRAYTON
Dallas Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton, a
looming free agent who was expected to be pursued by the Dolphins and new
football poobah Bill Parcells, won't be going anywhere in 2008.
The commitment to Crayton could mean the end
of the line for Terry Glenn, who is signed through 2010 at salaries of $1.74
million, $2 million, and $4.95 million, respectively, over the next three
seasons. Glenn has yet to play in 2007 due to a knee injury, but is
slated to make his debut in Week Seventeen.
Parcells selected Glenn in the first round of
the 1996 draft, when Parcells was the coach of the Patriots.
POSTED 5:08 p.m. EST,
December 27, 2007
FALCONS SNIFFING AROUND SHANAHAN?
A league source tells us that the Atlanta
Falcons are exploring the possibility of pursuing Broncos head coach Mike
Shanahan.
As the rumor/scuttlebutt goes, Shanahan would
run the show in Atlanta, as the head coach and de facto G.M.
Though he's still under contract with the
Broncos, the thinking is that owner Pat Bowlen might be happy to let him
leave, given the struggles of the team in 2007.
Another name that has emerged in Atlanta is
Chiefs V.P. of player personnel Bill Kuharich. It's possible that both
Shanahan and Kuharich could join the Falcons, with Kuharich serving as the
G.M. but Shanahan calling the shots.
POSTED 5:00 p.m. EST,
December 27, 2007
SAPP SLAPPED WITH $75,000 FINE
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the
league has fined Raiders defensive tackle $75,000 for his actions during
Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
The fine was imposed for Sapp's "physical and
verbal actions" toward the officials.
Teammate Derrick Burgess was fined $25,000 for
verbal abuse of an official.
Sapp could have been suspended for his
conduct, which was part of an outburst that resulted in three
unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
POSTED 4:32 p.m. EST,
December 27, 2007
WHITLOCK CALLS OUT L.T., KIND OF
Our recent remarks regarding the boorish
behavior of some of the Chargers on Monday night in comparison to LaDainian
Tomlinson's boo-hooing about the actions of the Patriots after a January
2007 playoff game have been largely ignored by the "real" media.
And we're not just pointing that out because
Big Sexy calls this site "wonderful."
Okay maybe we are.
Regardless, it's nice to see that someone
isn't assessing L.T. through a rose-colored visor.
Whitlock also makes a great observation
regarding the failure of Niners receiver Jerry Rice to win the MVP trophy in
the strike-shortened, replacements-marred 1987 season, despite scoring 22
touchdowns in only 12 games. The prize instead went to John Elway, who
threw three less touchdown passes than Rice snagged.
Ken Dorsey was cut by Cleveland before the
start of the season. The move prompted a public plea from rookie Brady
Quinn to bring Dorsey back.
Calling it a "sad day," Quinn described Dorsey
as "invaluable."
"You can't put a price on the things I think
he brought to the table for us as a team. . . . He was a mentor, a
friend, someone to help me out, not only here but off the field and
everything," Quinn said at the time. "Just dealing with things, giving a lot
of brotherly advice, that sort of thing. So you couldn't meet a better
guy, a better teammate, a better person."
After opening-week starter Charlie Frye flamed
out, resulting in a trade to Seattle, Dorsey returned.
So what does the move to keep Dorsey through
2010 mean? On one hand, it could be viewed as a sign that the Browns
will look to move restricted free agent Derek Anderson in the offseason,
since the deal puts Dorsey in position to be the long-term mentor for Quinn.
On the other hand, the decision could be a precursor to a long-term contract
with Anderson.
Why, you ask? Because even though the
sock puppets have been presuming that the Browns could painlessly keep
Anderson and Quinn for the next several years because Quinn has a manageable
contract, Quinn's contract is based on the presumption that he'll be playing
-- and thus earning those big-money incentives.
So if the Browns plan to squat on Quinn for
the next four years, they'll need to otherwise keep him happy. And one
way to do it is to have his pal Ken under contract.
POSTED 10:47 a.m. EST,
December 27, 2007
BARNETT FILES A GRIEVANCE AGAINST
OFFICIAL
It hasn't been a great month for NFL game
officials.
After a December 3 game between the Patriots
and the Ravens, Baltimore cornerback Samari Rolle complained that an
official called him "boy." (The matter reportedly was resolved via a
finding that the official told Rolle and his teammates to "quit acting like
boys." Eye roll.)
Now, Packers linebacker
Nick Barnett is filing a formal grievance regarding the force used by
official James Quirk in an apparent effort to break up an on-field
altercation.
Here's the video of the manuever.
Quirk grabbed Barnett by the neck and wrestled
him to the ground. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy called the behavior
"totally unprofessional."
"I'll tell you
what, I've never seen anything like that in all
my years," McCarthy said. "I didn't see
the whole thing but I thought the official was
totally out of line the way he grabbed Nick
around the neck and pulled him out of there.
"There was a lot
going on throughout the game on both sides of
the ball after the play was over. Their
offensive line was getting after Nick a bunch
down the stretch. And that goes on in
these types of games. I didn't see all of it but
I saw the end of it. I thought it was
totally unprofessional. I thought it was
totally out of hand."
Said Barnett:
"I got in a choke hold, I couldn't really
breathe a little bit. He got a good one on
me. I don't know how he got under that
face mask, but he got a good hold on me."
No punishment of Quirk has been announced.
POSTED 10:10 a.m. EST,
December 27, 2007
BIG BEN STILL NOT A BIG MAN IN LOCKER ROOM?
In 2005, we heard plenty of rumors that
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn't one of the most popular guys among
Steelers players. A Super Bowl win diluted such talk, and his
popularity took a back seat last season to his near-death experience after
driving a motorcycle into a car.
This year, we'd assumed that everything had
changed. Apparently, it hasn't.
Though Roethlisberger wasn't named a team
captain at the start of the season, the fact that Hines Ward received the
nod for the offense didn't raise eyebrows. More recently, after having
one of the better passing seasons of any quarterback in franchise history,
Roethlisberger wasn't named the MVP of the team.
Not to take anything away from Harrison, but
how could it not have been Big Ben? It surely wasn't a product of his
performance; we can only assume that there's something else that prompted
players not to vote for Roethlisberger.
POSTED 9:23 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 9:46 a.m. EST, December 27, 2007
FOX NOT HAPPY ABOUT SIMULCAST DECISION
The talk making the rounds in media circles is
that the folks at FOX are not happy that both NBC and CBS are getting the
Week Seventeen, history-making game between the Patriots and the Giants.
As we reported on Wednesday evening, NBC and
CBS will simulcast the game at no charge. And they'll be able
to sell advertising.
"FOX is pissed," an industry source told us.
"NBC has the rights to the game. CBS was thrown a bone. FOX
wants to be compensated."
Some folks wonder whether CBS got the game due
in part to the fledging business relationship between the Patriots and the
network that carries the Sunday afternoon AFC package. On December 9,
the Pats announced that
a "CBS Scene" restaurant will be built at Patriot Place, adjacent to
Gillette Stadium.
