We don't care much for the Pro Bowl.
We've argued in past years that they should name the teams, but not play the
game.
Commissioner Roger Goodell presently is toying
with the possibility of moving the game to the Sunday before the Super Bowl,
at the same site as the league championship game. We like the idea,
though taking the players from the AFC and NFC title-winners out of the mix
won't do much to add to the Pro Bowl's appeal.
But until the league finds a way to pump some
relevance into the meaningless season-ending all-star game, the contest
still will have plenty of meaning for some of its participants.
Why, you ask? Because plenty of
contracts contain incentives based on making the Pro Bowl roster.
Per Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Packers
cornerback Al Harris reeled in $200,000 for making it to his first career
Pro Bowl team.
Also, Pats defensive tackle Vince Wilfork
triggered a $500,000 escalation to his base salary in 2008 by virtue of his
election to the team.
And Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald
unlocked a $5 million escalation, pushing his 2008 base salary to a
knee-wobbling $14.6 million.
Schefter points out that other beneficiaries
are guys who'll become unrestricted free agents only weeks after the game is
played -- assuming they don't blow out an ACL or pop an Achilles in
Honolulu. The list includes Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen, Bears
linebacker Lance Briggs, Steelers guard Alan Faneca, Cowboys safety Ken
Hamlin, Titans defensive tackle Albert Hayneworth, Patriots cornerback
Asante Samuel, Colts safety Bob Sanders, and Seahawks cornerback Marcus
Trufant.
Cowboys running back Marion Barber, who also
made it to the Pro Bowl, will be a restricted free agent.
Not all of those guys will make it to the
market. Allen and Haynesworth are likely to be slapped with the
franchise tag. Briggs and Samuel, however, have satisfied provisions
in their one-year contracts for 2007, which will make them free and clear
for 2008.
POSTED 10:36 p.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
SOME THINK WAYNE HIRED ANOTHER SABAN
There are some strong feelings in league
circles regarding the decision of the Dolphins to turn the franchise over to
Bill Parcells.
Some believe that Parcells is no different
than Nick Saban, especially in light of Parcells' treatment of the Falcons
on the same day that he signed with the Fins.
The Falcons claim that the team and the Tuna
had "an agreement in principle" (i.e., an agreement) before owner
Arthur Blank flew to New York while Parcells shopped the deal to the Fins.
Though Parcells didn't violate the terms of any enforceable contract because
there was no contract in writing, Parcells apparently violated his word.
Should we expect anything more from him?
Hey, he's a great coach. But he's done this before, to the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers. And five years ago he secretly met with Cowboys owner
Jerry Jones about a coaching vacancy that wasn't even vacant yet.
Other league insiders question whether
Parcells will actually improve anything in Miami. But his track record
as the architect of a team is spotty.
Meanwhile, we continue to hear talk that
Cowboys V.P. of college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland is a strong candidate
to join Parcells. Another name we're hearing is Packers personnel
analyst John Schneider, because he comes from the Ron Wolf tree.
Either Ireland or Schneider, or both, could end up with Parcells.
Finally, there rightly should be some
consternation regarding the failure of the Fins to honor the spirit of the
Rooney Rule in hiring Parcells. Though the rule only applies to the
head coaching position, the league has urged teams to include minority
candidates for key front-office hires.
In one day, two of the league's 32 franchises
essentially ignored it.
POSTED 9:30 p.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
FINS SNARE TUNA
It's official. Veteran coach
Bill Parcells has
joined the Miami Dolphins on the same day that he handed Falcons owner
Arthur Blank the latest setback in arguably the worst month that any NFL
franchise has ever experienced.
Parcells has inked a four-year deal, and
regardless of his title he'll be in charge of the football operations.
The futures of G.M. Randy Mueller and coach
Cam Cameron are currently unknown. Our guess is that both will be
fired, and that Parcells will hire his own G.M., and Parcells and his G.M.
will hire their own coach.
It also remains to be seen whether the arrival
of Parcells gives the team a late-season foot in the fanny. With a
chance to derail the Pats' perfect season only days away, a rejuvenated
locker room could surprise one of the various teams for whom Parcells
previously worked.
'We're going to have a new daddy,'' offensive
tackle L.J. Shelton said.
POSTED 8:56 p.m. EST;
UPDATED 9:20 p.m. EST, December 19, 2007
WELCOME TO THE NEW PFT
Merry Christmas, PFT Planet. As our
gesture of goodwill for the holiday season (and in an effort to officially
join the 21st Century), we are pulling the sheet off of the new, improved,
and RSS-ready and permalinkish ProFootballTalk.com.
We're going to maintain both sides of the site
for a few days, in order to guard against a repeat of the implosion that
happened earlier in the year.
So check it out, give it a try, leave some
comments, vote on the poll, and otherwise spend lots of time on the new
version of the site. If it's gonna crash, we want it to crash before
we put the dinosaur out of its misery.
UPDATE: Here we go again .
. . the initial crush of visitors to the new version of the site has caused
it to slow down considerably. Our tech people are working to clear the
bottleneck.
POSTED 3:19 p.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
TUNA JILTS FALCONS!
The Atlanta Falcons have announced that their
pursuit of Bill Parcells has ended. Here's the text of the statement
from the team:
"Late last night it was revealed to
the media by a source outside the Falcons that we were close to reaching
an agreement with Bill Parcells to lead the club’s football operations.
"Prior to the
information becoming public, we had reached an agreement in principle
with Parcells, and we met with him this morning to complete the
contract. At that time, we were made aware by Parcells that he was
considering a revised offer from the Miami Dolphins. He later
informed us that he would not be signing a contract with us.
"We remain committed
to looking at every option for building a championship-caliber team for
our fans. I have stated we will leave no stone unturned in doing
so, and this effort is one example of that. We gave it our best
shot, and it didn’t work out.
"We will continue
down the same overall path, proceeding with plans to hire a general
manager and a head coach. We will identify and consider every
strongly viable candidate for these positions, with the goal of hiring
the best. Rich McKay remains President of the club and will retain
general manager responsibilities until a new GM is hired.
"We will be making
no further comment on the Parcells matter."
For McKay, it's deja vu all over
again. In 2002, Parcells backed out on a deal with the Bucs when
McKay was the G.M. in Tampa.
If Parcells lands with the Fins,
he'll be in direct competition with his son-in-law, Scott Pioli, who
serves as the V.P. of player personnel with the Patriots.
POSTED 3:06 p.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
MIAMI MAKING A RUN AT PARCELLS?
There's a building buzz in league circles
that, with each passing moment that Bill Parcells isn't named as the new
executive vice president of the Atlanta Falcons, there's a growing chance
that it won't happen.
Some league insiders believe that Parcells is
talking to Miami as he negotiates with the Falcons, and that the Tuna could
end up in the net with the Dolphins.
It's all speculation at this point, but it
makes sense that the Fins would make a run at Parcells, and that he would
listen.
POSTED 2:54 p.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
TUNA GOING IRISH?
There's talk in league circles that Bill
Parcells plans to pursue Cowboys V.P. of college and pro scouting Jeff
Ireland to become the next General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons.
Ireland was Parcells' right-hand man in
Dallas, and word is that Parcells actually let him run the draft (subject to
the periodic involvement of owner/G.M. Jerry Jones).
Ireland is well respected, but largely unknown
because he seeks no attention or notoriety.
The pursuit of Ireland could get sticky.
Per league rules, Ireland is free to leave only if his contract has expired
or if he's getting "final say" authority. Parcells could take the
position that "final say" will be delegated to Ireland, but we're not sure
anyone will believe it.
POSTED 2:45 p.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
McNABB MUM ON OLIVER FLAP
In the most recent entry on his
Yardbarker blog,
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb had nothing to say about the still-raging
dispute between himself and FOX sideline reporter Pam Oliver as to what he
said and didn't say to her prior to Sunday's game at Dallas.
He . . . said . . . nothing.
Oliver, meanwhile, is sticking to her guns.
She appeared on Tuesday
with our pal Jody McDonald on Sports Radio 950, whose show competes with
Mini-Reid in Philly. And she isn't wavering.
(Yours truly will be on with Jody Mac today at
4:30 p.m. EST. We urge you to listen to him despite that fact.)
We're fully in Oliver's corner on this one,
even though she's horning in on the amount of on-air time that Mini-Reid
would otherwise be devoting to ripping this site.
Though Vacchiano cites no sources in support
of his speculation, we think that he's right on the money. If the
Giants lose to the Bills, they'll fall to 9-6. A win by Minnesota over
the Redskins on Sunday night would give the Vikings the No. 5 seed in the
NFC field, with one game left to play. The Giants would then need to
hope that the Saints lose at least once in the final two weeks, given the
virtual certainty that the Patriots will dismantle the Giants on December 29
to finish the first perfect 16-game regular season in league history.
Even if the Giants win on Sunday and secure a
berth in the postseason, Coughlin most likely needs to win at least one
playoff game in order to have a chance at keeping his job. For the
fourth straight year under Coughlin, the Giants started the season 5-2.
For the second straight season, and the third year in four, the Giants
thereafter stumbled.
In 2006, the Giants pulled together to make
the playoffs at 8-8, but lost in the wild-card round. At a time when
many believed that the Coughlin would be fired, he received a one-year
extension to his contract, a clear indication that he needed to be
successful in 2007 in order to have a chance to return for 2008.
To make it happen, he needs to win Sunday --
and then to win once or twice in January.
While we're on the topic, the PFTV guys take a
look at the general postseason coaching upheaval that will get started soon.
POSTED 11:49 a.m. EST; LAST
UPDATED 1:46 p.m. EST, December 19, 2007
BLANK, TUNA FINALIZING DEAL
Adam Schefter of NFL network reports that
Falcons owner Arthur Blank is in Saratoga, New York to finalize the terms of
a contract with Bill Parcells.
Per multiple media reports, Parcells is
expected to accept an offer to become executive vice president the Falcons.
Despite the specific title, Parcells apparently would have full and complete
control and authority over the football operation.
Several readers have inquired as to whether
Blank can make such a hire without interviewing minority candidates.
The so-called "Rooney Rule", however, applies only to the hiring of head
coaches. The rule, which requires at least one face-to-face interview
with a minority candidate, has not been extended to the hiring of key front
office personnel.
With that said, the National Football League
has encouraged teams to engage in inclusive and diverse search processes for
the filling of key jobs, and the decision of the Falcons to focus
exclusively on Parcells could result in a push to formally extend the Rooney
rule beyond the position of head coach.
MIKE VICK NOT YET "FREE"
Maybe no one paid attention to Roddy White
"Free Mike Vick" T-shirt, after all.
Last night, we posted a link to the Bureau of
Prisons web site, which seemed to indicate that Falcons quarterback Mike
Vick was released from federal custody on December 13, 2007. The link
has since been changed to reflect that Vick is "in
transit."
A source with knowledge of the operation of
the Bureau of Prisons tells us that this is typical of high profile cases.
Within a week or so, the link will be updated to show Vick's final
destination.
At this point, the specific location of Vick's
prison is unknown. Per the source, Vick likely will do his time in an
area with remote media access. This is one of the reasons, for
example, for the decision of the Bureau of Prisons to place Martha Stewart
in Alderson, West Virginia.
The source says that it's possible that Vick
will be housed at a federal detention facility located in Morgantown, West
Virginia. If so, yours truly might have to make the 30-minute drive
north at some point over the next 23 months in order to pay him a quick
visit.
STOP THE PRESS:
CHIEFS, JETS TO BE FLEXED
The Kansas City Chiefs have
announced that their December 30 game with the New York Jets possibly will
be moved to 4:15 p.m. EST.
Ya think?
The Chiefs-Jets game currently
is slated to be played at 8:15 p.m. EST, as part of the NBC Sunday night
package. But the game will have zero meaning for the postseason, and
it possesses no other interesting angle or subplot. Thus, it is
certain that the game will be moved, and that some other game will take its
place.
Although NBC generally is
required to identify the game that will be moved to 8:15 p.m. EST at least
12 days in advance, the rule changes for the final week of the regular
season. As to the Week 17 game, a decision must be made at least six
days before Sunday night. This helps to ensure that NBC will have a
game with playoff implications.
If such a game is available.
Given that only seven teams
are still alive in the AFC and eight teams remain in contention in the NFC,
the options are limited. Possibilities include Pittsburgh at
Baltimore, New Orleans at Chicago, San Francisco at Cleveland, Tennessee at
Indianapolis, Dallas at Washington, and Minnesota at Denver. With the
Cowboys and the Packers still jockeying for home-field advantage in the NFC
playoff field, the Cowboys-Redskins game could have a significant meaning to
both teams.
One game that never would have
been seriously considered for flexing to the 8:15 p.m. EST kickoff was
Cincinnati at Miami. Even if the Fins had been winless after the
December 23 games are played, the league would not have allowed the
potential 0-16 season to be featured in prime time, notwithstanding the
train-wreck curiosity factor. Moreover, NBC surely would have been
faced with a South Florida blackout of the game, which would have made
broadcasting the contest far less attractive from a business standpoint.
UPDATE: By
rule, the Cowboys are maxed out on prime-time games due to appearances in
Week One (vs. Giants), Week Three (at Chicago), Week Five (at Buffalo), Week
Nine (at Philly), Week Thirteen (vs. Green Bay), and Week Sixteen (at
Carolina).
POSTED 10:55 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 11:04 a.m. EST, December 19, 2007
WHAT NEXT AFTER PARCELLS ARRIVES?
So with Bill Parcells reportedly poised to
assume the position of "executive vice president" of the Atlanta Falcons,
questions will arise regarding the persons whom Parcells might pursue to
fill up the spots in the team's reconstituted front office.
Regarding the position of General Manager, the
most intriguing possibility is Patriots' vice president of player personnel
Scott Pioli, who also happens to be Parcells' son-in-law. Under league
rules, however, Pioli most likely would not be able to exit his current
contract with the Patriots unless he were in possession of final say over
the composition of the roster and/or the coaching staff.
Another interesting possibility would be Jets
General Manager Mike Tannenbaum. In 2002, when Parcells was poised to
become the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tannenbaum arrived in Tampa to
begin working as the Tuna's G.M. Although the Falcons would not be
able to acquire Tannenbaum without the Jets being willing to let him walk,
possible evidence of growing friction between Tannenbaum and coach Eric
Mangini could make the Jets more inclined to let him go.
The other question relates to the identity of
the next Falcons coach. There already has been considerable discussion
regarding "Parcells guys" who might be available and/or interested in taking
over the Falcons. Several of them, such as Sean Payton, Charlie Weis,
and Bill Belichick, already have big-time jobs. Former Parcells
assistants in Dallas who currently are not employed as head coaches include
Cowboys assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tony Sparano, Cardinals
offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and current Falcons defensive coordinator
Mike Zimmer.
As Chris Mortensen pointed out on ESPN's first
take on Wednesday, the identity of the head coach will be largely influenced
by the person whom Parcells hires to be the next G.M. If it were Pioli,
for example, any of the various current New England assistant coaches would
instantly be in play, such as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Likewise, those lingering rumors of Iowa's Kirk Ferentz waiting for Pioli to
depart the Pats would likely be dusted off. (Given, however, the
Falcons' most recent experiences with a college coach, it's highly unlikely
that anyone from that level would be considered for the Falcons' job, even
if by some Festivus miracle Knute Rockne pulled a Lazarus.)
The bottom line here is that Parcells will
have many directions in which to go. In the end, however, look for
Parcells to get to work in Atlanta with persons with whom he has some past
working relationship -- and with a coach who'll be willing to cook the meal
even though someone else is buying the groceries.
WEDNESDAY MORNING
ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith
Dolphins General Manager Randy
Mueller says with the first pick in the draft, "You've
got to take the best player," rather than fill a need at a particular
position. [Editor's note: And with the Fins having
needs at so many positions, that really shouldn't be an issue.]
Ravens LT Jonathan Ogden said
of making the Pro Bowl despite missing five games with a toe injury, "Even
though I was hurt . . .
I gave it everything I had."
Broncos TE Tony Scheffler says
of his status with the team, "I
have to show I belong. It's that time of year. It wasn't a
good year for us. I have to prove that I belong here for the future."
Chiefs OT Kyle Turley says he
donates money to help ex-players because "I'm
tired of hearing these stories" of players unable to walk. [Editor's
note: And we're tired of hearing stories of players
threatening to kill their coaches.]
Raiders RB Justin Fargas
won't need surgery on his injured knee, but is likely done for the
season.
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips
said of QB Tony Romo's injured thumb, "It's
a bruise. The swelling has gone down. We think he'll be able
to do everything. We're going to have to be careful."
Seahawks FB Mack Strong, who
retired after suffering a neck injury this season,
underwent surgery Sunday to have the third and fourth cervical vertebrae
fused.
Says Cardinals WR Larry
Fitzgerald, "To come so close to realizing our goals as a team and to fall
short of it again this year,
that's frustrating."
Rams C Brett Romberg will
return to the lineup Thursday after missing six of the last seven games
with ankle problems.
The 49ers want QB Shaun Hill
to sign a contract
extension, but Hill and his agent are interested in exploring free
agency after the season.
POSTED 9:45 a.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
PARCELLS CLOSING IN ON FALCONS JOB
Former Giants, Patriots, Jets, and Cowboys
coach Bill Parcells is close to becoming the new leader of the Falcons'
front office.
The title reportedly will be "executive vice
president," but the duties will be to run the show. And that will
mean, at a minimum, a demotion of President and G.M. Rich McKay, whom some
Internet hack argued strongly last week
should
be relived of his duties for his role in making the Falcons one of the
worst franchises in the NFL.
"I
think I probably will [accept the job]," Parcells told the New York
Daily News on Wednesday. "The job description is to be the
football operations overseer. We still have a little work to do, but I
don't think it's anything major. I don't expect any real deal-breaker.
I don't think there will be any major hangups."
(The most amazing media aspect of this is that
the story on the web site operated by Parcells' current employer relies on
quotes that he gave to a separate company. This same kind of thing
happened five years ago, when Parcells secretly negotiated with the Cowboys
and didn't bother to let anyone at ESPN know about it. The move
prompted Len Pasquarelli to call for the Tuna's immediate termination.
And a pizza.)
ESPN.com reports that McKay is out as the G.M.
even if Parcells doesn't take the job. Owner Arthur Blank has asked
McKay to remain as team president, but we think that it's a hollow offer
aimed at allowing McKay to retain a small portion of one of his testicles.
POSTED 8:24 a.m. EST,
December 19, 2007
"MAJOR CHANGES" COMING TO SAN FRAN STAFF
Talk emanating out of the Niners organization
is that "major changes" are coming to the coaching staff there.
It's unclear whether this means that head
coach Mike Nolan's dismissal will be one of the changes. It's possible
that Nolan gets another chance, with a significantly reorganized group of
assistants.
Or it could be that the team is hoping that
Nolan will walk when told that he must fire guys like offensive coordinator
Jim Hostler.
POSTED 11:21 p.m. EST,
December 18, 2007; UPDATED 12:17 a.m. EST, December 19, 2007
MARSHALL INCIDENT CONFIRMED
Though the extent of the situation is still
unclear, we're confirmed via another league source that Broncos receiver
Brandon Marshall was involved in a verbal altercation on Monday with
receivers coach Jeremy Bates.
Marhsall is regarded as one of the better
young receivers in the NFL. However, supreme talent might not be the
only thing he has in common with the likes of Terrell Owens.
Coincidentally, Marshall
pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to DUI charges. He was arrested on
October 22.
WHAT NEXT FOR McNABB?
With speculation intensifying
that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's time with the team is winding down,
what happens after the 2007 season?
Here's what the PFTV guys have
to say about it. (As if anyone cares.)
Meanwhile, we're hearing that
Pam Oliver of FOX was invited to tell her side of the story regarding the
he-said/she-said with McNabb on WIP radio in Philly, but that she declined
because she was getting ripped on the air by Howard "Mini-Reid" Eskin.
Hey, Pam. That never has
stopped us from doing spots on WIP.
PFT MEDIA FANTASY CHALLENGE
CHAMPIONSHIP SET
It's all come down to this.
Yours truly will be facing Seth Wickersham of ESPN The Magazine in
the championship of the PFT Media Fantasy Challenge.
In the semifinals, the guy who
rigged the draft (i.e., me) downed Michael Fabiano of NFL.com, 94-74.
Wickersham bested Adam Schein of Sirius NFL Radio, 89-80.
And since the players will be
playing anyway, Schein and Fabiano will square off in the third place game.
By the way, the difference
between Tom Brady and Kurt Warner was 20 fantasy points. Technically,
I would have won via the bench points tiebreaker if I'd gone with Brady.
POSTED 10:18 p.m. EST;
UPDATED 10:44 p.m. EST, December 18, 2007
TUNA SURPRISE IN ATLANTA?
Jay Glazer of FOX reports that the Atlanta
Falcons have offered former Giants, Patriots, Jets, and Cowboys coach Bill
Parcells the position of "executive
vice president."
The move could mean a parting of the ways with
President and G.M. Rich McKay.
Per Glazer, the Dolphins also might be
interested in the pursuit of Parcells.
We reported after Parcells resigned from the
Cowboys that he'd be interested in working as a General Manager come 2008.
The Falcons are currently searching for a new
head coach in the wake of Bobby Petrino's surprising resignation.
UPDATE: Chris Mortensen of
ESPN is reporting the same thing. They might have had it at the same
time. We don't know who had it at 10:01:03.10 p.m. and who had it at
10:01:03.11 p.m. And we don't worry about that stuff much anymore, and
the last company that should complain about such matters of timing is the
company of "Len Pasquarelli has learned that the sun rises in the East."
POSTED 8:25 p.m. EST; LAST
UPDATED 9:29 p.m. EST, December 18, 2007
FLORIDA TEAMS GET LITTLE HAWAII LOVE
We're getting plenty of e-mails with various
complaints regarding the composition of the Pro Bowl teams. And we've
ignored most of them.
But something has caught our eye.
Two playoff teams from the Sunshine State were basically told to stick their
best players where the sunshine don't shine.
Specifically, no members of the Jaguars or the
Buccaneers made the team.
Though it's all meaningless, the perceived
indignity could help to motivate these teams to make some real noise in the
postseason, since they'll now be able to claim that they're not being
respected by fans, players, and coaches throughout the league.
But not every Florida team has been dissed.
The 1-13 Dolphins placed defensive end Jason Taylor on the AFC roster.
NO FINES FOR TAYLOR
TRIBUTES
We've received many an e-mail
over the past week or so regarding the apparent incongruity between the
fines issued to five Falcons for sending messages to Mike Vick and the
failure of the league to do the same to members of the Redskins who did more
than wear the "21" decal on their helmets in honor of the late Sean Taylor.
But we've generally ignored
the issue because, under the letter of the rule, the Redskins players should
be fined. After all, quarterback Jake Plummer
got into a tussle with
the league for wearing the Pat Tillman "40" sticker on his helmet after the
league-wide tribute to him had ended.
The irony is that Taylor
wasn't afraid of a periodic fine for violating the strict terms of the team
uniform.
All that said, the league got
it right. The Redskins players were paying tribute to their fallen
teammate; the Falcons were sending messages of support to a guy who has
embarrassed himself, his team, and the league.
DID RODDY WHITE'S SHIRT
WORK?
One of the fines handed down
(or is it up?) after the Saints-Falcons game was $10,000 to receiver Roddy
White, who wore a "Free Mick Vick" T-shirt under his game jersey, and
displayed it after scoring a touchdown.
As it turns out, White's shirt
might have worked. According to the Bureau of Prisons' web site, Vick
was released on December 13.
Starters include both running backs (tailback
Adrian Peterson and fullback Tony Richardson) and both defensive tackles
(Kevin "Venus" Williams and Pat "Serena" Williams).
Also starting are left guard Steve Hutchinson
and strong safety Darren Sharper. Matt Birk is the reserve center.
POSTED 4:48 p.m. EST,
December 18, 2007
TAYLOR NAMED TO PRO BOWL ROSTER
Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who died last
month after being shot during an invasion of his home,
has been named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster.
Taylor was leading the fan voting at his
position when he died, and he continued to lead at the position after his
passing.
The rosters are determined by fan voting,
player voting, and coach voting. Each component counts equally.
POSTED 3:42 p.m. EST;
UPDATED 3:49 p.m. EST, December 18, 2007
The official announcement will be made via NFL
Network, on a show beginning at 4:00 p.m. EST.
The eleven are left
tackle Flozell Adams, running back Marion Barber, guard Leonard Davis,
kicker Nick Folk, center Andre Gurode, safety Ken Hamlin, cornerback Terence
Newman, wide receiver Terrell Owens, quarterback Tony Romo, linebacker
DeMarcus Ware, and tight end Jason Witten.
Safety Roy
Williams, despite leading the fan voting at his position, was named as an
alternate, along with three.
ALLEN, GONZALEZ MAKE IT FOR
THE CHIEFS
In Kansas City, there hasn't
been much to celebrate this year. And though we're not sure that
having two players named to a meaningless postseason all-star game is cause
for cracking out the flasks of fire water, we couldn't think of a better
introductory sentence.
For Allen, it's his first time
as a Pro Bowler. For Gonzalez, it's his ninth in eleven years.
Allen was suspended for the
first two games of the year for violation of the Personal Conduct Policy,
arising from a couple of drunk-driving incidents in 2006. He has 11.5
sacks in eleven games, and he's due to become an unrestricted free agent.
Team president/G.M. Carl
Peterson has vowed to use the franchise tag on Allen.
POSTED 1:02 p.m. EST;
UPDATED 1:41 p.m. EST, December 18, 2007
SAUERBRUN OUT IN DENVER
Well Broncos punter Todd Sauerbrun apparently
failed his lie detector test.
Busted last week for allegedly assaulting a
cab driver, the
PFT All-Time,
All-Turd punter has been cut by the Broncos.
Sauerbrun was also cut by the Broncos last
year after serving a four-game suspension for violation of the policy
against anabolic steroids and related substances. He eventually signed
with the Patriots, and then won his freedom from a right of first refusal in
his contract, based on a technicality. He promptly re-signed with
Denver.
We mention the concept of the lie detector
test with tongue only partially in cheek, because Broncos coach Mike
Shanahan has admitted to using the device to "clear" a player who has been
charged with wrongdoing. The fact that expressly or implicitly
requiring a player to submit to the test and/or hinging his employment on
the outcome of it likely is a violation of federal law hasn't stopped him.
UPDATE: We're told that
Sauerbrun was not asked to take a lie detector test.
POSTED 9:46 a.m. EST,
December 18, 2007
HORSE-COLLARS IN HONOLULU?
Several folks have asked us whether the
one-game suspended meted out to Cowboys safety Roy Williams makes him
ineligible for the Pro Bowl.
As NFL spokesman Greg Aiello advises us,
Williams is still eligible to play.
The limitation for postseason honors applies
only to players suspended for violations of the policy against anabolic
steroids and related substances.
In other words, breaking the Roy Williams rule
doesn't result in application of the Shawne Merriman rule.
So Williams will be able to go to Hawaii . . .
and to drag down the best players in the AFC by grabbing from behind the
neck holes in their jerseys.
POSTED 9:05 a.m. EST; LAST
UPDATED 9:38 a.m. EST, December 18, 2007
JETS MAKING A MISTAKE WITH CLEMENS?
We're hearing in the wake of the Jets'
far-closer-than-expected game against the Patriots a belief in some circles
that the Jets are far more effective with veteran Chad Pennington at
quarterback than they are with Kellen Clemens, a second-year, second-round
draft choice.
"People are questioning the decision to go
with Clemens," a league source told us on Monday night.
The thinking is that the Jets are using
Clemens because he was selected by G.M. Mike Tannenbaum and coach Eric
Mangini and, thus, is "their guy."
If so, it's even more likely that the Jets
will try to ship Pennington out of town after the 2008 season.
Pennington is under contract through 2011, and
his base salary spikes to $4.8 million next year. If there's going to
be a trade, Pennington will most likely have to agree to a new deal with his
new team.
The last two games of the 2007 season could be
an opportunity for Pennington to catch the attention of a franchise that is
looking for a new quarterback come 2008. Clemens sustained a rib
injury and a shoulder injury early in Sunday's game against the Patriots.
There's also extremely unconfirmed talk that
Clemens has a broken rib and, possibly, a punctured lung. But that, at
this point, is pure rumor.
GIBBS STAYING BEYOND 2008?
David Elfin of the Washington Times
reports that Redskins coach
Joe Gibbs is open to the possibility of staying on the job beyond the
conclusion of his contract after the 2008 season.
Gibbs, however, would not
address a rumor that owner Daniel Snyder had offered him a two-year
extension.
The Hall of Fame coach
previously said that he plans to fulfill his contract with the team.
He has never commented on staying beyond its expiration.
But, as a practical matter, no
coach should ever be operating in the final year of his deal. The
Giants recognized that upon giving Tom Coughlin a one-year extension after
the 2006 season. But for the extra season, 2007 would have been all
about whether Coughlin would be back.
Ditto for Gibbs in 2008.
If there's not an extension, then the team's competitive goals will take a
back seat to an apparent farewell tour.
There had been rumors that
Gibbs' wife is nudging him to pack it in. He suffers from diabetes,
and he has stents in his heart. Also, eyebrows were raised when he
called two consecutive time outs (a violation of the rules) prior to a
decisive field goal from the Bills on December 2, and when it was revealed
that Gibbs didn't know that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams planned to
use a ten-man defense to start that game in honor of Sean Taylor.
Still, Snyder is handling this
one the right way -- Gibbs stays on the job as long as he wants to.
At least for now.
NFL'S HOTTEST TRIO:
PATS, COLTS . . . AND VIKES?
By downing the Bears in a
close-but-uncompelling 20-13 Monday nighter, the Minnesota Vikings joined
the New England Colts (thanks, Emmitt) and the Indianapolis Patriots (he
hasn't said it yet, but give him time) as the hottest three teams in the
NFL.
The Patriots have won 14
straight games. The Colts and the Vikings have each won five in a row.
Minnesota's string started in
the most unlikely fashion -- by seven points against a not-so-good Raiders
team seven days after getting shellacked by the Packers, 34-0.
Since then, the Vikes stunned
the Giants in the Meadowlands, "blowed out" (hey, if Emmitt isn't going to
say it anymore someone has to) the Lions, and spanked the Niners.
Against the Bears, Minnesota
seemed to regress to the "keep it close and hope to steal it late" approach
that produced a subpar team during the first 25 games of the Brad Childress
era. Then again, they somehow overcame four turnovers from quarterback
Tarvaris Jackson, even without Adrian Peterson having more than 100 yards.
All that said, the Vikings
need to shore things up if they hope to continue their unlikeliest of runs
to the postseason.
POSTED 8:17 p.m. EST,
December 17, 2007
PAM OLIVER STANDS BY McNABB COMMENTS
FOX reporter Pam Oliver has responded to the
comments of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb regarding his comments to her
that were reported during Sunday's game between Philly and Dallas.
Here are her remarks from Sunday, which caused
the whole conundrum: "Donovan really seems to believe that his days in
Philadelphia are numbered. When I spoke with him before the game, I
got the impression that Donovan is a little hurt by what he sees as an
organization distancing itself from him and an organization that’s overly
concerned about the negative fan reaction to him.
"But Donovan told me point blank: 'My knee is not an issue. The
next place I go, I will win,' and also that he will keep a smile on his face
for as long he's in an Eagles uniform."
Actually, Oliver said that McNabb's comments
about the team were more pointed than she portrayed them to be, and that she
toned them down in order to avoid getting him in hot water.
"My only professional regret is: Why on
Earth did I bend over backwards to make it less impactful?," she said. "And
then wake up to . . . to someone throwing you under bus like that.
"All I can tell you is I stand by it 100
percent," she said. "It's on-my-mother's-grave accurate. That's the
bottom line."
POSTED 7:53 p.m. EST;
UPDATED 7:56 p.m. EST, December 17, 2007
WILLIAMS SUSPENDED FOR ONE GAME
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the
league has suspended Cowboys safety Roy Williams one game for his most
recent violation of the Roy Williams rule.
Specifically, Williams dragged Eagles
quarterback Donovan McNabb down from behind during Sunday's game at Dallas.
It was Williams' third violation of the rule
this season.
The rule was passed following the 2004 season,
based in large part on a broken ankle to former Eagles (and now Cowboys)
receiver Terrell Owens, which resulted from a horse-collar tackle by
Williams.
Initially, the rule prohibited tackling a
player by putting a hand inside the back of his shoulder pads. The
rule has since been revised to prevent putting a hand merely inside the
jersey.
Williams will miss Saturday night's game
between the Cowboys and the Panthers at Charlotte.
UPDATE: Chris Mortensen
reports that Commissioner Roger Goodell will hear Williams' appeal of the
suspension on Tuesday.
POSTED 6:43 p.m. EST,
December 17, 2007
MARSHALL MELTDOWN IN DENVER?
There's a rumor making the rounds that Broncos
receiver Brandon Marshall got into a verbal altercation with one or more
members of the coaching staff on Monday, and then stormed out of the
facility.
The talk is that Marshall at one point
challenged the team to "cut me."
We're in the process of confirming (and/or
debunking) this rumor. But, hey, we've got a Live Blog to do.
The tall, speedy Marshall caught 11 passes for
107 yards in the team's most recent game, last Thursday night against the
Texans.
POSTED 4:49 p.m. EST,
December 17, 2007
RUNYAN TOLD WESTBROOK TO TAKE A KNEE
One of the most selfless acts ever seen on a
gridiron came in Dallas on Sunday, when Eagles running back Brian Westbrook
gave up (to the chagrin of every fantasy owner who has him on their team) an
easy touchdown in order to take a knee (and a first down) at brink of the
Cowboys' goal line.
The strategy was simple. After the play,
the clock ran down to two minutes. With at least 40 seconds between
plays and the Cowboys out of time outs, the Eagles were able to take a
series of knees in order to secure the win.
Per published reports, Westbrook was told by
offensive tackle John Runyan not to score.
"He said, 'Listen, if you get down to the one,
take a knee,'" Westbrook said. "I was like, 'Ahhh . . . .'
He said, 'Take
a knee, Westbrook, take a knee.'"
So if Westbrook hadn't been told not to score,
he apparently would have punched it in, extending the Eagles' lead to 17-6
but giving the Cowboys the ball back.
POSTED 4:23 p.m. EST,
December 17, 2007
McNABB DENIES FOX COMMENTS
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb denies that
he told Pam Oliver of FOX "the next place I go I will win."
"I
am denying I said it. Make sure you get it right," McNabb said
after Sunday's 10-6 win against the Cowboys.
"If I'm here, or wherever it might me, I'm
going to give all that I have and I did that today. I'm going to
continue to do that. You hear things and you get tired of answering
questions, but I stand up here like a professional and I do it."
So what does he think happened? That
Oliver made it up? That she was sloppy with a fairly important fact?
We'd love to hear her side of it.
POSTED 12:11 p.m. EST,
December 17, 2007
CHAD, T.J. "OUT OF CONTROL"
A league source tells us that there is growing
animosity in the Bengals locker room toward receivers Chad Johnson and T.J.
Houshmandzadeh.
Per the source, both are yelling "all the
time" at quarterback Carson Palmer, but coach Marvin Lewis doesn't say or do
anything about it. Players are also upset that the two receivers are
trying to "run the team."
The situation reminds us of the latter days of
the Denny Green era in Minnesota, where receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss
were berating quarterback Daunte Culpepper and operating under a separate
set of rules.
POSTED 12:00 p.m. EST,
December 17, 2007
CAPERS WANTS OUT OF MIAMI?
There's talk in league circles that Dolphins
defensive coordinator Dom Capers is looking to get out of town.
In the case of Capers (and any other guy on
the staff), it might be wise to get out before they are told to get out.
But now that the Fins have cracked into the win column at 1-13 (prompting
head coach Cam Cameron to, as a source told us, "jump around like a little
girl") perhaps the coaching staff gets another crack at getting more than
one win in 2008.
Capers previously has served as the head coach
of the Panthers and the Texans.
POSTED 9:15 a.m. EST,
December 17, 2007
FIVE-FIGURE FINES FOR FOUR FALCONS
We've been advised that the National Football
League has handed out hefty fines to several members of the Atlanta Falcons
for their message of support to convicted felon Mike Vick in last Monday
night's game against the Saints.
Roddy White, Alge Crumpler, DeAngelo Hall, and
Chris Houston were all fined $10,000.
Joe Horn also was fined $7,500 for pulling up
White's jersey to reveal his "Free Mike Vick" T-shirt.
A first offense for a uniform violation is
normally $5,000. The doubling of the fine should be interpreted as a
message from the league that the gestures were not appreciated or condoned.
POSTED 8:41 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 9:03 a.m. EST, December 17, 2007
WHEN WILL WILLIAMS BE SUSPENDED?
In the wake of yet another violation of the
so-called Roy Williams rule by one so-called Roy Williams, members of PFT
Planet want to know when -- or if -- the fines that he receives for pulling
guys down from behind will be replaced with a suspension.
Players who have gotten in chronic trouble for
violations such as leading with their helmets have ultimately been booted
for a game or two. The first name that comes to mind in that regard is
former safety Mark Carrier.
So, sooner or later, Williams needs to sit out
for a game so that he can finally realize that it's not as easy as having
some money withheld from his game check.
And it could indeed happen. As NFL
spokeman Greg Aiello told me via e-mail this morning,
"Flagrant
rule violations are subject to fines that escalate and could lead to
suspension. That’s a general policy statement."
ESPN DID GOLIC A DISSERVICE
As it turns out, ESPN's Mike
Golic missed last week not because he was ducking discussion regarding the
Mitchell report, but because of a death in his family.
We extend our condolences to
Golic, and to his family.
All that said, his employer
did the guy a major disservice by not making it known that Golic was absent
due to a personal family issue. By not addressing Golic's absence on a
regular basis (it would have taken all of three seconds), ESPN allowed many
to unnecessarily speculate that Golic didn't want to talk about steroids in
baseball given his admission last month that he used steroids in 1987.
Even if everyone who thought
that Golic was absent because he didn't want to talk about steroids
eventually learns the truth, nothing can change the fact that they were
under the impression for several days that he might have been looking for a
way to not have to talk about his use of the juice.
POSTED 12:43 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 1:06 a.m. EST, December 17, 2007
BUZZ BUILDING FOR WVU JOB
Bobby Petrino jumped six days ago from the
Atlanta Falcons to Arkansas. And, with all due respect to the
Razorbacks, the program is currently a couple of steps below West Virginia.
And the heights to which former head coach
Rich Rodriguez has led the Mountaineers is prompting multiple coaches with
current NFL ties to ponder the possibility of become the East Coast version
of Pete Carroll.
Carroll, a two-time failure as a head coach at
the NFL level, took the Southern Cal job in 2001, and transformed the
Trojans into two-time national champions.
But Carroll was essentially starting from
scratch with a program that was a shadow of its '70s self. In
Morgantown, the table is set for a run at the national title in 2008.
At this point, it's too early to tell whether
the short list of candidates will contain the names of pro coaches who don't
have a prior connection to the WVU program. But based on what we're
hearing it sounds like there will be plenty of hats bearing NFL logos in the
ring.
NEW TEN-PACK IS UP
Some Internet hack has written
a new Ten-Pack of observations for SportingNews.com.
Topics include the Browns'
chances of winning the AFC North crown (pretty good), the Saints' chances of
making the playoffs (decent), and the Soup Nazi's chances of returning as
the head coach of the Giants (not bloody likely).
Andrea Kremer of NBC reports that Giants tight
end Jeremy Shockey has a broken leg and damage to his ankle as a result of
an ugly injury that he suffered in the third quarter of Sunday night's game
against the Redskins.
Shockey's teammate, receiver Amani Toomer,
rolled onto his leg from behind.
The veteran tight end will have surgery, and
is done for the year.
POSTED 4:23 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
FINS WIN! FINS WIN! FINS WIN!
The Miami Dolphins have avoided matching the
1976 Buccaneers as the only teams in NFL history to start a season with 14
straight losses.
A 64-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Cleo
Lemon to Greg Camarillo gave the Fins the win in overtime.
The score came after Ravens kicker Matt Stover
missed what would have been a game-winning field goal.
Fins owner Wayne Huizenga was wiping away
tears after the game.
And now the 2007 Dolphins have a chance to go
to New England and keep the Pats from matching the 17-0 perfect season of
the '72 Fins.
POSTED 4:05 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
OVERTIME IN MIAMI
The Ravens drove to within inches of the goal
line before settling for a game-tying field goal.
Rookie quarterback Troy Smith looked very good
on the game-tying drive.
Stay tuned.
POSTED 3:57 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
FINS LEAD LATE
The Miami Dolphins have just taken a
three-point lead over the Ravens, with 1:56 to play.
And playing quarterback for the Ravens is
rookie quarterback Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman winner.
Jay Feely kicked off out of bounds, giving the
Ravens the ball at their own 40.
POSTED 3:50 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
TIED UP IN THE 'BURGH
Down 15 points, the Steelers have roared back
to tie the game at 22.
There is less than six minutes to play.
A win by the Steelers would put them within
one win or one Browns loss of nailing down the AFC North title.
POSTED 3:43 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
ANOTHER RECORD FOR FAVRE
Packers quarterback Brett Favre has broken yet
another career passing record.
In the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against
the Rams, Favre bested Dan Marino's 61,361 yards.
Even though he has won only one Super Bowl,
it's hard not to call Favre the greatest . . . quarterback . . . ever.
POSTED 3:16 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
JAGS JUMPING ON STEELERS
The Steelers have lost four games on the road
this year, but they've held serve at home.
They're not holding serve there today.
Late in the third quarter, the Jags are
leading in Pittsburgh, 22-7.
A loss by the Steelers and a win by the Browns
will bring the two teams even in the AFC North.
POSTED 3:00 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
SCORELESS IN CHARLOTTE
The Panthers and the Seahawks have played
three quarters in Carolina. And, like last month's game between the
Fins and the Steelers, there is no score.
But at least Miami and Pittsburgh had an
excuse; they were playing on a moss-covered tar pit. Today's game in
Charlotte is on a "normal" filed.
The Panthers, however, are currently on the
march. NFL.com is tracking all of the action
right here.
UPDATE: The Panthers have scored a field goal.
POSTED 1:50 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
HISTORY MADE IN TAMPA
It took 31 years -- nearly 32 full NFL seasons
-- but it's finally happened.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have returned a
kickoff for a touchdown.
The score came from Micheal Spurlock, who took
a Michael Koenen kick 90 yards to the end zone.
POSTED 1:42 p.m. EST,
December 16, 2007
BIG NEWS ON CFT
The resurrected Collegefootballtalk.com has
its first big scoop. And it relates to the NFL because it fills a job
that could have gone to a pro coach.
POSTED 1:19 p.m. EST;
UPDATED 1:25 p.m. EST, December 16, 2007
CLEMENS OUT
Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens is on the
sidelines after suffering a left shoulder injury on his team's first drive
of the game.
Throwing from his own end zone, Clemens was
hurried by Pats defensive end Richard Seymour. Clemens got rid of the
ball (it was intercepted at the five for a six-pointer). Seymour then
drove (legally) Clemens into the ground, onto his shoulder.
Brad Smith initially replaced Clemens at
quarterback. Yeah, Brad Smith. Then, Chad Pennington was
inserted into the game.
Clemens went to the locker room, presumably
for X-rays.
UPDATE: CBS reports that
Clemens has a rib injury, and that his return is probable.
Among the noteworthy, Cardinals receivers
Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are active. Ditto for Falcons
receiver Roddy White.
Ravens tight end Todd Heap is out, as is Pats
tight end Ben Watson.
Matt Moore starts at quarterback for the
Panthers, and Vinny Testaverde is the No. 3 guy in Carolina.
Fins running back Jesse Chatman is not active.
For the Steelers, quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polamalu are active.
POSTED 12:25 p.m. EST; LAST
UPDATED 12:42 p.m. EST, December 16, 2007
BENTLEY, BROWNS MOVE TOWARD DIVORCE
Multiple league sources tell us that the
Browns and center LeCharles Bentley have torn up the balance of his
big-money 2006 contract and replaced it with a one-year deal that expires
after the 2008 season.
Under the new contract, Bentley is slated to
earn a base salary of $605,000 in 2008, the minimum for his position.
If he plays roughly half of the season, he picks up another $1 million.
After roughly 12 games, he gets another $1 million. After roughly 14
games, he gets another $1 million.
The move was intended to reduce the team's
financial risk in the event that Bentley were cleared to play, on the
opening-day roster (and thus entitled to what would have been $4 million in
base pay), and then injured or ineffective early in the season.
But to get Bentley to accept the lower base
amount for 2008, the team had to agree to let Bentley become an unrestricted
free agent after the season.
And because the deal was shortened, all of the
acceleration from Bentley's signing bonus hit the salary cap in 2007, less
the amount that will apply to the Browns' cap in 2008. The maneuver
allows the Browns to get most of Bentley's contract off of the books in
2007, and the rest of it next year.
FALCONS HAD LEGAL RIGHTS,
CHOSE NOT TO USE THEM
Well, there's another reason
for Falcons owner Arthur Blank to fire G.M. Rich McKay.
McKay, a lawyer by education,
included in the contract of coach Bobby Petrino no buyout clause.
Instead, Casserly says that McKay used strong language that would have
allowed the team to force Petrino to stay via the pursuit of an injunction.
More accurately, we suspect
that the team would have been able to prevent Petrino from coaching any
other pro or college team. Under the law, no employer can force an
employee to provide services. But the employer can eliminate
the employee's other options, essentially giving the employee only one
option.
But the Falcons opted not to
play that card. And why would they? The word was out that
Petrino wanted to go. So the Falcons were going to force a coach who
didn't want to be there to stay? Yeah, good luck in the wake of the
Vick debacle selling tickets and suites and jerseys under those circumstances.
Without a doubt, McKay should
have required a seven-figure payment in order to win Petrino his freedom.
He could have included both, and then the Falcons could have decided what to
do when the situation arose.
BRADY TO THE BENCH
Well, Tom Brady won't be
playing today.
Oh, he'll play for the
Patriots. But he will not be the starting quarterback for the Bad Newz
Ken-Dolls of the PFT Media Fantasy Challenge.
Based on an unscientific poll
of PFT Planet, the slim consensus is that Kurt Warner of the Cardinals
should get the edge over Brady, due to the inclement weather in Foxborough.
Warner is playing in the
Superdome, and his best work has been done indoors. So that's what
we're going to do.
POSTED 11:36 a.m. EST; LAST
UPDATED 12:03 p.m. EST, December 16, 2007
WEATHER LOOKS NASTY IN NEW ENGLAND
As the Pats prepare to host the Jets on Sunday
afternoon, it's looking like the weather is going to be a few ticks north of
terrible.
The snow is now sleet, and the wind is kicking
up. Gusts of up to 40 miles per hour are expected.
Pats giving 27 points? Unless there's a
way to have negative points on the Jets, it's hard to see it happening.
MORE BUMBLES FROM GUMBEL
In addition to Bryant Gumbel's
decision to treat 49ers running back Frank Gore like a Paul Simon song,
Gumbel made a few other obvious errors on Saturday night.
Per a league insider who was
watching the game, Gumbel at one point welcomed viewers back to Cincinnati,
even though the game between the Bengals and the Niners was played in San
Francisco.
Um, I've been to both cities.
It's kind of hard to confuse them.
Gumbel also at one point
referred to the show as "Thursday Night Football."
Okay, it's not like Bryant
said "blowed out." But for a guy who has cornered the market on ego
and quiet arrogance, mistakes like that should never be made.
BRADY OR WARNER?
Okay, folks. I've
answered over the past six years at least 10,000 e-mails with questions
about who to start and who to sit in fantasy football.
I've now got a dilemma of my
own in the semifinals of the PFT Media Fantasy Challenge. At
quarterback, do I stick with Tom Brady in typhoon, or do I swap him out for
Kurt Warner, who is playing a spotty New Orleans defense in a dome?
Let me know what you think.
The only thing I'm, sure about is that, whatever decision I make, it will be
the wrong one.
POSTED 6:53 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 7:15 a.m. EST, December 16, 2007
POT POSSESSION WON'T STOP PLAYOFF PUSH
In 2006, Vikings safety Dwight Smith was
arrested for "getting it on" in a stairwell with a lady-friend. As
punishment, coach Brad Childress put him on the bench for the first game of
the year, a Monday nighter against the Redskins.
Earlier this week, Smith was arrested for
impeding traffic and marijuana possession. His car reportedly smelled
strongly of pot smoke, and he reportedly admitted to smoking it.
This time around, however, Smith will play on
Monday night against the Bears.
What facts does he need beyond the plain
language of the police report? Is he saying that the cop is lying?
Or is he merely hoping to ensure that Smith is available for a key
late-season game that could help deliver an unlikely playoff appearance?
We think it's the latter. And we think
that Childress won't have time to "get all the facts" until after the season
ends, and until the Vikings have time to find a replacement for Smith.
The coach's approach apparently is being
followed by his players. "It's not a big deal at all," cornerback
Antoine Winfield said. "You know things happen. Unfortunately,
that did. We still don't know all the facts. Of course you don't
want to be the guy that's getting in trouble or called out, but until
everything comes out we're just moving on."
And we think that Childress should have
stopped with his "I'm going to get all the facts" routine. Because
when he tried to justify the obvious difference between his punishment of
Smith in 2006 and his tolerance in 2007, Childress sounded like, well, a
goofball.
"I just prefer to center all my attentions on
all the positives that have occurred this year and all the good, and I think
that all the virtue has to be defended," Childress said.
"All the virtue has to be defended?"
What the hell is that? Is this dude a football coach or the Count of
Monte Cristo?
Frankly, we'd have a lot more respect for
Childress if he'd call this what it really is. He knows that he needs
to punish Smith, but punishing Smith now would also be punishing the team --
and punishing Childress himself. So he'll punish Smith by
cutting him in the offseason, unless Smith ends up doing something like,
say, returning two interceptions for touchdowns in the Super Bowl, and
getting the second one before the voting for MVP closes.
GUMBEL STILL CAN'T GET IT
RIGHT
Okay, I'll admit it. I
didn't watch Bengals-49ers last night. And I really don't have an
excuse for it, like "I was at a Christmas party" or "I went to the dog
fights." I was home. I had the time. I just couldn't bring
myself to watch the Bengals play the 49ers in a meaningless (except to the
Patriots) Week Fifteen game.
We heard from a few readers
about Bryant Gumbel's performance on Saturday. Per multiple members of
PFT Planet, he referred to 49ers running back Frank Gore as "Al Gore."
Twice.
Gumbel did the same thing a
year ago during an NFLN game featuring the 49ers.
We realize that Gumbel's name
brought instant credibility to NFLN's game broadcasts in 2006. His
performances, however, are undermining it.
And it's more than just
confusing a football player with a politician. Gumbel's play-by-play
lacks pop or passion. It's like he's not even there, or that he
doesn't really want to be.
The goal is for the guys in
the booth to help more fully immerse the viewers in the action. Gumbel,
in our opinion, makes viewers feel fully immersed in a friendly game of
backyard croquet.
POSTED 10:17 p.m. EST,
December 15, 2007
HUIZENGA SAYS HE'S "NOT ACTIVELY LOOKING TO
SELL"
Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga says in response
to reports that he is in talks to sell the team that he is "not
actively looking to sell."
"Over the years I
have fielded a number of inquiries from
individuals interested in investing in the
team," Huizenga said. "Most recently, we
have had conversations dating back to April,
with several similarly interested parties.
"My viewpoint,
however, has always been the same. I am not
actively looking to sell the Miami Dolphins, but
I know there will always be individuals who are
interested in becoming involved in some capacity
in the team's ownership."
Possible
translation: "I know that I currently have
no leverage because the team sucks. So if
someone wants to approach me with an offer of $1
billion, it might be worth their while."
The home drew only one bid -- $747,000, which
also happens to be its assessed value for tax purposes.
The owner wanted at least $1 million, and he
thought that the "celebrity factor" would prompt someone to plunk down that
kind of money.
Wilbur Ray Todd, Jr. put $50,000 into the
house to get it ready for the public sale. The improvements included a
pole in the front yard with a Falcons flag flying from it. (Eye roll.)
Frankly, we're not surprised that no one would
offer more than what the land is worth. This isn't Graceland or even
Jon Voight's LeBaron. We're talking about a house owned by a notorious
criminal who used the place to torture and kill dogs.
Why would anyone pay more than the assessed
value for a house of horrors? Why would anyone want to pay anything at
all for that place?
Rich people spend money on stuff so that they
can impress their friends, rivals, and targets of romantic desire. We
just don't think that anyone with a bunch of cash would want to be
able to brag about how he owns the home and land specifically intended to
host a clandestine dog-fighting operation.
Our advice to the guy who got the place for
$450,000? Take your $297,000 profit and move on.
And move out.
POSTED 11:54 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 12:20 p.m. EST,
December 15, 2007
BILLS SIGN PARRISH TO THREE-YEAR EXTENSION
by Michael David Smith
The Buffalo Bills and wide receiver/return man
Roscoe Parrish have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension.
Parrish's rookie contract with the Bills paid
him a $435,000 salary this year and was scheduled to pay him a $520,000
salary in 2008. PFT has learned that the new money on this deal is
substantial.
The extension gives Parrish a $1.1 million
signing bonus, a $3.25 million bonus on the first day of the 2008 league
year, a $1.5 million bonus on the first day of the 2009 league year, a $1
million base salary in 2009, and base salaries of $1.25 million in 2010 and
2011, plus $500,000 roster bonuses each year. All that for a guy who wasn't
scheduled to become a free agent until March of 2009.
Parrish, the Bills'
second-round draft pick out of Miami in 2005, leads the league in punt
returns, with a 17.5-yard average. He has also gotten more involved in the
Bills' offense this season, with a career-high 33 catches.
By the end of the season,
Parrish could own the NFL record for career punt return average. Parrish's
career average of 13.76 yards is well above the NFL's all-time record of
12.78 yards (held by George McAfee of the 1940s Chicago Bears), but Parrish
has 68 career returns, just short of the minimum of 75 needed to qualify for
the career record.
POSTED 7:14 a.m. EST,
December 15, 2007
'BOYS EXTEND NOSE TACKLE
The Dallas Morning News reports that
the Dallas Cowboys have
signed nose tackle Jay Ratliff to a five-year, $20.5 million contract,
which included a signing bonus of $8.5 million.
Ratliff, who was acquired by the team in the
seventh round of the 2005 draft, was elevated into the starting job after
starter Jason Ferguson tore a triceps muscle in the regular-season opener.
"I thought he would
be a good run player, and he's proved to be that," coach Wade Phillips
recently said. "It's pretty amazing that he's an undersized end
playing nose guard."
Ratliff was scheduled to be a restricted free
agent after the 2007 season.
POSTED 6:26 a.m. EST;
UPDATED 6:41 a.m. EST, December 15, 2007
HERM EDWARDS IN TROUBLE?
Though a league source tells us that Chiefs
coach Herm Edwards has no interest in the UCLA coaching job, Bill Williamson
of the Denver Post essentially suggests that Edwards would be wise to
not rule it out.
According to Williamson, there is "growing
speculation" that Edwards could be fired.
In our view, it's unlikely that Edwards would
get the boot. It is only his second season, and he is struggling with
the confluence of a general lack of talent and injuries to too many of the
guys who have it.
If anyone should be in trouble, it's G.M. and
President Carl Peterson, who has shaped the current roster of a generally
uncompetitive team.
McKAY MUST GO
Some Internet hack has set
forth on SporingNews.com the case for Falcons owner Arthur Blank to follow
coach Bobby Petrino's resignation with a
termination of President and G.M. Rich McKay.
Viewing it all objectively,
it's a no brainer. Someone needs to be accountable for the various and
significant embarrassments that the franchise has experienced in the past
year.
That someone is McKay.
And the passage of time will,
we believe, vindicate the notion that McKay should be removed from his
position. Because we're convinced that, unless he can persuade his
former lieutenants Jerry Angelo and Tim Ruskell to take demotions to come to
Atlanta, the Falcons are going to continue to be uncompetitive.
But, for now, McKay will get
to hire his third head coach. The first one stoopidly ran his mouth
about coaching at his alma mater. The second one had an apparent flaw
of character. Though no one could have spotted the specific outcomes
of the Mora and Petrino eras without a crystal ball, folks who know how to
read people likely would have detected something via the vetting process
that would have stirred up a visceral concern about whether either man was
the right man for the job.
Then again, McKay also thought
it would be wise to give $37 million in guaranteed money to a
one-dimensional quarterback with a sense of entitlement so strong and so
warped that it prompted him to engage in an illegal and inhumane gambling
