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POSTED 11:35 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

DIELMAN DOESN'T HAVE A DEAL, MAN

Despite rumors that the agent for guard Kris Dielman has a contract in hand worth $7 million per year, the talk in league circles is that the Dielman camp is blowing smoke.

Why, you ask?  Because we're told that the agent is calling teams up and saying that it'll take $7 million per year "to get in" the Dielman derby.

So if he had $7 million in hand, there would be no need to make that statement.

With that said, look for Dielman to get paid handsomely, possibly as much as $7 million per year.  But that deal currently isn't in his pocket.

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FREE AGENT IS IN "THE PROGRAM"

We've caught wind over the past few days of a member of the coming free-agent class who is currently within the NFL's substance-abuse program.

We know who the player is, and we won't be disclosing it here.  Though the information is confidential, teams can get access to the information if they are sniffing around a given player.

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POSTED 11:24 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

REVIS SLIPPING?

As the only high-end cornerback who chose not to work out at the scouting combine in Indy, we're told that the stock of Pitt cornerback Darelle Revis is falling.

Complicating matters is that Revis was spotted eating a fancy meal at a swanky restaurant by several coach/G.M. types.

The dichotomy is prompting some to wonder whether Revis is taking his pre-draft preparation seriously, and at a minimum it increases the pressure for his Pro Day workout.

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POSTED 11:16 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

WILLIAMS TO GET WHACKED?

There's talk in league circles that the Detroit Lions will cut receiver Mike Williams, as soon as Thursday.

If he goes, he'll be the third top-ten draft pick in four seasons who flamed out in Motown.  He was selected tenth overall by the Lions in 2005, two years after the Lions selected receiver Charles Rogers at No. 2 overall, and three years after quarterback Joey Harrington was the pick at No. 3.

Players that the Lions could have had instead include Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (2002), receiver Andre Johnson (2003), and linebacker Shawne Merriman (2005).

So what will happen with Williams?  Who knows?  We heard the Rogers not too long ago ran the 40 in more than 4.7 seconds in a workout for an NFL team.

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POSTED 10:25 p.m. EST; UPDATED 11:05 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

JAGS CLOSE TO A DEAL WITH TAYLOR

A league source tells us that the Jacksonville Jaguars are close to signing running back Fred Taylor to a three-year extension.

Taylor, the team's first-round pick in 1998, is signed through 2007, and is scheduled to earn $2.55 million this year.  With the emergence of rookie Maurice Jones-Drew, there has been some speculation that the Jags might part ways with the veteran, and give the full-time job to Jones-Drew, a second-round pick in 2006.

In nine seasons, Taylor has rushed for 9,513 yards, despite playing in the equivalent of only seven full seasons of games, due primarily to various injuries.  He also has scored 64 total touchdowns rushing and receiving.

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MORE WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

The Bengals have cut one of the guys who didn't get arrested last year.

The Jets have cut RB Derrick Blaylock and DE Bobby Hamilton.

The Bengals have tendered two restricted free agents -- G Stacy Andrews and P Kyle Larson -- at the new second-round level; four others got the low tender, also known in Cincy as "Sunday morning bail money."

A total of eleven Colts will hit the market on Friday.

Vincent Marino is the new senior director of football administration in Tennessee.

Mr. Roper has polished off his staff.

The Redskins have cut TE Christian Fauria.

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POSTED 9:20 p.m. EST; UPDATED 9:48 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

BEARS SHOW SMITH SOME LOVIE

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Chicago Bears have signed coach Lovie Smith to a four-year extension, through 2011.

Per Glazer, the deal is worth $22.5 million over four years, which works out to an average of $5.5 million per year.  It's unclear whether and to what extent Smith received a raise over his $1.45 million salary for 2007.

We'd previously heard that the Bears offered Smith less than $3.2 million per year.  Peter King recently mentioned in his MMQB column that the number was in the neighborhood of $3.5 million.

A week ago, Smith's agent declared that the two sides were at impasse.  Obviously, something happened to break the impasse.  With rampant rumors of veteran players who were committed to scaring off potential free agents, perhaps the team realized that it was time to offer Smith fair value.

With the deal set to be formally announced on the eve of the launch of the free-agency period, the timing is, at a minimum, one hell of a coincidence.

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

The Bears have also signed G.M. Jerry Angelo to a contract extension.

The Texans have cut WR Eric Moulds, DT Seth Payne, and OL Zach Wiegert.

The Lions have cut OL Ross Verba.  http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/DET/10028865

Panthers TE Kris Mangum is retiring.

The Cowboys signed P Mat McBriar to a five-year contract.  (Maybe he can now afford to buy another "t" for his first name.)

The Bills have re-signed RB Shaud Williams.

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POSTED 7:37 p.m. EST; UPDATED 7:55 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

'SKINS TO CLEAN HOUSE AFTER THE DRAFT?

There's talk in league circles that the Washington Redskins will clean out the personnel department following the 2007 draft.

It's presently unclear whether V.P. of football operations Vinny Cerrato would be caught up in the rumored purge.  Cerrato was fired by the team during the failed Marty Schottenheimer experiment, and re-hired after Marty was Schott-canned.

Per the 2006 NFL Record & Fact Book, the front office also includes director of pro personnel Louis Riddick, director of college scouting Scott Campbell, pro scouts Terry Ray and Donnie Warren, college scouts Mike Faulkiner, Tim Gribble, Shemy Schembechler, and Jim Zeches, national scouts Russ Bolinger and Joel Patten, and director of football administrtion Eric Schaffer.

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LEWIS TO RETURN FOR $2 MILLON?

We're told that the Baltimore Ravens ultimately could get running back Jamal Lewis back under contract, via a one-year deal worth roughly $2 million.

Of course, Lewis would first look elsewhere for something better.  But he did the same thing a year ago, and ended up re-signing in Baltimore.

Lewis was scheduled to earn a $5 million roster bonus and a $5 million base salary in 2007.

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POSTED 7:01 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

PETITGOUT VISITS BUCS

Tackle Luke Petitgout, released earlier this month by the Giants, has gotten a head start on the coming free-agent frenzy by visiting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Petitgout, a first-round pick of the Giants in 1999, met with the Bucs on Wednesday, per a league source.  We're also told that Petitgout passed a physical as part of his trip to Tampa.  He missed much of the 2006 season with a broken leg.

If healthy, Petitgout will be one of the top free-agent offensive linemen on the market.  Other options include Leonard Davis of the Cardinals and Damion McIntosh of the Dolphins.

Petitgout is allowed to meet and sign with any team, because he was cut by the Giants.  Players whose contracts have expired must wait until 12:01 a.m. Friday to officially speak with other teams.

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POSTED 5:30 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

RUMORS FLY OF RODGERS FOR MOSS

Word has reached PFT world headquarters of a rumored trade that would send Oakland Raiders receiver Randy Moss to the Green Bay Packers for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

We're told that the Raiders want a first-round pick for Moss, and that the Packers have countered with an offer of Rodgers, who was Green Bay's first round pick in the 2005 draft.

Stay tuned.  Though we never would have imagined that Moss and Packers quarterback Brett Favre could coexist, it looks like this one could indeed be going down.

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POSTED 4:55 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

VIKES DUMP JOHNSON

Kevin Seifert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Vikings have informed quarterback Brad Johnson that he will be released in the near future.

Johnson was a ninth-round selection of the Vikings in the 1992 draft.  He replaced Warren Moon as the starter a few years later, and then was supplanted by Randall Cunningham after suffering a broken leg in the second game of the 1998 season.  He was traded in early 1999 to the Redskins for a first-round, second-round, and third-round pick.

Johnson spent a couple of seasons with the Redskins before landing in Tampa, where he led the Bucs to victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.  He returned to Minnesota prior to the 2005 season, and secured the starting job after Daunte Culpepper (who was drafted with the first-round pick acquired from the Redskins) blew out his knee.

Hailed by the sock puppets as a grossly underpaid "game manager," Johnson managed to throw too many interceptions as the season wore on, and he eventually was benched.

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POSTED 4:47 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

RAVENS CUT JAMAL

The Baltimore Ravens have cut running back Jamal Lewis, less than a year after he re-signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent.

Lewis was due to earn a $5 million roster bonus in March.  But the team isn't closing the door on a new deal.  "We are involved in negotiations with Jamal, and there has been good dialogue.  Jamal has been a significant contributor to us in the last seven seasons. It's our hope to have him back with the Ravens," G.M. Ozzie Newsome said, according to the team's official web site.

Lewis was the team's first-round draft pick in the 2000 season.  In 2003, Lewis rushed for 2,066 yards, and also set the single-game rushing record by churning up 295 yards against the Browns.

Lewis spent several months in jail after the 2004 season, due to an incident dating back to the summer before his rookie season.

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POSTED 3:57 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

ANTONIO TO GET THE HEAVE-HO?

Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the 49ers could soon be terminating the contract of receiver Antonio Bryant.

Per the Chronicle, both the team and the player are evaluating whether his release would be "mutually beneficial."

But how does it benefit Bryant to be cut from a contract that he signed before he was arrested for driving more than 100 miles per hour, had to be restrained when taken into custody, squabbled with the head coach, and was suspended for four games for violation of the substance abuse policy.  Will he get a better deal on the open market in the wake of these various developments?

(In all fairness, we should have started calling him "Anturdio" a long time ago.)

Cutting Bryant would result in a $2.28 million cap hit, and it would leave the team short at the receiver position.

It also would be difficult, in our view, for Bryant to find elsewhere the $1.25 million in salary he's scheduled to earn in 2007, given that his suspension carries over to the first two games of the 2007 season.

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POSTED 2:12 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

STEELERS TIED TO NEW STEROIDS SITUATION

Published reports regarding Orlando pharmacies from which steroids and human growth hormone were seized include an ominous reference to the potential activities of one the physicians who works for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This physician in question reportedly used a personal credit card to purchase $150,000 worth of testosterone and HGH in 2006.  

The potential problem with this development is that, if the doctor was getting the stuff for Steelers players, the situation implies a certain level of institutional involvement that has not been present in past steroids scandals.  Even if the doctor was acting on his own, the fact remains that an employee of the franchise was buying testosterone and HGH for players (if, again, the stuff was bought for Steelers players).

And if that's true, it's huge news.  It's even bigger news if the doctor claims that members of the team's administration knew, or should have known, what he was doing.

The NFL still doesn't test for HGH.  So anyone who doesn't think that at least some NFL players are using HGH needs to wake up and smell the nandrolone.  

Meanwhile, at a time when off-field behavior finally is getting some meaningful attention in the media and among fans, what will it take for NFL players to be saddled with the same stigma that attaches to baseball players who use performance-enhancing substances?  The reaction to the Shawne Merriman situation might have nudged the league closer in this regard to its realization that the problem needs to be addressed; if this current mess results in evidence suggesting that one of the most storied franchises in all of sport was procuring HGH or testosterone for its players, the damage could be irreparable.  

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POSTED 1:39 p.m. EST, February 28, 2007

BEARS PLAYERS TELLING FREE AGENTS TO STAY AWAY

With Lovie Smith being the lowest-paid head coach in the NFL and no signs of any impending effort to provide him with fair market value, we're told that at least one veteran member of the Bears is telling at least one potential free-agent target not to sign with the team.

It could be a sign of things to come for the Bears, unless and until they get Smith's contract status resolved.  We've previously heard that many veterans plan to refuse to do any contract restructurings or other business with the team.

The prevailing view in league circles is that the failure to pay Smith is the result of arrogance and general cheapness.  The Bears are thought to believe that, if Smith goes, they'll find someone else to take the job.  

The consensus in league circles is that, if Smith becomes available, he'll be in high demand.

In our view, it's not an ideal way to run a football team.  But by opting to hold firm at $1.45 million in salary this year and $2 million or so for a new guy next year, the Bears are definitely saving money.

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POSTED 9:45 a.m. EST; UPDATED 10:20 a.m. EST, February 28, 2007

RAIN MAN "OUT OF DAMN CONTROL"

How bad have things gotten for Titans cornerback Rain Man Jones?  Members of his family are now publicly declaring that he is out of control.

Or, as the case may be, "out of damn control."

Says his uncle, Robert "Qbert" Jones:  "Everybody tries to talk to him.  I do.  His mother talks to him, his grandparents talk to him. . . .  I don't know, I just think he is out of control.  I've told him I think he is out of damn control, but he doesn't want to hear it.  I hate to say things on the negative because I want to see him do good.  But it is hard to see him keep getting involved in stuff like this."

Uh-oh.  If Uncle Robert doesn't pipe down, Uncle Robert might end up getting a cap in his ass.

"I have told him about trying to be in the right place at the right time so much instead of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it kind of goes on deaf ears,"  Robert Jones said.  "All I want you to do is understand you are putting yourself in bad situations, and putting the Titans in bad situations.'  I understand he is young and he wants to have fun and all, but sometimes he has to take into consideration the places he's at and the things he's doing."

Says Rain Man's grandfather, Claude Jones:  "We are all worried about his future because it gives a bad impression of him, the things happening.  Overall, he just seems to be hanging with the wrong people.  The hangers-on just seem to keep staying around him and bringing him down.''

But Uncle Robert thinks that, despite the hangers-on, Rain Man isn't helping his situation.  "Pacman just draws attention to himself with the way he carries himself.  He goes into clubs with six cats that call themselves 'security.'  Well, what kind of attention do you think that's going get?  He doesn't need all that.  They know he's there, but he has all these cats surrounding him like he's the Buddha or somebody."

(Oh, crap.  Just when we were getting used to calling him "Rain Man," another viable nickname emerges.)

In all seriousness (okay, in some seriousness), we think it's great that Rain Man has male family members who are trying to keep him on the straight and narrow.  But where were those guys when he was swinging pool cues in Morgantown or doing all of the other stuff he's gotten in trouble for before that fateful February night at a Vegas strip club?  Rain Man hasn't turned turdish out of the blue; we get the feeling he's been out of damn control for a long time, and that this is just the first time that anyone has put a microphone in front of the men who should have been slapping him upside the head a long time ago.

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CHIEFS TRADING GREEN?

The Kansas City Star reports that the Chiefs might be trading quarterback Trent Green.  The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the Dolphins might be interested.

Green is scheduled to earn $7.2 million in base salary this season, nearly the full value of the three-year deal signed by backup (for now) Damon Huard on Tuesday.  The Chiefs are expected to ask Green to reduce his pay, but Green's agent says that the request has not yet been made.

Green has been highly effective as a starter, but a severe concussion limited him in 2006.  If he is traded or released, the Redskins also could be interested, since former Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders is there.  

In Miami, the quarterback position is in turmoil.  Daunte Culpepper was a bust as the team rushed him back from torn knee ligaments, and Joey Harrington will soon be released.  The other quarterback with experience (albeit minimal) is Cleo Lemon.

Some mock drafts have the Fins taking Brady Quinn with the No. 9 pick.  If they were to trade for Green and draft Quinn, it most likely would mean the end of the road for Culpepper in Miami.

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WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The Broncos and Redskins are candidates for the services of Lions CB Dre' Bly.

The Rams and Raiders are interested in Lions DE James Hall, who'll be cut before Friday if he is not traded.

The Jets will jettison QB Patrick Ramsey, if they can't trade him; he's due to receive a $1.4 million roster bonus by Saturday.

The Jets will be cutting DE Kimo von Oelhoffen, if he doesn't take a pay cut.

Redskins DE Renaldo Wynn and DE Phillip Daniels could be in danger of getting cut.

How does a guy who was the offensive coordinator for an 0-12 team get hired in the NFL?

Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson has some harsh words for Randy Moss.

The Steelers might move DE Aaron Smith to tackle in a four-man front.

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POSTED 9:04 a.m. EST, February 28, 2007

FAT ALBERT IS CURIOUSLY QUIET

Jaguars quarterback Byron "Fat Albert" Leftwich hasn't had much to say since he was named the starting quarterback for the 2007 season.  And it's not because his mouth is full of food.

Sam Borden of the Florida Times-Union points out the oddity of Leftwich's silence in the wake of coach Jack Del Rio's effort to bury the proverbial hatchet somewhere other than in Chris Hanson's leg.  

And we believe that the failure of Leftwich to say anything in reaction to Del Rio's announcement lends credence to rumors that the Jags anointed him the starter solely to increase his trade value.

There was talk at the combine of a Leftwich-for-Moss trade between the Jags and Raiders.  Though we don't envision a rush for his services, starting-caliber quarterbacks are in short supply, with Jeff Garcia leading a weak free-agent field.

So until Leftwich declares that all is well in Jacksonville and that he plans to stay with the team in 2007 and beyond, we're going to continue to keep our ears open for more talk about a possible trade.  

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POSTED 10:50 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

GARCIA TO RAIDERS?

Although the teams most commonly linked to soon-to-be-free-agent quarterback Jeff Garcia are the Broncos and the Bucs, an industry source has suggested keeping a close eye on the Oakland Raiders.

Garcia grew up in the Bay Area, and played at San Jose State.  He also had a tryout with the Raiders before he signed with the 49ers.

So if Garcia is signed by the Raiders, does that mean that the Raiders wouldn't draft LSU's JaMarcus Russell?  Not necessarily.  Garcia could hold the job for a season or two while Russell gets ready to play.

With all that said, we'd still draft Calvin Johnson.

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FREE AGENT FRENZY COMING FRIDAY

We're shutting down the day job on March 2 (but not permanently), and we'll be loading up the page non-stop with stories and rumors and other stuff regarding the first day of free agency.

We'll continue to focus exclusively on the comings and goings of free agency through the weekend, and into early next week.

So be prepared to check in with us regularly over the first few days of the month for all of the latest news and information regarding free agency, and everything else relating to the NFL.

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POSTED 9:38 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:07 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

PELLMAN STEPS DOWN

According to Ken Murray of the Baltimore Sun, Dr. Elliot Pellman has stepped down as the director of the NFL's concussion committee.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the Sun that Pellman asked to be relieved of his duties.  However, Pellman will continue to serve on the committee.

It's a significant step in the right direction for the NFL, which needs to confront the concussion problem in a meaningful way.  Dr. Ira Casson, a neurologist from Nassau, N.Y., and Dr. David Viano, a biomechanical engineer from Wayne State University, will assume leadership of the committee.

Pellman has been criticized in the past for biographical inaccuracies, for subtle manipulation of studies, and for not possessing the basic skills and abilities for the position that he held.  He went to medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico.

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TUESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

The Niners have re-signed DE Bryant Young.

Here comes another steroids scandal.

An indoor football league player has died from a broken neck.

49ers LB Derek Smith underwent eye surgery on Tuesday.

Colts K Adam Vinatieri wants to shoot stuff in South Dakota.

The Pats have hired Duke offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

The Giants have re-signed LS Ryan Kuehl.

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POSTED 9:26 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

RAIN MAN PROVIDING MUCH-NEEDED WAKE UP CALL

Ten years from now, we'll look back on the February 18 incident involving Rain Man Jones, a roomful of strippers, $81,000, and a hail of bullets and say, "That was the moment at which the NFL got its head out of its hind quarters."

Jones has become a caricature.  His behavior, if foreseen by the fictional show Playmakers, would have drawn even stronger huffs and puffs from former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Jones has had eight brushes with the law, and no consequences.  Heck, when he cold-cocked a guy with a pool cue up the road from PFT headquarters while attending WVU, he at least ended up with a black mark on his record.  Since joining the NFL, Rain Man has acquired a coat of Teflon thick enough to make Mike Shanahan envious.

But not anymore.  There is a growing sense that Rain Man will be the fall guy, and that he will pay for the sins of himself and his colleagues with his professional career.

How can it happen?  It's easy.  The Titans will cut him.  And no one else will sign him.  Sure, it might take a little collusion among the owners to ensure that a maverick bunch like the Cowboys or the Redskins won't break ranks.  But if no one picks him up, and if the NFLPA doesn't cry foul, it's game over.

It's an end-justifies-the-means situation.  Technically, Rain Man has done nothing to merit banishment from the league.  As a practical matter, he no longer deserves to be a part of it.

And we fully expect Rain Man's misadventures to prompt meaningful change to the Personal Conduct Policy.  Currently, the policy kicks in only after someone is convicted or pleads guilty to a crime.  But convictions are too hard to get, and just because we have decided as a society not to throw a guy in jail absent proof beyond a reasonable doubt, it doesn't mean that a guy can't be fired from his job.

Termination is precisely what we advocated in October, after Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth stomped on the face of Cowboys center Andre Gurode.  Rain Man's position regarding the behavior of his teammate?

"We need more thugs on this team."

But just as convictions are too high of a bar for the imposition of discipline by the NFL, arrests are too low of a standard.  Anyone can get someone arrested.  If an angry wife or scorned girlfriend make false allegations against a player, an arrest is a virtual certainty.

Likewise, a conduct policy based on arrests would put too much power in the hands of police officers, a few of whom might be inclined to look the other way . . . at a price.

So what should the NFL do?  First, a sweeping code of conduct should be developed.  The code should include some things that aren't necessarily illegal, and it will omit certain things for which a guy can get arrested, such as parking tickets or driving with an expired license.  The code should be clear, and it should be the product of negotiation between the NFL and the union.

Second, a panel consisting of a representative of the league office, a representative of the union, and a player would then preside over an effort to determine whether the player committed the conduct with which he is charged.  The player would be represented by his agent or a lawyer, and not by the NFLPA.  The prosecutor would be hired jointly by the league and the union.  The legal standard would be proof by a preponderance of the evidence, a 51-49 scale-tipping test that results in a violation if the panel concludes that it is more likely than not that the player engaged in the behavior in question.

The penalty for a first strike would be a fine equal to one fourth of the player's cap number for the year in which the incident occurred.

The second strike would result in a four-game suspension.

The third strike would result in banishment, with the opportunity to apply for reinstatement after a year.

The next strike after reinstatement would result in banishment, with no opportunity to return.

Another possibility would be to impose a constant curfew on a player with one or two strikes.  Then, if the player is in the wrong place at the wrong time -- and the clock reflects a time after the time when he was supposed to be home -- he automatically picks up another strike, no further questions asked.

The final product could take on many different forms, and our primary hope is that the NFL will do something to put a clamp on the rash of player arrests.  Though Turd Watch has quickly become an extremely popular feature for us, we look forward to the day that it can be dismantled.  

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POSTED 6:50 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST BROWN

Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped domestic violence charges that had been pending against Saints left tackle Jammal Brown.

The case had been gutted recently, after the judge ruled that the 911 call placed by Brown's estranged wife in June 2006 would not be admitted into evidence at trial.  Brown's wife is living in California, and she refuses to testify.

"It's unfortunate that the judicial system had to get involved to resolve a misunderstanding," Brown said after the charges were dropped.

Of course, the judicial system got involved only after Brown's wife got it involved.  And once the wife of a pro athlete realizes that the money will dry up pretty quickly if/when hubby is residing in a small room with steel bars and a toilet with no lid, there's an incentive to forgive and forget.  Literally.

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POSTED 6:33 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

SMITH BREAKS THE BANK

A league source tells us that Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith is now the highest paid player in team history.

Per the source, Smith will make $25 million over the next five years, including $12.5 million in the next two seasons.

In our view, the Steelers are wise to focus the unprecedented leap in the salary cap on keeping their own guys.  Of course, the Smith contract raises the question of whether the Steelers will try to extend linebacker Joey Porter, or whether he will be cut loose.  Porter spent most of 2006 grousing about his current deal.

The next question is whether safety Troy Polamalu will get paid big money before he hits the market in 2008. 

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POSTED 6:26 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

STEELERS LOCK UP SMITH

In what could be a sign that the Steelers plan to rely more upon their defensive linemen to rush the passer, the team on Tuesday extended the contract of defensive end Aaron Smith.

Smith was entering the final year of his contract, and was scheduled to earn $4.5 million in salary.  He is now under contract through the 2011 season.

With defensive ends poised to make plenty of money in free agency, Smith's value would have skyrocketed, if he would have entered free agency in March 2008 after posting big sack numbers in 2007. 

In the 3-4 defense, linemen are expected to tie up blockers, so that the linebackers can make plays.  In the 4-3, the specialty of new coach Mike Tomlin, the linemen are asked to get up the field.

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POSTED 4:52 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

CHIEFS KEEP HUARD

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Chiefs have re-signed quarterback Damon Huard to a three-year deal worth $7.5 million.

Huard led the team to a 5-3 record while Trent Green recovered from a Week One concussion.  His passer rating for the season was 98.0.

"This makes so much sense for me," Huard told Glazer.  "I already know the system.  I love the city."

Trent Green is still the starter in Kansas City, but the deal puts Huard in line to potentially take Green's place when he retires.  The only problem is that Huard, who is 33, won't be far behind.

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POSTED 4:44 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

NO EXODUS FROM SCHWARTZ AND FEINSOD

There are rumors and stories floating around the league and the Internet that five incoming rookies have fired agents Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod.

The players in question are Michigan defensive back Willis Barringer, Clemson center Dustin Fry, Michigan St. linebacker David Herron, Syracuse linebacker Kelvin Smith, and New Mexico guard Robert Turner.

It appears that what happened is that Schwartz & Feinsod had hired another employee, and the other employee's name was on the representation agreements in question.  The employee in question parted ways with the firm in January, but his name was left on the representation agreements.  Thereafter, the players opted to fire the other former Schwartz & Feinsod employee.  

So, apparently, when the notice of the change hit the NFLPA web site, it was misconstrued as a termination of the entire firm.

Bottom line -- none of the five players have fired Schwartz or Feinsod, and any reports to the contrary are not accurate.       

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POSTED 3:10 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

BAKER SAYS THERE WAS NO FIVE-DAY WINDOW

Agent Steve Baker has contacted us to explain that reports that he asked the Eagles for a five-day window at the start of free agency are incorrect.

"We did not ask for a five-day window," Baker said in response to our item from earlier in the day regarding the team's decision to inform Baker and quarterback Jeff Garcia that there would be no attempt made to re-sign the veteran signal-caller, who filled in capably for Donovan McNabb after yet another piece of his body went kaflooey.

"We approached free agency knowing that the only way Jeff could stay in Philadelphia would be as the backup, and with less money that he could get elsewhere," Baker said.  "Jeff publicly stated that he was wiling to negotiate knowing that he would only be the backup.  The Eagles took the position that the deal had to be done before the start of free agency, and we were fine with that."

It's unclear how reports of a five-day window surfaced.  As we've explained, a five-day window is unnecessary because everyone gauges the market on an informal, wink-nod basis before the start of free agency.  Though Baker didn't (and as a practical matter couldn't) address the issue of whether and to what extent he had obtained information from other teams as to what other teams might be willing to pay, the reality is that it happens every year at this time.

It could be that the Eagles floated the notion of a five-day window in order to cover their own rear ends, in the event that there's an uprising in Philly due to the departure of a quarterback who unexpectedly took the city by storm, prompting many to call for McNabb to be shipped out of town -- and for Garcia to be installed as the starter.  By taking the position that Baker and Garcia took an unreasonable position, the Eagles can say "it wasn't our fault" if Garcia plays well elsewhere, and if the combination of McNabb and A.J. Feeley fails.

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POSTED 12:17 p.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 1:01 p.m. EST, February 27, 2007

GARCIA PERPLEXED BY PHILLY'S POSITION

Soon-to-be-former Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia is confused by the failure of the Eagles to make him a contract offer.  

Garcia says that he recently received a letter advising him that the team has "allotted [him] enough time to come up with a contract proposal, and that they're heading in a different direction, pursuing a contract extension with A.J. Feeley."

On Sunday, the Eagles signed Feeley, closing the door on Garcia's return.

Garcia's agent, Steve Baker, reportedly asked the team for a five-day window after the start of free agency to assess offers, before talking to the Eagles.  And it sounds to us like trouble might be brewing between Baker and Garcia, since Garcia now says that the five-day window is "something I personally didn't ask for."

And, as a practical matter, the request for a five-day window by Baker is naïve to the point of stüpid.  Though the notion that an agent is prepared to not solicit offers in violation of the tampering rules is sort of quaint, the reality is that agents routinely gauge the market before a player officially is in a position to field offers.

The Eagles understand this.  Every franchise does.  So if Baker had another team ready to pay X to Garcia, then Baker could have used that wink-nod offer as the basis for requesting Y from the Eagles.  Baker never would have said that another team had put X on the table, but a team like the Eagles -- which has as much business savvy as any in the NFL -- would know that Baker's number is based on Baker's homework as to what a hypothetical quarterback of Garcia's age, abilities, and experience might be able to get from one or more hypothetical teams.

The reality?  Either Baker bungled the pre-free agency process, or no one is interested in Garcia.

Of course, to the extent that there were hard feelings from starter Donovan McNabb regarding the success that Garcia enjoyed after McNabb blew out an ACL last season, the day on which Garcia became a former Eagle couldn't have come soon enough for the powers-that-be in Philly.  Indeed, we don't buy the whole "all is well" routine coming from McNabb and the team, and we suspect that the Eagles were counting the days until they could tell Garcia that he and his agent waited too long to talk turkey.

In hindsight, Garcia and Baker should have gauged the market for his services, and then gone back to the Eagles with a firm offer for less money than what Garcia can get elsewhere.  If the Eagles had said no, then Garcia and/or Baker could have gone public after Garcia signed elsewhere with the numbers they got, and with the numbers they would have taken to stay put.

Then, the Eagles would have been in a very delicate situation, if/when McNabb can't play due to injury and if/when A.J. Feeley plays like the guy who was dumped by the Dolphins and cut by the Chargers.

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FREE CONTENT FOR RADIO 

We've still continued to do a bunch of radio spots in the three weeks since the season ended, even though we haven't had the time to post the schedule of our regular appearances.  We've recently added The Score in Providence to the rotation, and we visited again with Joe Rose at 790 The Ticket in Miami on Tuesday morning.  We also did a spot on Bram Weinstein's show in D.C. on Monday.

Upcoming spots on Tuesday include visits with Todd Wright of Sporting News Radio at 10:25 p.m. EST, Mike Felger of ESPN Radio in Boston at 6:20 p.m. EST, and John Marie of Biz Radio 990 in New Orleans at 10:11 p.m. EST.

But we're now considering a device that will supply 60-90 seconds of free content.  We plan to record, on a Monday-through-Friday basis, a PFT update that would be made available to any radio station that wants to use it.  All we ask is that the segment be played at some point during afternoon drive time, and that we would have the ability to add "presented by [insert company name]" to the title of the segment, if/when we can get anyone sufficiently inebriated to agree to sponsor the thing.

We're going to limit the segment to one station in each market, and we're giving preference to the stations in each market with which we already have a relationship.

So, to all radio hosts and producers out there who read this here site, please let us know if you are interested.  

Did we mention it's free?

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TUESDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Published reports now indicate that Rain Man didn't own all of the $81,000, and that his stash of "rain" was only $3,500 in $1 bills.

Is race a factor in the Bears negotiations with Lovie Smith?  (For the record, we think they treat everyone like crap, regardless of skin color.)

NFLPA chief Gene Upshaw realizes that the players have a strong interest (as in 60 percent of the total revenues) in keeping a few turds from defiling the golden goose.

The Fins are preparing to dump QB Joey Harrington, DL Kevin Carter, OL Seth McKinney, and OL Bennie Anderson.

A new deal is likely coming for Redskins QB Mark Brunell.

There are concerns in the 'Burgh about Big Ben's work ethic.  

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards sums up the basic problem facing NFL players who run afoul of the law:  "Nothing good happens after 12 o'clock."

Giants DE Michael Strahan will meet with the team soon to discuss his future.

The Giants have made C Shaun O'Hara a take-it-or-leave-it offer worth $21.6 million over six years.

Due to a paperwork error, Dominic "Poppie" Rhodes has regained the ability to pee all over himself while driving a car.

The Eagles want to re-sign DE Juqua Thomas and S Quintin Mikell.

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POSTED 11:26 a.m. EST, February 27, 2007

GRAHAM TO VIKINGS?

Albert Breer of the Boston Herald reports that tight end Daniel Graham is not expected to re-sign with the Patriots.

Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the Vikings are expected to be one of the teams that make a run at Graham.

To make room for Graham, the Vikings are expected to part ways with veteran Jermaine Wiggins.

Minnesota also is expected to make a run at receiver Ashley Lelie, per Jensen.  There is some scattered talk in league circles that the Vikings will pursue Eagles receiver Donte' Stallworth.  But others insist that the Vikings are not planning to target Stallworth, who emerged in 2006 in the same offense that the Vikings now run.

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POSTED 7:42 a.m. EST; UPDATED 7:50 a.m. EST, February 27, 2007

MORE HOLDOUTS COMING?

With a flood of second-tier players like Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay poised to collect millions in free-agency money due to a salary cap that has skyrocketed in the past thirteen months, some league insiders are worried about the effect of all of this new wealth on the guys who signed contracts before the new CBA started kicking out even more cash.

The concern is that established veterans who signed deals under a much lower total salary cap will seek to have their deals adjusted to reflect the overall changes in the market.

The response from teams likely will be something like this:  "You signed your deal knowing that the salary cap would likely continue to increase.  So shut up and play."

And while we ordinarily are firm believers in the fact that these players need to honor the terms of the contracts that they signed, we can sort of see their point on this one.  At a time when teams throw surplus cap money around to whoever is on the market, why not throw some of the surplus cap money to the guys who form the nucleus of the team?

Stay tuned on this one.  Plenty of money is going to be given to plenty of guys who aren't as good as plenty of the players on the teams that will be spending it.  Once the dust settles, look for some of the guys who signed their deals in 2005 or earlier to start squawking.

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JARED ALLEN SHOULD BE CAREFUL WHAT HE WISHES FOR

Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen is mad.  He wants the Chiefs to sign him to a lucrative long-term deal.  The Chiefs prefer to retain the restricted free agent's rights for one year, and then to assess whether he has:  (1) continued to play well; and (2) stopped drinking alcohol and driving motorized vehicles. 

So Allen wants to be traded, presumably to a team that will give him a big-money deal right now.  In other words, he wants to be a free agent.

But the problem is that every other team out there knows about Allen's problems, and given the current backlash against players with off-field trouble no one would give this guy huge money right now.  He's far better off, in our view and in the opinion of certain league insiders, taking the next year to show that he has turned his life around before hitting the market.

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POSTED 7:29 a.m. EST, February 27, 2007

MORE STORM CLOUDS FOR RAIN MAN

At a time when an increasing number of league insiders believe that the NFL and the NFLPA will come together, and come down hard, on Titans cornerback Rain Man Jones based on his alleged involvement in a strip club melee on February 18, the news is only getting worse for Jones.

WTVF-TV in Nashville has obtained taped conversations of Darryl Moore, a convicted drug dealer and acquaintance/friend of Jones.  Moore's comments reveal a level of familiarity with Jones, and with his behavior, that is alarming but hardly surprising.

Moore's comments include the following:

1.  "We gotta slow down, man. We gotta get him focused on football, man. He's focused on too much other sh-t."

2.  "You know, I was talkin' to him the other day about smokin', and he was like man, if I didn't smoke I couldn't take all the stress that I'm dealing with right now.'"

3.  "He gotta concentrate on season . . . that f--king drug test coming up.  We telling him he needed 33 days before he took his f--king test; dry-out, and he didn't.  That's let me know right there that he ain't taking his f--king job serious."

Moore also reportedly mentions that Jones had been betting thousands of dollars on college football games.

Even before this new information was released, Jones was quickly becoming radioactive in NFL circles.  He has been unable, we're told, to find a new agent.  And multiple sources tell us that the Titans are trying to trade him, but can find no one who is willing to give up a first-day pick.

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POSTED 9:35 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:20 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

MCGAHEE ON THE MARKET, WE THINK

Bills coach Dick Jauron says that the team will listen to trade offers for running back Willis McGahee.

But in an apparent effort to downplay the development, Jauron says that no one is "untouchable."

As we hear it, though, the Bills are ready to move on.  McGahee was drafted by the Tom Donahoe regime, and recent inflammatory remarks from McGahee have made the team more willing to move him.

McGahee is signed through the 2007 season, and is virtually certain to leave the Bills in 2008.  So the best bet for the Bills is to get value now.

The question:  How much value can they get? Will someone offer up a second-round pick for a guy with three seasons of wear and tear, who was drafted near the bottom of round one due to a knee that was exploded in the national title game? 

Quality running backs with low mileage are available in the draft; why give up a low-cost pick for a player who likely is angling for an eight-figure signing bonus?

Speaking of bonuses, no one will want McGahee without a new contract in place.  So whoever gives up a pick or two for McGahee will also have to be ready to fork over millions.

As a result, we'd be surprised if a deal gets done.

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MONDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Lord Favre has had ankle surgery.

The Saints have re-signed DT Hollis Thomas.

The Rams have cut OL Adam Timmerman.

The Cowboys will be cutting QB Drew Bledsoe.

The Rams also have cut LB Dexter Coakley.

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POSTED 7:46 p.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 8:26 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

FLETCHER DEAL NOT DONE?

Although there are rampant rumors that the Washington Redskins have reached a deal with Bills middle linebacker London Fletcher, a source close to Fletcher says that a final decision has not been made.

The Redskins, Patriots, Lions, and Bills are interested in Fletcher, and the source says that the Bills currently are the favorites to land London, with the Redskins at No.2 on the list.

Ideally, however, the Bills should have the exclusive ability to negotiate with Fletcher until Friday.  But that's simply not how it works in the NFL anymore; virtually every team violates the prohibition on tampering when the time comes to talk to pending free agents.  Indeed, we're not aware of a single team that doesn't get an early start on chatting with players who technically are the property of others.   

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A FEW COMBINE TIDBITS

Here are a few random thoughts from a league source in attendance at the combine:

1.  The best offensive line workout in combine history was Jordan Gross.  Joe Thomas wasn't far behind.

2.  JaMarcus Russell is a freak and, if the Raiders don't take him, they should move to the CFL.

3.  Screw the media; the Lions should turn in the card on Calvin Johnson as soon as they are on the clock.

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HELLO, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

We check our ranking on Alexa.com from time to time, and we recently noticed that the folks at Alexa have added some additional information to the page.

Including, specifically, a site's traffic rank in other countries.

And, apparently, we're very big in the Netherlands Antilles.  Wherever they are.

Actually, they are islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten.

But how in the heck is PFT the 372nd most popular web site there?  Your guess is as good as ours.

Alas, our rein there will be short-lived.  Come December 2008, the Netherlands Antilles will be disbanded.

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MORE ON PETERSON

We've received several e-mails today advising us that we are complete a-holes (as if we didn't already know that) for suggesting that Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson was being more selfish than heroic by sticking around in Indy after learning that his half-brother had been shot and killed.

Well, consider this fact.  Peterson was interviewed on Sunday afternoon by NFL Network.  At the end of the segment, Jamie Dukes asked Peterson whether he or Brady Quinn should be on the cover of GQ.  Peterson then laughed, shot a GQ-style look at the camera, and laughed again.  (The clip, as of this posting, if available on NFL.com.)

We suppose it's not our business to tell someone how to process grief, but give us a freaking break.  Either Peterson wasn't as heartbroken as Jay Glazer's piece on the matter suggests, or Peterson is even more coldhearted than we are.

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POSTED 7:28 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

STRAHAN RUMORS INTENSIFY

We continue to hear, from different sources, that Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is looking to make a cash grab by getting out of New York.

The most likely target continues to be the Redskins.

Strahan, 35, is under contract with the Giants through 2008.  He needs to replenish his savings account in the wake of a recent court ruling requiring him to pay his ex-wife a whopping $15 million.

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POSTED 7:10 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

ADALIUS HAS A DEALIO?

An industry source tells us that Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas already has a deal in place with the San Francisco 49ers. 

Thomas and Niners coach Mike Nolan were together in Baltimore, when Nolan was on Brian Billick's staff.

On Sunday, Thomas admitted that the Ravens "don't have the money" to re-sign him. 

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POSTED 6:54 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

BILLS GIVE KELSAY $13 MILLION, GUARANTEED

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Buffalo Bills have signed defensive end Chris Kelsay to a four-year, $23 million deal.  The package includes roughly $13 million in guaranteed money.

If Kelsay, who has 12.5 career sacks, is worth $6 million a year, what will guys like Adalius Thomas and Patrick Kerney receive?  Will it be $8 million a year?

And what would Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney get if he were on the open market?  $11 million?

The reality is that the cap is shooting up by another $7 million this year and teams will spend the money, regardless of the quality of the free-agency crop. 

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POSTED 5:22 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

PACKERS SIGN JENKINS

The Green Bay Packers have signed defensive end Cullen Jenkins to a four-year, $16 million contract.  The deal includes a $6 million signing bonus.

Jenkins was scheduled to become a restricted free agent.  He has 23 career starts in three seasons.  He also has 14 career sacks.  

We've previously heard that the Packers plan to make a play for Ravens linebacker/defensive end Adalius Thomas.  If the Packers can land him, it likely means that Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila will be the odd man out.

Jenkins is the younger brother of Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins.

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POSTED 4:33 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

BILLS CLOSE TO DEAL WITH KELSAY

A league source tells us that the Buffalo Bills are close to inking defensive end Chris Kelsay to a deal that would be worth roughly $6 million per year.

Kelsay, a second round pick in the 2003 draft, is scheduled to become a unrestricted agent on March 2.

The four-year veteran has started in 36 straight games for the Bills.  

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POSTED 3:14 p.m. EST; UPDATED 3:47 p.m. EST, February 26, 2007

TROUBLE BREWING BETWEEN RUSKELL, BIG SHOW?

There's talk in league circles that Seahawks president Tim Ruskell and coach Mike "Big Show" Holmgren are fighting.

Ruskell joined the team two years ago, and things generally have been quiet between them.  

We've heard no specific reason for the problems, but the recent departure of capologist Mike Reinfeldt might have been a factor.  Also, Holmgren was livid last year when guard Steve Hutchinson was pilfered by the Vikings, with no compensation to the Seahawks.

Stay tuned.  Holmgren seriously contemplated retirement after the 2005 season, and we think he's at the top of the list of guys who might call it quits after the 2007 season.  

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MICHAEL WANTED MORE MONEY?

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News recently reported that Michael Irvin's departure from ESPN was the result of Irvin's desire to make more money.

Horn, who by all appearances is prepared to moonlight as the Playmaker's personal P.R. pissboy, claims that Irvin overestimated his value in the wake of his recent Hall of Fame induction.  

Then, when the parties couldn't agree on a raise, Irvin asked if he could supplement his income with outside projects.  ESPN approved, as long as it (gasp) approved of the extra endeavors.

And the desire of ESPN to protect itself from being associated with a guy who might, for example, opt to make extra money by endorsing rolling papers apparently was a deal breaker.

Our response?  It's a load of crap, in our view.

First, other published reports indicate that ESPN signed Irvin in 2006 to a one-year deal with a three-year employer option.  If true, Irvin had no way to try to get more money out of Bristol.

Second, maybe Irvin really is retarded (as Tom Jackson surmised on-air in September).  If Horn's report is true, Irvin walked away from the bird in the hand with, um, none in the bush.  CBS doesn't have a spot for him.  Neither does NBC.  And recent published reports indicate that FOX and NFLN aren't interested.

So where was his leverage?  There was none, and anyone with an ounce of common sense knows it.

We initially felt a little bad when we learned that Irvin was out at ESPN.  After reading Horn's hoo-ha on the subject, we suddenly have no remorse for our opinion that Irvin is too f--king stupid to have a job.  (Nod to Reggie Hammond.)

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POSTED 10:29 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:59 a.m. EST, February 26, 2007

STRAHAN TO THE 'SKINS?

There's talk at the scouting combine in Indy that Giants defensive end Michael Strahan wants to become a member of the Washington Redskins.

On the surface, the chances of the Giants trading Strahan within the division seem to be remote at best.  But, as the rumor goes, Strahan is prepared to be difficult in the locker room if the team won't let him leave.

The presumed motivation?  Money.  Strahan had a lot of it.  Last month, he was ordered to give a lot of it to his ex-wife.  

And the Redskins are always willing to overpay.  Especially at a time when the free-agent market doesn't contain many high-end performers at the position.

For the Giants, moving Strahan could be a short-term curse but a long-term blessing.  The team has been dysfunctional for several years, and the continued presence of guys like Strahan has not helped the situation.  At all.

With TiVi Barber and LaVar Arrington  and Luke Pet-a-goat already gone, it makes sense (in our view) to continue to clear out the chronic malcontents.  Like Strahan.  And Plaxico Burress.  And Jeremy Shockey.

Strahan, 35, is under contract with the Giants for the next two seasons, at salaries of $4 million per year.  He missed seven games due to injury in 2006.

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MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Louisville DT Amobi Okoye will be the youngest player ever drafted.

If it's late February, then it must mean that WR Troy Brown is mulling retirement. 

Brian Stewart is expected to be the new defensive coordinator in Dallas.

Seahawks president Tim Ruskell says that WR Darrell Jackson isn't on the trade block.  (It's more like a small stepladder.)

The signing of QB A.J. Feeley definitely means that Jeff Garcia won't be back.

The Rams have made tender offers to three restricted free agents:  LB Brandon Chillar, TE Aaron Walker, and OL Adam Goldberg.

Several lucky reporters were allowed to spend an hour inside the RCA Dome watching combine workouts.  (Second place was two hours.) 

QB Troy Smith is fading.

The draft will drive whether the Steelers use the 4-3 or the 3-4 as a base defense.

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POSTED 7:43 a.m. EST; UPDATED 8:07 a.m. EST, February 26, 2007

TALK CONTINUES THAT LOMBARDI IS ON THE OUTS

One of the rumors gaining steam at the combine is that the Raiders are still expected to part ways with personnel executive Mike Lombardi.

Previously, there was talk that Lombardi was looking for a landing spot with a new team.

Within the past week or so, the Raiders have parted ways with Sean Jones, who reportedly was hoping to succeed Lombardi.  Some league insiders think that Lombardi will be the next to go.

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PETERSON WORKED OUT AFTER BROTHER'S DEATH

The numbers posted by Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson become even more impressive in light of the fact that he learned on Sunday morning that his brother was shot and killed in Texas.

Per Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com, Peterson got the news in the early hours of Sunday, but still participated in the workout without missing a beat.

Though Glazer gushes about the fact that Peterson was still able to put together a 4.38 in the 40 and other noteworthy numbers, we're not ready to compare the performance to Emmitt Smith in the final regular season game of 1993 against the Giants, when Smith ignored a painful shoulder injury to carry the team to the NFC East title with an overtime win in the Meadowlands.

It's one thing to show up for your team; it's another thing to show up for yourself.  In Peterson's case, the workout benefits only one person, and although on one hand it shows that he has the ability to ignore distractions and perform, it makes us wonder whether the kid has his priorities in line.

Then again, given that he already is showing a propensity to pick football over family, maybe it makes him even more desirable to an NFL team.

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SOME AGENTS PUSHING FOR DUNN NOTICE

There's a movement among some NFL agents to require suspended agent David Dunn to provide formal notice to all of his recruits that he currently is under suspension by the NFL Players Association.

The problem, as some see it, is that Dunn continues to engage in recruiting activities for his firm, Athletes First, even though he is serving an 18-month suspension.  The fact that several players attending the combine have listed Dunn as one of their agents has, in the opinion of some, validated concerns that the kids don't understand that Dunn can't represent them until the suspension expires.

We've obtained a copy of the notice, and we've confirmed that this is the language that currently is under consideration:

We also continue to hear that the NFLPA will be changing their rules regarding the things that a suspended agent can and can't do.  Currently, suspended agents are allowed to recruit.  So, technically, Dunn isn't doing anything wrong.  To the extent, however, that his recruits think that he'll be representing them in their coming contract discussions, then it could be that the proposed notice is needed.    

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POSTED 8:26 p.m. EST; UPDATED 9:17 p.m. EST, February 25, 2007

OKOYE A-CLIMIN' THE LADDER

One of the defensive prospects who is gathering plenty of attention at the combine in Indy is Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye.

Scouts are amazed by the progress of this 19-year-old, who enrolled in college at 15 and earned a degree in three-and-a-half years.  And at six-foot-one, 317 pounds and still potentially growing, there's a belief that Okoye could in time become one of the most effective players at the position, ever.

One team that is sniffing around Okoye is the Steelers, who need to pick up some pass-rushing defensive linemen if they hope to transition to the Tampa Two, which uses four defensive linemen who are asked to get to the passer.  In the 3-4, the defensive linemen primarily are expected to tie up blockers so that the linebackers can put pressure on the passer.

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SUNDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Fins coach Cam Cameron apparently will be the offensive coordinator, too.

T.O. needs more surgery on his finger.

Falcons DE Patrick Kerney voided the remainder of his deal after the deadline for application of the franchise tag.

Oklahoma LB Rufus Alexander wants to play the Tampa 2.

The combine is under contract with Indy through 2008 only.

Minnesota RB Gary Russell won the Mo-Clo award for his 4.8-second 40; he also gets the Fred Smoot award for managing only nine reps in the 225-pound bench.

Could WR Calvin Johnson be a Raider?

Former Bills lineman Donnie Green is homeless.  One of the guys for whom he blocked has a multi-million-dollar judgment pending against him, and isn't.

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POSTED 8:16 p.m. EST, February 25, 2007

FLETCHER OFF THE MARKET?

One of the hot rumors in Indy is that Bills linebacker London Fletcher already has struck a deal with the Washington Redskins. 

Fletcher, a nine-year veteran who has played with the Rams and the Bills, was believed to be a target of the Redskins and the Lions, and possibly others. 

Of course, even if the 'Skins and Fletcher have a deal, it doesn't mean that the arrangement is binding.  Since any contact between a pending free agent and a different team is prohibited, there can be no binding contract at this point.

Last year, it was widely believed that the Eagles had an agreement in principle with center LeCharles Bentley, who made a beeline for Cleveland once the free-agency period started.

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POSTED 4:45 p.m. EST, February 25, 2007

STANTON LEAPFROGGING QUINN?

One of the darlings of the scouting combine is Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton.  Word is that several teams now consider Stanton to be ahead of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, due in large part to great interviews with teams in Indy, and strong overall intangibles.

While no one doubts that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has prepared Quinn to play quarterback in a pro-style offense, there are questions about whether he possesses the leadership abilities to be successful in the NFL. 

As we've previously heard, there also are questions about Quinn's ability to perform on a big stage, and some concerns about whether he wants to be a Hollywood type or whether he is committed to being the best football player he can be.  Similar questions knocked Matt Leinart down to the tenth overall spot in the 2006 draft.

So don't be surprised if Stanton gets drafted after JaMarcus Russell of LSU, and prior to Quinn.

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POSTED 3:02 p.m. EST, February 25, 2007

RUSSELL PULLS A MO-CLO

Two days after he vowed not to run the 40-yard dash as slow as Maurice Clarett did it two years ago, former Minnesota running back Gary Russell posted two bad, bad times on Sunday afternoon.

Clarett ran a 4.72 and a 4.82 after being out of football for two full seasons.  Russell, who missed the 2006 season because of academics issues, ran a 4.8 and a 4.82.

Russell had to lose 25 pounds to get in shape, and he blamed his ineligibility in 2006 to being lazy.

Based on his history and on his times in the 40, we doubt that Russell will hear his name called at the draft.

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POSTED 2:53 p.m. EST; UPDATED 2:54 p.m. EST, February 25, 2007

PETERSON RUNS A 4.34

Though Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson unofficially has been clocked at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, his time has been clocked by some scouts as a 4.34.

Peterson, a likely top-ten pick, unofficially posted a 4.43 in his second try.

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POSTED 12:38 p.m. EST; UPDATED 1:19 p.m. EST, February 25, 2007

ALLEN WANTS OUT OF K.C.

Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen, a great player with a history of drunk driving, has asked to be traded.

The team has said no.

The problem?  Allen is due to be a restricted free agent, and the Chiefs have not offered him an acceptable long-term deal.  And with the high tender likely coming his way, which would result in a first-round and third-round pick as compensation for his services, it's unlikely that anyone will present him with an offer sheet.

So he's looking at a one-year deal worth $2.35 million, and free agency in 2008.  Unless he is slapped with the franchise tag.

POSTED 12:01 p.m. EST, February 25, 2007

NASH DIES AT 24

Broncos running back Damien Nash, a mere 24 years of age, died of an apparent heart attack after a charity basketball game that was organized for his brother, who has had a heart transplant.

Nash is the second player on the team to die since the end of the 2006 season.  Cornerback Darrent Williams, 24, was shot and killed on January 1.

"The Denver Broncos organization is once again struck with profound sadness over the tragic loss of one of our players," said Broncos owner Pat Bowlen.  "This is a tremendous tragedy, and our hearts go out to the entire Nash family."

Nash played at the University of Missouri, and was drafted by the Titans in 2005.  He played for Denver in 2006.  He grew up in St. Louis.

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POSTED 11:39 a.m. EST, February 25, 2007

REESE NEEDS TO GO TO A SEMINAR, OR SOMETHING

John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com notes that new Giants G.M. Jerry Reese recently committed a clear violation of the NFL's tampering rules when he spoke publicly about a player currently under contract with another team.

Reese publicly acknowledged that "there is Willis McGahee talk out there" when asked about potential replacements for TiVi Barber. 

The reality?  First, there can be no sanction unless or until the Bills file tampering charges.  And many teams are reluctant to pursue this route. 

Second, the NFL has a history of looking the other way when tampering charges are filed.

Regardless, based on the rule that's on the books, the Giants clearly have violated the rules.  And if we were the Bills, we'd let teams like the Redskins and Cowboys and Eagles know that we might be willing to pursue tampering charges if each of the Giants' NFC East rivals makes some concessions regarding the currently ongoing debate over revenue sharing.

Coincidentally, each of those three teams is in the high-revenue club.  The Bills are at the other end of the spectrum.

Finally, how is it that Reese doesn't know that you can't say anything about a guy who currently is under contract with another team?  As to those who questioned whether Reese was truly ready to succeed Ernie Accorsi, Reese has just proved them all right.

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POSTED 11:17 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:21 a.m. EST, February 25, 2007

JOHNSON RUNS A 4.35

Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson cemented his standing at the top of the draft class by running the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds on Sunday morning at the combine.

The mere fact that Johnson chose to run is a big deal, since most of the high-end athletes don't.

The fact that he ran a blistering 4.35 proves that he's the real thing.

He is, in our estimation, the best prospect in the coming draft class, and if we were in striking distance of the top pick and needed a wideout, we'd strike a deal with the Raiders.  Now.

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JARRETT RUNNING IN THE 4.7 RANGE?

We took plenty of flak a couple of weeks ago when we unveiled our first-round mock draft, and omitted USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett.  We explained that he was off of the list because we expect him to run the 40 in 4.6 seconds or slower.

Moments ago, the guys working the combine for the NFL Network said that Jarrett recently has been timed in the mid-4.7 range while working out privately.

If he can't improve his speed before the USC Pro Day workout, there's no way he's a first-round pick.

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POSTED 6:00 p.m. EST, February 24, 2007

BEARS QUIETLY SHOPPING BRIGGS

Although teams technically aren't allowed to use the franchise tag solely as a means to obtain trade value for a player who is eligible for unrestricted free agency, there's growing talk/speculation in league circles that the Chicago Bears don't plan to keep linebacker Lance Briggs, and that they applied the franchise to him for the sole purpose of facilitating a trade.

Per a league source, the Bears have talked with several teams about a trade for Briggs.  The veteran outside linebacker, who has become a star in the Tampa Two defense, technically will not be under contract until he signs the one-year tender offer that the team has extended to him.

This means that Briggs can skip the entire offseason, training camp, and the preseason before reporting, while still receiving the full amount of the $7.2 million that will be guaranteed as soon as he signs it.

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OLSEN VAULTS INTO THE TOP 15

A league source with a team that has been eyeing Miami tight end Greg Olsen is convinced based on his performance at the combine on Saturday that he'll be selected among the top fifteen picks.

"When a tight end can run like that," said the source, "he goes high."

Olsen currently isn't in our mock draft.  He'll definitely be there next time around, possibly to the Panthers at No. 14.

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T.J. SAYS HE WANTS TO STAY IN CINCY

In direct response to our report that he wants to get out of Cincinnati, Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh denies that his decision to fire agent David Dunn and hire Kennard McGuire was driven by a desire to change teams.

"No one talked to me about it.  I don't know where it came from,” Houshmandzadeh said. "They just want to say because I fired David Dunn there must be a reason.  But I felt like I needed someone who is out there and working for me because you don't know what is going to happen in two years."

Our response to T.J.'s response?  Baloney.  It's not as if Dunn was just fired last week; he agreed to an 18-month suspension before the start of the 2006 season.  This isn't about Dunn.

So we stand by our report.   And we thank Housh for not calling us a bunch of punk-ass white boys.

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POSTED 1:31 p.m. EST, February 24, 2007

OLSEN RUNS A 4.45

Miami tight end Greg Olsen might have solidified for himself a spot in round one by running a blazing 4.45 in the 40-yard dash on Saturday.

Olsen currently isn't in the first round of our own mock draft.  But after running faster than plenty of wide receivers he will be.

At a time when more and more teams are using the Cover Two/Tampa Two defense, it's more and more valuable to have a guy with speed down the middle of the field, which is one of the weak spots in a defensive scheme that relies on playing the safeties deep.

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POSTED 12:32 p.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 1:25 p.m. EST, February 24, 2007

PATS NOT EXPECTED TO LET DILLON WALK

Amid all of the talk over the past couple of days regarding the looming release of running back Corey Dillon, has anyone else noticed that one key aspect of the relationship has been conspicuously quiet?

The Patriots, to be specific.

So until the team that holds Dillon's rights says that it's going to let him walk away with nothing in return (and potentially sign with the Jets or the Bills, if they move Willis McGahee), we aren't buying any of it.

And several league insiders agree.  "Bill Belichick isn't going to let him just leave," said one source on Saturday.

Stay tuned.

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TICE CALLED "MEATHEAD" IN INDY

One of our sources in Indy at the combine shared with us an incident that occurred within the past hour or so. 

In one of the public areas through which coaches and General Managers pass, various fans gather in search of autographs.  In one such area, Jags assistant coach Mike Tice was present.  Tice, we're told, ignored requests to sign his name (possibly because, you know, he can't write).

So then someone from the crowd called out:  "Profootballtalk is right.  You are a meathead!"

Sweet.

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POSTED 12:18 p.m. EST, February 24, 2007

NO TAKERS FOR RAIN MAN

Word out of Indy is that no one is interested in trading a first-day pick for cornerback Rain Man Jones.

One league source says that Jones might eventually be obtained with a fifth-round selection.

Jones' star has plummeted this week after reports of a bizarre incident at a strip club that began with $81,000 in a garbage bag and ended with three people getting shot.

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POSTED 12:12 p.m. EST, February 24, 2007

THOMAS THE EARLY BUZZ OF THE COMBINE

The early reaction to the performance of Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas is that he'll end up being drafted No. 2 at the lowest.

Some scouts clocked his first effort in the 40-yard dash at 4.92 seconds.

And don't expect the Lions to try to trade down to No. 3.  They're standing pat, we're told, at No. 2, and taking Thomas.

Before it's all said and done, don't be surprised if the Lions end up moving to No. 1 in order to ensure that they get him.

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POSTED 11:42 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:51 a.m. EST, February 24, 2007

HOUSHMANDZADEH WANTS OUT OF CINCY

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reported earlier this week that Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh recently hired agent Kennard McGuire.  As Schefter astutely suggested, one of the primary objectives is to get Houshmandzadeh a raise.

The bigger objective, as we hear it, is to get him out of Cincinnati.

The reasons are unclear.  Maybe he doesn't want to play second fiddle to Chad Johnson.  Maybe he fears that Chris Henry will eventually develop to the point where T.J. becomes expendable.

Or maybe Houshmandzadeh is sick of the presence of so many turds on the team, and of the lame excuses routinely offered up by coach Marvin Lewis for signing and drafting guys who obviously are of questionable character.

Houshmandzadeh's prior agent, David Dunn, is currently under suspension and unavailable to help him finagle a trade.

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ANOTHER NEW NICKNAME

Thanks to a member of the ever-growing PFT Planet, we're prepared to announce a new official nickname.

From this point forward, running back Dominic Rhodes will be known as "Poppie."

If you didn't get that one instantly, well then there's nothing we can do to help you out, other than to suggest that you take a seat on your couch and ponder it.

Meanwhile, several newer readers have asked that we compile a glossary of our nicknames.  Though we appreciate the recommendation, we probably won't do it, for a couple of reasons.  First, we're lazy.  Second, well, we're lazy.

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POSTED 11:18 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:34 a.m. EST, February 24, 2007

THOMAS RUNS A 4.93?

Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas put up a blazing (for a lineman) time in the 40-yard dash, running it in an unofficial 4.98 seconds.  A league source tells us that one scout has timed the run as a 4.93.

We've consistently heard that the Lions, who hold the No. 2 overall pick, are in love with Thomas.

Though the Lions would like to slide down a spot or so and still land Thomas, they'd better be careful.  If they can coax the Browns, for example, into flip-flopping picks, it very well could be that the Browns end up taking Thomas.

In the end, the Lions might have to try to flip with the Raiders, in order to prevent someone else from jumping over Detroit in order to get their hands on Thomas.

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POSTED 11:13 a.m. EST, February 24, 2007

SMITH'S FATE TIED TO TURNER?

Okay, so we thought that G.M. A.J. Smith would be fired after the draft.  And, apparently, we were wrong.

But the talk now in Indy is that, if coach Norv Turner a/k/a Mr. Roper fails for the third time as a head coach, Smith will be out the door with him.

Frankly, we're surprised that team president Dean Spanos has placed no accountability on Smith for the dysfunctional relationship between Smith and former coach Marty Schottenheimer.  It's rare that such situations are solely the fault of one person, and the fact that Smith couldn't set aside his massive non-smiling ego in order to find some common ground with Schottenheimer should be troubling to Spanos.

So now Smith has a head coach who's happy to be anywhere, and most likely will not cause any trouble.

Unless the team goes 8-8.  Then, there will be plenty of trouble.

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POSTED 10:59 a.m. EST, February 24, 2007

DIELMAN, STEINBACH HAVE DEALS IN HAND?

Our sources in Indy tell us that two of the top offensive linemen in free agency might already have deals in place with new teams.

If their agents are to be believed.

Per the source, the agents for Bengals lineman Eric Steinbach and Chargers lineman Kris Dielman are telling people that they plan to sign contracts worth $7 million per year on March 2, or shortly thereafter.

The three teams who were thought to be most interested in either of these two guys are the Texans, Browns, and Cowboys.

Though it wouldn't be much of a surprise to learn that contracts have been verbally negotiated before the start of free agency (since it happens every single year), the other possibility is that the agents are puffing as to either or both of these players, in the hopes that someone else will offer as much or more.

Either way, make no mistake about it -- free agency officially begins in six days; unofficially, it's already started.

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POSTED 10:45 a.m. EST, February 24, 2007

STALEY A SCRATCH

A league source tells us that Central Michigan tackle Joe Staley won't be working out at the combine because of a pulled hamstring that he suffered while training in Houston.

Staley, as we posted earlier today, was expected to have a great workout at the combine, which could have vaulted him into round one.

Though scouts are impressed by his athletic ability, the thinking is that he's a year away from being able to compete at a high level in the NFL.

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POSTED 10:28 a.m. EST, February 24, 2007

BROWN GOING DOWN?

Though the workouts at the scouting combine won't be aired on the NFL Network until 11:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, a source in Indy tells us that the running of the offensive linemen has begun, and that one of the presumed first-round prospects put up a sssssslow time.

Penn State tackle Levi Brown posted a 5.39 in the 40.

For a lineman, that's bad.  Real bad.

Another potential first-rounder who put up a slow time was Texas guard Justin Blalock, who posted a 5.31.

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POSTED 9:44 a.m. EST, February 24, 2007

NINERS, STEELERS LIKE BRANCH

Our moles in Indy tell us that both the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in Michigan defensive tackle Alan Branch.  Many think that Branch can play defensive tackle in the 3-4 or the 4-3, and the Steelers likely will be using both fronts as coach Mike Tomlin, a Tampa Two expert, puts his stamp on the team.

The Steelers already have Casey Hampton on the roster, who anchors the middle of the 3-4.  The addition of a guy like Branch would give them a solid alternative in the 3-4, and an effective bookend in the 4-3.

The only problem is that both the 49ers and the Steelers likely draft too low to get Branch.  The Niners are the Eleveners in round one, and the Steelers pick at 15.

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JACOBY CATCHING SOME INTEREST

Another guy on whom to keep an eye is receiver Jacoby Jones, from Lane College. 

Jones reminds scouts, we're told, of Keenan McCardell.  He has good hands, and runs smooth routes.

He also can return kicks and punts; in 2006, he ranked fifth in all of Division II in all-purpose yards with 2089.

The last guy from Lane College that we remember playing in the NFL was running back Fred Lane.  The former Panther signed with the Colts in early 2000, and was shot to death by his wife before ever playing for Indy.

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POSTED 11:17 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

LIONS HOPE TO LURE THE BROWNS TO TRADE UP

Privately, the Detroit Lions continue to be smitten with Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas.  Publicly, they are talking up the prospect of drafting a quarterback.

Why?  Because they hope that, for the second time in four drafts, they can lure the Browns into flip-flopping draft positions.

In 2004, the Lions held the sixth overall pick and the Browns picked seventh.  The Browns moved up a spot to snare tight end Kellen Winslow, and the Lions went back to seven and took receiver Roy Williams.

This time around, the Lions want the Browns to move up to No. 2, allowing the Lions to slide to No. 3, where they'll land Thomas at a lower salary slot.

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POSTED 10:53 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

BRADY WANTS TO BE A BROWN

Word trickling out of Indy is that Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn is privately making it known that he wants to play for the Cleveland Browns.

Quinn is an Ohio native.  And the Browns hold the third overall pick in the draft.

That might be a little high for Quinn, who during the 2006 college football season seemed destined to be the No. 1 overall selection.

And there are conflicting reports as to whether the Browns would take Quinn or LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the three hole, which the Browns secured via a coin flip on Friday.

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POSTED 10:21 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

PLUMMER CONSIDERING RETIREMENT

CBS4 in Denver reports that Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer is "seriously considering retirement" after a season in which he was benched for rookie Jay Cutler.

"I think anybody close to Jake, who knows him on a personal level, if he came in one day and said 'I'm outta here'  . . . it wouldn't be a big surprise," Cutler told CBS4.  "But he's a competitor.  I know he loves the game and loves Sundays, so if he came back I wouldn't be surprised that way either."

Rumors have connected Plummer with the Texans, where former Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak currently is the head coach.

Plummer, a ten-year veteran, has played six seasons with the Cardinals and four with the Broncos.  He has started 136 regular-season games, and has a career passer rating of 74.6.

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POSTED 7:00 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

TOMLINSON'S FATHER DIES IN CAR ACCIDENT

The father of NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson died in a Friday car accident.

Oliver Tomlinson, 71, was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash near Waco, Texas.

Another man, Ronald McClain, was driving the vehicle, and is in critical condition.  McClain, 49, reportedly is believed to be Oliver Tomlinson's son.

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POSTED 4:50 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

FIRE SALE FOR "RAIN MAN"

Multiple league sources tell us that the Tennessee Titans are actively shopping cornerback Pacman Jones, who thanks to a reader suggestion will now be known as "Rain Man" on this here site, due to the melee that his "makin' it rain" routine sparked on Sunday.

We've heard that the Titans will take as little as a third-round pick for the No. 6 overall selection in the 2005 draft.

Said one league source:  "Maybe the Bengals will take him."

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POSTED 4:23 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

SOME PLAYERS WANT "THREE STRIKES" POLICY

Though we usually hate to see terms from other sports when it comes to talking football, we were happy (for once in our miserable existences) to read that some players are advocating a "three-strikes" approach to off-field misconduct.

In a four-hour meeting between management types and players, the players voiced concerns about the rash of arrests over the past couple of years.  The problem has gotten so bad that we launched three weeks ago the "Turd Watch," a system for tracking all player arrests and convictions, and assigning points to the teams for which they play.

"What's amazing about these guys that were here is that they are very, very concerned about all of this," said NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw.  "They talked up, they spoke, they gave us all the information we need and now we just have to take it to the next level.

"What was interesting and I didn't think I would hear this is that the players believe when it comes to the personal conduct area, you can't be in the wrong place at the wrong time three or four times in a row," Upshaw said.  "There comes a time when maybe you need to look at saying, 'OK, that's enough, you did it three times, you should be out.'  You have to look at each circumstance, but they're saying there has to be some penalties for your actions."

But what would be a "strike"?  An arrest?  A conviction?  Entry into a diversion program?

The one thing that everyone needs to keep in mind is that the concept of innocent until proven guilty and proof beyond a reasonable doubt applies only to whether a guy will go to jail.  There are other ways of dealing with the question of whether a player will face discipline from his employer, and we suggest the creation of an arbitration system that kicks in once a player is arrested, and that then looks independently at the question of whether the player did that which he is accused of doing.

As we've explained in the past, the real problem is the arrest and the publicity that results from it.  In a criminal justice system designed to let 10 guilty men go free in order to avoid putting an innocent one in jail, the NFL needs another way to make its own determination as to whether the player's conduct merits a "strike" under the policy that some players would like to adopt.

Bravo, NFL.  Keep pushing forward on this.

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POSTED 4:05 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

JARRETT NOT RUNNING, CALVIN ON THE FENCE

Our moles at the combine tell us that USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett won't be running the 40-yard dash, and that Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson is "on the fence" about running.

It was reported last week that Johnson recently ran a 4.33.

As to Jarrett, our sources have predicted that he'll run a 4.6.  If there are concerns about his speed (or lack thereof), if could be that he wants to take the next month or so to continue to work on his running in order to generate the best possible time. 

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POSTED 3:42 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

LOVIE PUTTING PRESSURE ON BEARS?

In what could be a battle to capture the hearts and minds of Bears fans everywhere, coach Lovie Smith is expressing confidence that the team will eventually give him a contract that makes him something other than the lowest-paid head coach in the NFL.

"Of course I don't like being the lowest-paid coach in the league," Smith said Friday.  "I'd like to be in a different position.  I look at it like I won't be in that position long."

As we see it, he won't be in that position come January of 2008.  By then, he'll either have a new contract with the Bears, or a new contract with another team.

We've previously reported that the Bears have offered Smith a deal worth less than $3.2 million per year.  And earlier this week Smith's agent rattled the sword a bit, suggesting that the two sides were at a stalemate.

So with the agent being the bad cop, Smith will apparently be the good cop.  And if they play it right the fans of the team will get more and more upset, and the Bears eventually will have to take a crowbar to the safe, and pay the man. 

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POSTED 3:01 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

TEAMS PERPLEXED BY PHILLIPS, TURNER HIRES

One of the big topics of conversation at the scouting combine in Indy is the recent decisions of the Cowboys to hire Wade Phillips and the Chargers to hire Norv Turner. 

Personnel from other NFL teams can't figure it out.  Both men have twice been fired from past NFL head-coaching gigs.  And both inherit playoff-caliber rosters with high expectations.

Though both might make it to the postseason even with Rich Kotite or Barry Switzer as the head coach, we don't see either team advancing very deep into the playoffs this year.  Or any year in which either guy is still the coach of either team.

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POSTED 2:53 p.m. EST, February 23, 2007

DILLON DONE ONLY WITH PATS

Although reports from Thursday night -- based on words that came straight from the player's mouth -- indicate that Pats running back Corey Dillon will retire, his agent now says that Dillon will be released from the Patriots on March 2, and will then look for another job.

"We were in discussions the last few days, and based on the roster and the offense, we felt there were better opportunities out there in the NFL," Steve Feldman, Dillon's agent, told the Boston Herald.  "He felt like getting eight or 10 carries a game didn't give him the opportunity to demonstrate the abilities he still has.  He figures he has a year or two left where he can be a premier performer."

Usually when we throw out an educated guess, we're wrong.  On the rare occasions when we're right, validation comes so deep into the future that most people have forgotten what we once had to say on the topic.  In this specific case, however, our sense regarding Dillon's "retirement" announcement was right on the money.  Dillon is being displaced by Laurence Maroney, and he wants to play for another team, as the primary tailback.

Possibilities include, as we see it, the Jets, the Bills (if they move Willis McGahee), the Browns, the Ravens (if they don't keep Jamal Lewis), the Texans, the Broncos, the Lions (if Kevin Jones ends up behind schedule in his rehab), and the Packers.

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POSTED 11:13 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:18 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007

A NEW FAT ALBERT?

Our sources at the combine tell us that, although LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell might still be headed for a top-five spot in the draft, he was looking a little JaMeaty at his official weigh-in on Friday.

"He looked more like Charles Barkley than a football player," said the source of Russell, who tipped the scales at 265 pounds.

He had "a lot of loose tissue in the midsection" and looked like he hasn't seen a weight room in months, with "very little muscle definition for such a big guy."

It shouldn't be a problem if he's drafted by the Browns, since they're sure to eventually put him on the staph infection diet.

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DOMINIC NEEDS A DIAPER

As it turns out, adult diapers aren't only for astronuts who drive 900 miles to (allegedly) try to kill a romantic rival.

They also can be used by folks who have had a little too much to drink.

One guy who could have used one this week is Colts running back Dominic Rhodes, who reportedly urinated all over himself while sitting in a police cruiser after failing two field sobriety tests.

Sheesh.  He only blew a 0.09.  If he'd really been drunk, we suppose he would have peed, puked, and pooped.

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POSTED 11:08 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007

COMBINE SURPRISE FOR WONDERLICKERS

We've previously heard rumblings about some potentially big changes for the Wonderlic test that is administered at the combine.  And a league source has told us conclusively that the guys in Indy will see a Wonderlic that is far different than the versions of the test that have migrated over the years into the hands of agents.

Some agents use the versions of the test to get their clients ready.  And, in some cases, the results have been dramatic.

Many players with one year of college eligibility remaining initially take the Wonderlic test in conjunction with the Pro Day workout at each school.  It gives the player some experience with the intelligence exam, which the NFL has been giving to incoming players for decades.  And it also gives the teams a baseline number.

In the past, the scores for some players have rocketed from the teens to the thirties, in less than a year.

With a new test that no one has seen, the prior versions will be useless.

The Wonderlic organization, we're told, is administering the test.  As we mentioned earlier today, the results will be scored off site.  No one from any of the teams or from the combine will be involved in any way with the tests or with the grading of the tests. 

The results then will be sent only to Jeff Foster, who now runs the combine, and Foster will send them to the head of football operations with each team.  "It's his job to keep the results secret," said the source.  "If a score gets out, a G.M. is to blame." 

The reaction in league circles is positive, because the test results can be trusted.

At least for this year.

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POSTED 10:06 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007

NFLPA HAS NO PLANS TO OPT OUT OF CBA EARLY

Sources in Indianapolis tell us that the union has said at its annual agent seminar that is does not plan to exercise its right to opt out of the current CBA prematurely. 

Under the extension that was negotiated last year, either the players or the league may cancel the agreement either one year or two years early by giving notice on November 8, 2008 or November 8, 2009, respectively.

If the deal is ended two years early, the 2009 season would have no salary cap.  If the deal is ended one year early, 2010 would become an uncapped year.

The problem with early cancellation is that it would immediately thrust the teams into the "last capped year" conundrum that the league was facing in 2006, before the CBA was extended.  In the last capped year of a CBA, the rules change dramatically and, if the CBA is canceled early, the changes apparently would apply retroactively.

We're also told that the union doesn't think that the owners will cancel the deal early.

Part of the reason that the NFLPA is willing to stay put is because their best-case scenario was to finagle 60 percent of the total gross revenues for the funding of the cap.  They pushed the number all the way to 59.5 percent, and are happy with that figure.

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POSTED 8:55 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 9:28 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007

BROWNS GET THIRD PICK

Our friends at PewterReport.com report that the Cleveland Browns have "won" the coin flip with the Buccaneers, giving the Browns the third overall pick in the draft.

The Bucs will select fourth.

But is it really a victory for the Browns?  Sure, they pick one spot earlier.  But they also will be working off of a slot in which Uncle Rico got a big, fat bundle of money in 2006 -- and in which Browns receiver Braylon Edwards likewise landed a gigantic deal in 2005.

But if the Browns hope to draft LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, it will now be easier to work out a trade with the Raiders for the No. 1 overall pick. 

Many readers have complained to us that the Browns should have automatically gotten the third pick because they lost the head-to-head match between the two teams in December.  The NFL, however, uses strength of schedule to determine draft order among non-playoff teams with the same record.

Though we've never seen it explained this way, our guess is that the league wants to minimize the appearance that a team tanked it in a late-season game in order to enhance its draft status.  Long ago, the NBA instituted a lottery to address concerns that teams were trying not to win late in the year.

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NO NEED TO WAIT FOR A PHONE WITH MUSIC

While plenty of hype has been directed of late to a certain eventually-to-be released phone that also plays music, there's an important thing to keep in mind.

If you want a phone that doubles as an MP3 player, you don't have to wait.

And you won't have to pay $500 or more for it.

Sprint already has plenty of affordably-priced phones on which music can be quickly stored and played.

So, let's summarize.  You can wait a few months and pay $500 or more.  Or you can save a lot of money and enjoy music on your phone right now.

Are we missing something here?

The Sprint customers who have already downloaded 13 million songs sure aren't. 

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POSTED 8:48 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007

RUMORS FLY OF MOSS TO JAGS

One of our moles in Indy at the scouting combine tells us that, while new Raiders coach Lane Kiffin is talking like he plans to have receivers Jerry Porter and Randy Moss on the team this season, there is buzz that the Raiders would like to trade Moss if they can land a quarterback in return -- and that the destination about which folks are talking is Jacksonville.

Under that scenario, the Jags would send Byron Leftwich and a draft pick or two to Oakland.

And the possibility of a trade might explain the decision of the team to proclaim that Leftwich will be the starter when the season begins seven months from now.  If Leftwich was on the team's proverbial trash heap, how could they get anything for him in trade?  Given that the free-agent class is generally weak this season, teams that need quarterbacks will have to look elsewhere.  If the Jaguars are proclaiming to the world that Fat Albert is their guy, the market for his services increases.

Likewise for the Raiders, the best way to get value for Moss is for the organization to throw its arms around him and act like they plan to keep him.  Even if they don't.

Last season, there were rumors that former Vikings coach Mike Tice, who is now an assistant with the Jags, was lobbying for the team to trade for Moss.   The Jags have a talented trio of young receivers, but they had a rash of drops in 2006.     

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POSTED 8:33 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007

PETERSON TO WORKOUT IN FULL?

Although the players regarded as the top prospects in the draft rarely if ever work out at the combine, word out of Indy is that Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson is expected to go through the entire set of running back drills over the weekend.

The thinking is that Peterson believes he has a lot to prove, given that he missed much of the 2006 season after suffering a broken collarbone while diving into the end zone. 

But he's definitely taking a risk, since a poor showing could cause him to slide out of the top ten.  A good showing, however, could vault him into the top three or four.

And with every spot in round one carrying a difference worth millions of dollars, the stakes for Peterson, and for the other guys poised to be plucked in the first dozen or so picks, couldn't be higher.

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MORE ON THE MORONS

We're trying to track down the video or the audio of Thursday's NFL Live segment in which Sean Salisbury and Marty Schottenheimer tried to answer some sample Wonderlic questions.  (If anyone has it, let us know.)

We wrote last night about the fact that Salisbury got one of the questions flat wrong, and then acted like he had gotten it right.  Apparently, this happened because Suzy Kolber (who gave the questions) said that Sean was right and Marty was wrong. 

But, as it turns out, Marty was right -- and Suzy and Sean were wrong.

The question:  A boy is 17 years old and his sister is twice his age.  When the boy is 23, how old will his sister be?

Sean said 46.  Marty said 40.

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MORE ON THE WONDERLIC

As to the test that Mike Vick still thinks has something to do with how fast you can eat an ice cream cone, we've heard from several sources that revisions have been made as to the scoring of the results.

The changes have occurred in the wake of last year's fiasco with Vince Young, in which he initially scored a seven (it was first reported as a six), and then the information was leaked.  Young got an unprecedented do-over, and in the end it had no relevance to his ability to adapt immediately to the pro game.

This year, the tests will be scored by an outside firm, and confidentiality will be maintained.

Until, of course, the official scores are given to the teams and they are inevitably disseminated publicly.

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POSTED 11:50 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

WINSLOW HAS MICROFRACTURE SURGERY

The May 2005 motorbike mishap involving Browns tight end Kellen Winslow continues to affect the player's football career.

The latest complication?  Winslow recently had microfracture surgery on the knee that he injured when he went over the handlebars of a crotch rocket street bike.

The goal of microfracture surgery is to stimulate the growth of scar tissue, which then acts as cartilage.  As Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon Journal points out, the results of this procedure have been mixed.

For Winslow, it remains to be seen whether his repaired knee will allow him to continue to play at a high level.  In 2006, he tied a single-season team record with 89 receptions.

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POSTED 11:17 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

DILLON DONE?

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe reports that Patriots running back Corey Dillon plans to retire.

We think.

"I think more of my health, how I envision myself 5-10 years down the road,’’ Dillon said.  "I don't want to be broken down, not able to play with my kids.  I've been blessed and fortunate enough to play 10 years.  I can get up and walk around and be comfortable.  That's one of the big determining factors."

Dillon reportedly wants to be released before he retires.  And, frankly, that makes us think that this might be an effort by the veteran running back to walk away from the game now, and then to un-retire as the 2007 season approaches.

If he simply retires, he won't be free to sign with another team.

And Dillon already is laying the groundwork for a later decision to come back.  Though he says, "There comes a time in your football career when you come to a conclusion and I'm at mine" and "I don't need to play," he also says that he is "going to leave the window open, but it's very slim."

‘"I may wake up and feel the itch and decide I still want to shake it, but as of now, I doubt that will happen."

If he can persuade the Pats to let him walk away, his feelings could change.

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POSTED 10:37 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

BROWNS HOT FOR JAMARCUS?

If the Cleveland Browns have their way, LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell will have a chance to get a staph infection this summer.

Per one of our moles at the scouting combine in Indy, the talk there is that the Browns will take Russell with the third or fourth overall pick in the draft, if he is still available.  The final positions of Cleveland and Tampa will be determined by a coin flip with the Bucs.

Many believe that Russell will be the No. 1 overall pick, which currently is held by the Raiders.  A trade of the pick is possible, since the Raiders could slide back a couple of spots and still be able to draft Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.

Some scouts aren't sold on Russell.  But, as we've seen time and again, all it takes is for one team to say "yes."

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POSTED 9:45 p.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 10:22 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

POLICE IMPOUND PACMAN'S "RAIN"

Police in Las Vegas have seized $81,000 that originally belonged to Titans cornerback Pacman Jones.  The money was part of the "intended . . . visual effect" at a Sunday night strip club, where Pacman tried to "make it rain" by throwing the money into the air and watching the dancers scramble for it.

We know Jones has plenty of money, and he can do with it whatever he wants to do.  But throwing $81,000 in the air so that he can watch a group of strippers jostle for it?

There's got to be a better way to spend money.

Some of his money, of course, will be dished out in a more traditional way.  Jones reportedly has hired the same law firm that represented Ray Lewis in that whole two-guys-dead-no-one-in-jail thing from seven years ago.   

Meanwhile, Reebok might want to rethink this commercial, featuring the aforementioned Mr. Jones.  Or, at a minimum, they should re-shoot the thing to include Pac throwing cash at the girls with whom he is flirting.

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ADVERTISERS, TAKE NOTE

We're always looking to add more folks who are interested in buying ads.  And there's no better time to add your ad to this here site than March 1, since the next two months will most likely generate our highest traffic of the year.

Based on past trends, we're estimating at least 600,000 unique visitors and 6.5 million page views for March and for April, each.

Interested in getting plenty of exposure with a demographic that is mainly male and clustered in the highly-coveted 25-40 age range?  Drop us a line.  

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PILFERY IS THE BEST FORM OF FLATTERY

Several readers (as in, like, 100 of them) have expressed to us their opinion that Sports Illustrated has ripped off our Turd Watch in its current issue.

The feature, dubbed "The Bust List," adopts a scoring system based on player arrests.  The only difference?  It includes the various sports leagues about which we don't care.

Are we mad?  Nope.  But will we have our vengeance?  We shall.  Oh, yes.  We shall.

Actually, we won't.  It just feels good to say that once in a while.

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SALISBURY SHOWS HIS ASS, AGAIN

A couple of readers tell us that ESPN's Sean Salisbury was on Thursday's NFL Live taking sample Wonderlic questions, and that he flat-out screwed one of the answers up.  And didn't realize it.

The question:  A boy is 17 years old and his sister is twice his age.  When the boy is 23, how old will his sister be?

Salisbury spouts off "46," when the right number was 40.  And, apparently, Salisbury bragged after the segment that he had answered all of the questions correctly.

Maybe he meant to say forty-chew.  (Thanks to the reader who suggested that one.)

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POSTED 8:19 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

JACKSON HAS TORN ACL

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe reports that Patriots receiver Chad Jackson suffered a torn ACL during the January 21 AFC Championship game.

The timing of the serious knee injury will disrupt if not destroy Jackson's preparations for the 2007 season.  He was the team's second-round draft pick in 2006.

Both of the team's starting receivers at the end of the season -- Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell -- are scheduled to return in 2007.  But with Jackson unlikely to add much in the coming campaign, the Pats will likely need to beef up the position via free agency or the draft.

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POSTED 7:56 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

RAVENS DON'T TAG THOMAS

The Baltimore Ravens won't be using the franchise tag on linebacker Adalius Thomas.

Thomas figures to be at the top of the list in a relatively mediocre class of free agents, and we've previously heard that the Packers plan to make an aggressive run at him in the early stages of the shopping spree.

Said G.M. Ozzie Newsome on Thursday:  "We have decided not to ‘franchise’ Adalius Thomas.  Our hope is that we can re-sign him.  Our plan is to compete at a championship level in 2007 and beyond."

The Ravens are a little odd when it comes to using the franchise tag.  They seem to buy into the notion held in some circles that giving a guy a one-year guaranteed salary in the range of $8 million or so is an insult.

Man, we would love to be so insulted.

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POSTED 7:46 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

FAT ALBERT IS BACK

As Frank Barone would say, "Holy crap."

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio says that quarterback Byron Leftwich is back at the top of the team's depth chart, with only one year remaining on his contract.

"Shack [Harris] and his staff and me and my staff, including the new coaches, have completed our evaluation processes and, in our minds, there’s a confirmation and consensus that Byron Leftwich is our starting quarterback going forward,” Del Rio said.

"I have.  We've spoken.  I talked to him the week after the Super Bowl.  We spent three hours talking," Del Rio said.  "When you lose your starting quarterback, it puts your head coach into an awkward situation.  There were some awkward situations we potentially could've handled better.  It's unrealistic for anybody to lose their quarterback and not be confronted with those situations.  We've resolved to go forward."

Leftwich landed on the sidelines last season due to a supposed ankle problem.  Initially, Leftwich made some public comments suggesting that he wasn't really hurt.

Our take?  Any decision in this regard is only tentative, since Leftwich's contract hasn't been extended.  If/when he gets a new deal, then we'll believe that he's the long-term solution.

But with Del Rio likely in 1.76 million gallons of hot water, we've got a feeling that he prefers to survive the coming season before worrying about who the quarterback will be at a time when Del Rio might not be there.

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POSTED 7:32 p.m. EST, February 22, 2007

BROOKS GOES BYE-BYE IN THE BAY

The Raiders have severed ties with quarterback Aaron Brooks, less than a year after signing him.

The team dumped Brooks on Thursday in lieu of paying him a $5 million option bonus in March.

With Marques Tuiasosopo heading for free agency, Andrew Walter will be the only quarterback on the roster with experience.  And that increases the likelihood that the Raiders will draft either JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn in the first round of the draft, either with the first overall pick or by sliding back a few spots.

One possible destination for Brooks is Green Bay, where former Saints offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy is the head coach.  Of course, this presumes that McCarthy didn't conclude long ago that Brooks stinks.

Coincidentally, Brooks was drafted by the Packers, and later traded to New Orleans.

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POSTED 6:52 a.m. EST, February 22, 2007

PACMAN POOP-CANS AGENT

The Nashville Tennessean reports that Titans cornerback Pacman Jones has fired agent Michael Huyghue.

Per the Tennessean, Jones has recently filed the paperwork to end the relationship, and Huyghue has not gotten formal word of the move.

"I don't know where that came from," Huyghue said. "We're still there."

Coincidentally (or not), we just heard last night chatter that Huyghue was thinking of dropping Jones.  On one hand, it could be that Huyghue is trying to spin his dismissal in a positive light.  On the other hand, it could be that Jones was sensing that he was going to be dropped, so he moved first to fire him.

For his own sake, Jones needs an agent, if for no reason other than that he needs someone constantly involved in his life who will try to get him to stay out of trouble, before he ends up behind bars.

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BIG WEEK COMING

We know that we've been a little lighter this week than usual with the updates, but we ask you to bear with us.  The "day job" annoyances that have kept us busy the past few days will be gone soon.

And with free agency coming up, we plan to devote several days exclusively to the gathering of news and rumors and other good stuff about the most active portion of the offseason.

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POSTED 9:55 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:01 p.m. EST, February 21, 2007

BEARS, LOVIE AT IMPASSE

The agent for Bears coach Lovie Smith tells Chris Mortensen of ESPN that negotiations between the team and the coach are at a "stalemate."

Smith is scheduled to be the lowest-paid coach in the NFL in 2007, at $1.45 million.

We reported last week that the Bears offered Smith a deal worth less than $3.2 million since the Super Bowl.

"We're not close, we're not encouraged and based on where talks have gone recently, Lovie will be a free agent after next season," Frank Bauer said on Wednesday night.

Earlier this week, Smith cleared out one of the few in-house options that the Bears would have had for 2008 when he opted not to bring back defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, a member of the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl championship team.

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BENGALS ON THE BOARD

The team that would have been the likely champ of Turd Watch 2006 has finally gotten onto the scoreboard in 2007, courtesy of linebacker Odell Thurman.

On Wednesday, Thurman pleaded no contest to drunk driving charges from September 2006.  It was the same incident in which receiver Chris Henry was hurling out the window of the vehicle Thurman was driving.

And before Bengals fans fill our in-box with complaints, the reality here is that Thurman is still a member of the team, even though he is on suspension.

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POSTED 8:46 p.m. EST, February 21, 2007

PACMAN OUT OF CHANCES?

The Poobah has been in trial again today, so what better way to get back into the flow than to talk about a guy who soon will likely be on trial?

Pacman Jones.

The story, which is now everywhere, is amazing.  The talk coming out of Indy, where scouts and agents are convening for the combine, is that Jones might finally have found himself in a situation from which he won't be able to extricate himself.

And we're thinking seriously about adding a catch-all category to Turd Watch.

The situation started when Jones threw hundreds of dollar bills into the air at a Vegas strip club on Sunday.  One of the dancers apparently didn't realize that Pacman doesn't want them to actually retrieve the dollar bills until he gives them the green light.  So Pacman allegedly grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the stage.

A fight ensued, and there are reports that Jones ended up going Mike Tyson on someone's ankle.  Jones also allegedly threatened to kill one of the guards at the club, and then one of the guys Jones was allegedly with then tried to do it, by opening fire.

One of the persons hit by gunfire is now permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

We thought that Jones had turned things around after getting a last chance from the Titans.  The only question now?  Whether the Titans really meant it.

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POSTED 8:28 p.m. EST, February 21, 2007

NFLPA TO STIFFEN SUSPENSION REGS

In direct response (apparently) to the ongoing involvement of David Dunn in player recruiting efforts, a league insider tells us that the NFL Players Association will be amending its rule book to prohibit suspended agents from having any involvement in the representation of players, including recruiting.

We're also told that the NFLPA plans to focus aggressively on the other agents working with Dunn at Athletes First.  Already, the union has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Joby Branion based on allegations that he interfered with the relationship between 49ers tight end Vernon Davis and his agents.

We like that the NFLPA is closing a broad loophole, but we hope the organization will go farther in order to make it harder for an agent who works with other agents to merely step to the side while on suspension, but still get paid.

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POSTED 5:07 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 6:20 a.m. EST, February 21, 2007

BENTLEY NEWS COMES AT A BAD TIME

The disclosure on Tuesday that Browns center LeCharles Bentley's career could be in jeopardy due to a staph infection that invaded his injured knee and prevented the torn patellar tendon from fully and properly healing is the worst news that the team could have announced, in light of the fact that free agency begins next week.

As a practical matter, the announcement and comments from G.M. Phil Savage puts the apparent epidemic of staph infections suffered by Browns players back into the limelight as the period approaches for trying to lure veteran players to town.

Then again, perhaps this was the team's effort to polish the proverbial turd by addressing publicly the issue that other teams undoubtedly are poised to use against the Browns as teams and agents begin in earnest the wink-nod phase of contract discussions while gathered for the scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Along these lines, the team announced that a "glaze" to prevent staph infections will be applied this week at the team's training facility.

Question.  Why the hell wasn't this done sooner?

The timing suggests that the team wasn't all that worried about solving the problem while the players currently under contract were toiling through the 2006 season in a bug-infested building.  But now that the time is coming for some current players to decide whether to stay and possible new players to decide whether to come, the Browns are trying to fix the problem.

Suddenly, we're not shocked that the folks in Cleveland have been forced to suffer through such bad football over most of the past eight years.

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PRO DAYS GET STARTED NEXT WEEK

The scouting combine in Indy is only the first step in a T-shirts-and-shorts evaluation process that will continue until the days prior to the draft.  Next week, the various Pro Days held at or near various college campuses will begin in earnest.

For some of the blue-chippers who choose not to work out at Indy, the Pro Day is the opportunity to show what they can do.  Some players also work out privately for one or more teams.

An initial list of the Pro Day workouts is available at NFL.com. 

Curiously, at least one workout (the second workout at Texas Christian) is scheduled for May 2, which falls after the draft. 

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GET TO KNOW THE COMBINE PLAYERS

The full list of players invited to the scouting combine is available for perusal. 

But one important factor to keep in mind is that the process of inviting players to the combine is at times imperfect.  Over the years, plenty of players not invited to the combine have been drafted, and have thereafter become successful in the NFL.

The best example we can recall?  Pitt cornerback Shawntae Spencer, who vaulted to round two in 2004 despite being snubbed by the combine.  Spencer signed a long-term extension with the 49ers during the 2006 season.

So why do some good players get snubbed?  As several league insiders have explained to us over the years, the folks employed by the National Scouting Service, which compiles the list of players for the combine, generally would be working for NFL teams, if they possessed high-end skills at evaluating talent.

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DUNN DARING THE NFLPA?

A league insider tells us that the official list of combine invitees that also includes agents features four players who have identified David Dunn as one of their representatives.

The problem?  Dunn currently is serving a suspension imposed by the NFL Players Association.

Said the source:  "To me, this means that while Athletes First may be the agency officially negotiating the deal with the NFL, Dunn was the one who developed the relationship with the player, actively recruited him, and signed him.  He will also be the one receiving his portion of the three-percent fee associated with the rookie contract that he is not allowed to have anything to do with."

Technically, Dunn won't be able to directly receive a portion of the fee generated from the player contract.  However, and as we previously have explained, Dunn is not prohibited from being paid out of the general revenues of his firm, which revenues are enhanced by player commissions that he is not allowed to be paid.

And this tells us that it makes sense for every agent to have at least one partner, in the event that one of them ever gets suspended by the NFLPA.  For agents who work alone, there's no way to continue to do business while on a union-imposed time out.  But if there's at least one other certified agent in the building, a suspension doesn't have to have much of an impact on the suspended agent's day-to-day work.

Clearly, this is a loophole that the NFLPA needs to close.

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WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Packers WR Koren Robinson will spend 90 days in jail for leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase, and a report in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel seems to suggest that he'll get to serve all or part of his 90-day term for violating probation on a prior arrest at the same time.  (Turd Watch note:  Robinson's guilty plea came before February 5, so the sentencing does not put the Pack on the board.)

Colts RB Dominic Rhodes blew a 0.09, which is higher than the Indiana legal limit of 0.08.

Packers RB Ahman Green apparently intends to test the market.

The Lions are expected to use the franchise tag on DT Cory Redding.

The Lions' other Cory is likely finished in Motown after 12 seasons with the team.

Colts TE Dallas Clark was tossed from a high school basketball game.  A girls high school basketball game.  (That's even more pathetic than having a computerized version of yourself blown up by Brian Dawkins during a commercial for Madden.)

The debate in Indy regarding the bad-boy Pacers and the good-boy Colts took an interesting turn when RB Dominic Rhodes got busted on Tuesday morning.

Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post takes a chunk out of the Playmaker's rear end.

By agreeing to convert a $10 million roster bonus into a guaranteed payment, Colts QB Peyton Manning reduced his cap number without giving up any of his money.

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POSTED 8:14 p.m. EST, February 20, 2007

BENTLEY DONE?

Browns center LeCharles Bentley, who tore a patellar tendon on the third play of an 11-on-11 scrimmage at the first practice of training camp, could undergo a third surgery on his bad knee, which would knock him out for the entire 2007 season.

The condition could also end his career.

A staph infection developed in Bentley's knee after the first surgery, which required a second surgery and a month-long stay at the Cleveland Clinic.

Last March, Bentley signed with the Browns early in free agency.  There were reports at the time that he had a verbal deal in place with the Eagles, on which he reneged.  The Eagles couldn't say or do anything about it, however, because to do so would have required an admission of tampering.  Bentley started his career with the Saints.

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POSTED 8:03 p.m. EST, February 20, 2007

CHARGERS INK PHILLIPS

The San Diego Chargers have signed linebacker Shaun Phillips to a new contract.  The six-year deal will keep Phillips in San Diego through 2012.

Phillips would have been a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Chargers would have had to decide how big of a one-year tender offer to make to him.  Under restricted free agency, teams have a right to match any offer sheet signed by the player.  Given the poison-pill device, which makes it very easy to craft an offer sheet that can't be matched, the real challenge for a team with a restricted free agent is to guess right regarding the amount of the tender offer that will result in enough draft-pick compensation to scare away any potential suitors.

Since Phillips was a fourth-round pick of the Chargers in the 2004 draft, the low tender would have given the Chargers a fourth-round pick in return.  Other levels include a second-round tender, a first-round tender, and a first-round and third-round tender.

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POSTED 7:50 p.m. EST, February 20, 2007

WEIRDNESS AT WEIS TRIAL

As we see it, there's no better way to cap off a full day of trial, courtesy of that annoying day job that from time to time gets in the way of the ability to update this here site, than to write about a trial that blew up unexpectedly on Tuesday.

Per multiple published reports, the medical malpractice suit brought by Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis resulted in a mistrial on Tuesday when one of the jurors became ill -- and when two of the defendants rushed to administer aid.

After the incident, the lawyers for Weis asked for a mistrial, over the objection of the defendants.  The judge granted the request.

Normally, the inability of a juror to finish a case results in an alternate juror taking his or her place.  In this case, the fact that other jurors saw the defendants administer aid to the stricken juror apparently caused the judge to conclude that the jurors who witnessed the event would not be able to render a fair and impartial verdict.

So the case will have to be started over from scratch, and to do that the court will first have to find a time to schedule it.  Our guess?  They'll be doing it all over again in February 2008, one of the rare months in which a major college football coach isn't otherwise doing much of anything.

The case arises from gastric bypass surgery performed on Weis while he was working for the Patriots.  The general feeling in league circles is that Weis was hoping to become svelte in order to counter a general sense that NFL owners don't like to hire coaches who are a tad on the morbidly obese side.

Meanwhile, we generally think that Weis is fighting an uphill battle.  Statistically, one out of every 100 persons who have gastric bypass surgery die as a result of the procedure, and based on our admittedly limited knowledge of the topic it sounds like the complications that he suffered were within the normal risks associated with this drastic and extreme weight-loss strategy.

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POSTED 5:52 p.m. EST, February 20, 2007

RHODES BLOWS HIS FREE-AGENT VALUE

Colts running back Dominic Rhodes, scheduled to become a free agent next week, has not done much to increase the market for his services by getting busted for drunk driving.

Rhodes was arrested at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday, after being caught driving 81 miles per hour in 55 mile-per-hour zone.   

"We are very troubled by Dominic Rhodes' arrest for DUI," Colts President Bill Polian said in a statement.  (Hey, it's not like Rhodes threw a Jets employee against the wall.)

In this case, "very troubled" likely means "not inclined to re-sign."  Then again, now that his market has just gone "poof," maybe the Colts will be able to get him at a cut-rate deal.

The good news is that Rhodes has earned a three-pointer for the Colts, who now take the AFC lead in Turd Watch.

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POSTED 6:25 a.m. EST, February 20, 2007

DUNGY COMING BACK FOR 2007

Colts coach Tony Dungy said Monday that he'll be back for another season with the team.  Moving forward, however, it seems clear that Dungy is committed to taking his career one year at a time.

"Obviously, you want to come back.  You want to defend the title.  We've got such a great group of guys, that that's eventually what draws you back every year," Dungy said.  "I wouldn't say it was an easy decision, but it was the right one, and it didn't take overly long to make."

So if it wasn't an easy decision this year, it presumably won't be an easy decision next year, or the year thereafter.  And that's just enough to make Dungy the Bill Cowher of 2007, with constant speculation and rumor as to whether Dungy will pack it in after the year after finally scaling successfully the NFL mountain.

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COPS WANT TO TALK TO PACMAN

The Nashville City Paper, citing the Las Vegas Review-Journal, reports that authorities in Sin City want to talk with Titans cornerback Pacman Jones regarding a triple shooting at a strip club that left two persons in critical condition.

Jones' agent, Michael Huyghue, told the City Paper that he has no knowledge of Jones' alleged involvement. 

Jones currently is under a six-month order to stay out of trouble in order to have charges of disorderly conduct and public intoxication dismissed.

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SAINTS TO TAG GRANT

The New Orleans Saints reportedly will apply the franchise tag to defensive end Charles Grant, according to ESPN.com.

Grant will receive a one-year tender offer worth $8.66 million.  If he accepts the tender, it is fully guaranteed.  The Saints have the ability to withdraw the tender until it is accepted.

The 2002 first-rounder will be the fifth player hit with the franchise tag in less than a week.  To date, no one has used the transition tag in the 2007 offseason.  And no one likely will, since the transition tender now becomes guaranteed when accepted, there is no compensation paid to transition players who sign elsewhere, and the poison-pill device used by the Vikings in 2006 makes it very easy for a team to craft an offer sheet that, as a practical matter, can't be matched.

The deadline for using either tag is February 22.

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NORV IS MR. ROPER

Attention, PFT Planet.  We have a new nickname that we'll be using for an NFL head coach.

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, Chargers coach Norv Turner will from this point forward be known as "Mr. Roper."  (Unfortunately for Norv, "T-Bone" was already taken.)

There's definitely a resemblance, and Turner's sub-.500 career coaching record makes the comparison to the lovable loser from Three's Company even more appropriate.

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TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Dan Daly of the Washington Times provides a different take on the current "we need to give the former players a bunch of money" movement in the NFL.

Nick Caserio is moving from director of pro personnel to receivers coach for the Patriots.

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron apparently will be the next guy to start using Nutri-System.

Former Bears defensive coordinator "Ray" Rivera is getting zero respect.  (The New York Times gives him the wrong name in a Tuesday story.  Last month, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called him "Ben.")

Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert says that the team's first pick could be used on any position other than quarterback.

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POSTED 11:23 p.m. EST, February 19, 2007

COLTS SLAP EXCLUSIVE TAG ON FREENEY

The Colts have applied the franchise tag to defensive end Dwight Freeney.  And at a time when some wondered whether the defending Super Bowl champs would restrict his mobility in free agency at all, Indy has opted to use the "exclusive" version of the tag.  As a result, he cannot negotiate with any other teams.

Per a league source, the move means that the one-year tender for Freeney will be at least $8.64 million, and that it could be roughly $9.5 million. 

At $9.5 million, the minimum cost of franchising him again in 2008 would be $11.4 million.

The potential increase in the tender is due to the fact that, for exclusive franchise players, the value of the one-year deal is recalculated after the first phase of the coming free agency period, based on the average of the five highest-paid players at the position.

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POSTED 11:13 p.m. EST, February 19, 2007

PACMAN IN HOT WATER, AGAIN?

After several months of exemplary behavior, Titans cornerback Pacman Jones might find himself with a new, and potentially serious, legal entanglement.

Per a report on SportsbyBrooks.com, citing a report from Steve Cofield of Sporting News Radio, Jones and/or his entourage could be at the center of a Las Vegas strip club incident that resulted in gunfire on Sunday night, with three people ending up wounded, two of whom are in critical condition.

Jones presently isn't accused of any wrongdoing, and there's no hard evidence that he has done anything wrong.  But trouble seems to periodically find Pacman, and we're hardly surprised by this latest development.

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POSTED 10:54 p.m. EST; UPDATED 11:01 p.m. EST, February 19, 2007

RIVERA RELEASE STINKS TO US

Multiple published reports indicate that the Bears have parted ways with defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, whose contract was set to expire on Tuesday.  Just last week, Rivera said that he planned on staying with the Bears. 

The story was first reported on Monday afternoon by Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com, who has pretty much earned his salary for the year in the past 24 hours.

A league source tells us that the decision not to retain Rivera was made by head coach Lovie Smith.  Given that information the decision bothers us, for two reasons.

First, it's no secret that Smith currently is trying to snag a long-term extension with the Bears.  It's also no secret that Rivera's performance this season resulted in multiple interviews for head-coaching vacancies.  So, by running Rivera out of town, Smith increased his own leverage as he enters his lame-duck season, since now the Bears don't have a handy in-house alternative.

Second, if Rivera wasn't going to be retained, why didn't the Bears let him walk sooner?  On one hand, hanging onto Rivera gave him a full and fair chance to land a head-coaching job.  If he'd been fired, his chances of getting one of the various head-coaching jobs would have been even slimmer.

And even though the Chargers' job was filled on Monday, the last expected vacancy disappeared 10 days ago when Wade Phillips became the coach of the Cowboys.  So why not cut Rivera loose then?

With all that said, the talk in league circles is that this decision was in the works for a while, apparently due to the perception that the Bears' defense performed ineffectively in the second half of the season.

Rivera quickly found a landing space.  He'll coach the linebackers in San Diego, a clear step backwards for a guy whose window of opportunity for a head-coaching job has, for now, slammed shut.  And he'll add the 3-4 to his existing knowledge of the 4-3 used by the Eagles and the Tampa Two used by the Bears.

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BABINEAUX ALLEGEDLY KILLED A DOG

When news broke on Monday that Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux had been arrested on charges of felony animal abuse, the details were sketchy.

It's now being reported that Babineaux allegedly killed a dog.

Babineaux is out on bond.

The Falcons won't comment on the matter until gathering more information.  Maybe owner Arthur Blank will explain that the dog was struck with a trick water bottle.

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POSTED 3:31 p.m. EST, February 19, 2007

BABINEAUX PUTS BIRDS ON THE BOARD

Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux has been arrested and charged with felony animal abuse.

And ladies and gentlemen, the Falcons now lead the PFT Turd Watch.

Felony arrests are worth seven points in our two-week-old standings.  As previously explained, we don't follow the whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing here because:  (1) it's too easy for rich guys to hire good lawyers who can create reasonable doubt in the minds of one or more members of a twelve-person jury; and (2) the arrest itself causes the bigger problem from a P.R. perspective, for the player, his team, and the league.

Babineaux has played for the Falcons for two seasons.  He's also the first person to be arrested since the Turd Watch game started; all other points were the result of pleas entered for prior arrests.

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POSTED 12:58 p.m. EST, February 19, 2007

LEN PLAYS DIRTY ON TURNER HIRE

Okay, now that ESPN has opted to clear Michael Irvin off of the television side of the operation, we think it's high time for the boys in Bristol to turn a scrutinizing eye toward certain portions of its dot-com operation, which continues to (from time to time) claim credit for stories that it simply didn't break.

Regarding the report that the Chargers have hired Norv Turner, the news officially was broken by Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com.  And we posted a story on the Glazer report well before ESPN.com had anything published on the issue.

But, lo and behold, ESPN.com now has an item in which Len Pasquarelli claims credit for reporting that Turner is getting the job.

And the underhandedness apparently isn't confined to the Internet side of the business.  Says a member of PFT Planet:  "At exactly 12:27 p.m. (I checked my watch), ESPN changed its ticker on the SportsCenter rerun to note the BREAKING NEWS reported by Len Pasquarelli that Norv was San Diego bound.  My question is, did he learn it from FOX, from PFT citing FOX, or the ESPNNews ticker, which had the info in its news box for the prior half hour?"

When Dan Patrick politely chastised on his radio show those (including us) who posted the "Terry Bradshaw might be dead" rumors, he candidly admitted that ESPN is guilty at times of attempting to take credit for reports originating elsewhere, often by using the subtle code words "ESPN has confirmed" in order to get around the inconvenient reality that someone else had it first.

In this case, Pasquarelli doesn't even use the word "confirmed".  He sells the thing as his own work product, even though it clearly is not.   Here's the screen shot, in the event they do the right thing and change it.

Isn't that the kind of stuff "real" journalists get fired for?

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POSTED 11:36 a.m. EST, February 19, 2007

THIRD TIME A CHARM FOR NORV?

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the San Diego Chargers have hired 49ers offensive coordinator Norv Turner.  Turner, who previously coached the Redskins and Raiders, becomes the second coach in less than two weeks to get his third chance as a head coach.  Earlier this month, the Cowboys hired former Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, whose departure resulted in the schism that prompted the Spanoseses to fire Marty Schottenheimer.

Turner was the only candidate interviewed by the Chargers whose specialty is offense.

Glazer reported early Monday that Ted Cottrell will be tapped to be the new defensive coordinator in San Diego.  The choice is a bit odd, given that Cottrell was out of the league in 2006 -- and given that he did not score an interview for the head-coaching gig.  In contrast, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was interviewed by the Chargers to be the potential replacement for Marty Schottenheimer, and Rivera is essentially a free agent, given that his contract with the Bears expires this week.

The problem, however, is that Rivera's background is with the 4-3 defense, and the Chargers use the 3-4.  But why interview the guy to be the head coach if you're not willing to explore making a change in defensive philosophy?

For Norv, there will be no grace period or multi-year plan.  He'll be expected to mimic another former Raiders coach, Jon Gruden, and hit the ground sprinting with a playoff team that returns enough pieces to be a serious contender in 2007.  

In our view, anything less than a division championship and a first-round bye will be regarded as a disappointment.

The only problem?  No Turner-coached team has ever finished a season in such a lofty position.

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POSTED 8:07 a.m. EST; UPDATED 8:32 a.m. EST, February 19, 2007

CHARGERS LEANING TOWARD NORV

In China, it's the year of the pig.  In the NFL, 2007 is shaping up to be the year of the retread.

Per Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com, the Chargers are leaning toward hiring 49ers offensive coordinator Norv Turner.  Turner previously was fired by the Redskins and the Raiders.

Less than two weeks ago, the Cowboys picked former Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips over Turner.  Phillips has been fired by the Broncos and the Bills. 

Glazer also reports that Ted Cottrell has the inside track to becoming the new defensive coordinator in San Diego.  Cottrell did not coach in 2006, and has since worked for the league office.

If Turner and Cottrell get the nod, it's a sure sign that G.M. A.J. Smith is safe for now, despite his role in the dysfunction that got the team's former coach Schott-canned last Monday.  With Turner and Cottrell playing the "we're happy to be anywhere" routine, the last thing Smith or team president Dean Spanos will have to worry about is a coaching staff that does anything other than what it's told to do. 

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GENTLEMEN, START YOUR TAMPERING

The fourth NFL convention of the new calendar year convenes this week, as scouts and agents and college players descend on Indy for the combine.  But unlike the Senior Bowl and the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl, the combine has an important alternative purpose.

It's the place where the foundation is often laid for many of the free-agent deals that will be struck in early March.

Technically, teams are not allowed to speak to impending free agents (or their agents) until midnight on March 2.  So how are so many deals struck only minutes after the meat market opens?

The work is done now, through a series of conversations that never occurred regarding certain hypothetical players who might be interested in certain hypothetical teams.  Hypothetically.

Heck, some of it is even more blatant than that, with meetings between the agents and the team representatives occurring out in the open.

Make no mistake about it.  There will be tampering.  Most if not every team does it.  A league source told us several months ago that his team resisted it for years until it became obvious that the failure to do so was creating a competitive disadvantage, since everyone else was doing it.

It occurs because the NFL rarely if ever will slap someone's knuckles for it.  Part of the problem is that it's hard to prove.  But even when the evidence is fairly clear, as it was when Lawyer Milloy said that he had received an offer from the Redskins before the Patriots released him in 2003, nothing ever happens.

So it will continue.  And much of the action will take place in the coming week, which (in theory) is only about sizing up incoming rookies. 

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POSTED 9:24 p.m. EST; UPDATED 9:58 p.m. EST, February 18, 2007

RUSSELL TO ROUND THREE?

It's highly unlikely that LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell will drop out of the upper reaches of the NFL draft.  But some league insiders regard Russell as a guy who should be taken in the third round of the draft.

Prior to the Sugar Bowl, Russell wasn't widely regarded as a top-five pick.  Since shredding the Irish, however, most have presumed that Russell should be the first guy off of the board.

As we've previously written, some scouts regard Russell as another Byron Leftwich:  Big arm, limited mobility.

But as we've seen time and again, even if 31 teams don't view a guy as a first-rounder, all it takes is one to say "yes".

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SUNDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr. won't be running at the combine.  (Or, for his sake, celebrating any touchdowns.)

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says that character has always been a concern for the team on draft day.  (No.  Seriously.  He said that.)

Everyone is looking for the next Marques Colston.

Marlin Briscoe was the Mike Vick of yesteryear.  (Without, of course, a trick water bottle, but it was a water bottle and it was filled with water and that's what it was filled with.)

At the scouting combine, the Steelers will be searching for 4-3 defenders for the first time in two decades.

Is Rutgers becoming a source of actual NFL players?

The fullback could assume a bigger role in the Cowboys offense.

Will the Jets be big spenders in free agency?

Is Ron Rivera the Bears' fallback if Lovie leaves after 2007?

Here's what the Bengals need in free agency.

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb is supporting his head coach:  "I have his back and will continue to pray for him."

With the franchise tag on CB Asante Samuel, Pats TE Daniel Graham is likely to hit the free-agent market.

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POSTED 11:10 a.m. EST, February 18, 2007

BRADY HAVING "PROTECTION PROBLEMS"?

After a January 2006 playoff loss to the Steelers, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning famously threw his offensive line under the bus by publicly citing "protection problems."

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady apparently can relate, although for somewhat different reasons.

Per the New York Post, Brady's ex-girlfriend is expecting a baby.  And Brady is the father.  (Unless Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband has been getting around even more than he claims.)

The spokeswoman for actress Bridget Moynahan tells the Post that Moynahan is indeed pregnant, and that it's Brady's.

Moynahan and Brady parted ways in December after two years together.  And at least for the next 18 years or so, they'll continue to be connected.

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POSTED 7:29 a.m. EST, February 18, 2007

IRVIN WAS ON SHORT LEASH

As it turns out, ESPN had Michael Irvin on a short leash, via a one-year contract signed in 2006 with a three-year option that, in the end, ESPN opted not to exercise.

"It's fine," Irvin said Saturday night regarding his departure from ESPN.  "These are exciting times for me and my family.  There are a lot of opportunities to explore.  I truly appreciate what ESPN allowed me to do, but it was time to move on.  I loved working with those guys . . . but I feel blessed enough to do other things."

Let's see.  Nuclear physics?  Um, no.  Pediatric oncology?  Well, no.  Milking his NFL fame by signing his name on football cards and photographs for money?  Yeah, baby.

Of course, another "opportunity" (as we vaguely recall suggesting at some point in the past) would be for Irvin to write a tell-all book about his time at ESPN.

" . . . and then, while we were watching the Cowboys and the Packers game, Chris Berman lifted up his left butt cheek and farted louder than I talk.  And for some reason it smelled like leather."

In all, Irvin spent four seasons with ESPN.  If he hopes to continue to talk about football on the air, his options are limited to FOX (which has no studio show openings, since Terry Bradshaw is still alive), CBS (which already has too many cooks at the counter), and NBC (which likewise has no room at the Rock).

Other options include radio, where the unpredictability that made him a liability at ESPN could be a selling point. 

And we applaud ESPN for making the right decision here.  Hopefully, the move represents an effort to instill greater credibility into the operation, and will be followed by decisions to part ways with others about whom we, and others, have complained.

Of course, if that would happen, then we wouldn't have anything to complain about.

Hmmmm.

Hey, Bristol, is there any chance you might reconsider this one?

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POSTED 10:19 p.m. EST, February 17, 2007

IT'S OFFICIAL -- IRVIN OUT

ESPN has formally announced that Michael Irvin won't be back for the 2007 season.

"Michael will not be with us this fall," ESPN spokesman Bill Hoffheimer said, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Hoffheimer reportedly stressed that Irvin had not violated any contractual morals clause, and that the decision was the product of the network's "annual review."

A year ago, Irvin's contract was up and ESPN opted to keep him around.  The length of his new deal wasn't (to our knowledge) reported.  Our guess is that the Irvin contract was for more than one season -- and that ESPN likely will be paying him not to work for the balance of it.

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POSTED 4:13 p.m. EST; UPDATED 5:20 p.m. EST, February 17, 2007

TUNA IN, IRVIN OUT IN BRISTOL

An industry source tells us that Bill Parcells has signed on with ESPN, and that Michael Irvin is out.

"It's done," said the source.  "Rock solid."

Parcells, we're told, will be part of the 78-person Monday night crew, which is dispatched from Bristol on a weekly basis to bring grandeur to (and thus justify) the network's $1.1 billion per year investment in the MNF franchise.

As to Irvin, it's anyone's guess where he now lands.  Maybe he'll retreat to FSN, which is where he rehabilitated his image after his playing career and before making the leap to Bristol.  

Meanwhile, we assume that the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be televised once again by ESPN, which will make the day more than a little awkward, in our view. 

Irvin is objectively likeable, but he is gratuitously controversial.  His biases as an analyst are at times obvious to the point of laughable.  Also, he was suspended in November 2005 for failing to disclose a recent arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia.  In 2006, his musings regarding the possible presence of African-American DNA in Gomer Pyle-white Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo prompted a torrent of criticism that both the network and Irvin initially did their best to ignore. 

Says a member of PFT Planet regarding the Parcells-for-Irvin swap:  "Sweet irony.  Michael Irvin gets T.O. on the Cowboys.  T.O. causes Bill Parcells to retire from Cowboys.  Parcells takes Irvin's job at ESPN." 

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POSTED 2:59 p.m. EST, February 17, 2007

JONES OUT IN OAKLAND

We've confirmed, via a league source, that Sean Jones no longer is working for the Raiders.  

Contrary, however, to reports that Jones left the team because he did not want to wait any longer for an opportunity to succeed Mike Lombardi as, in essence, the head of the team's personnel department, we're told that the departure was involuntary.

We're also told that more front-office changes could (emphasize "could") be coming, and that Lombardi himself is still not entirely safe.

Jones previously worked as an agent, but the NFLPA decertified him due to alleged financial irregularities involving two of his clients, cornerback Cris Dishman and defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban.  An arbitrator reduced the decertification to a two-year suspension.

Jones played for the Raiders from 1984 through 1987, and later played for the Oilers and the Packers.

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POSTED 8:33 a.m. EST, February 17, 2007

REGGIE SPRAINS ANKLE IN CELEBRITY HOOPS GAME

Saints running back Reggie Bush, playing in a celebrity basketball game as part of the NBA's All-Star festivities in Sin City, sprained an ankle while trying to block a shot.  He was assisted off of the court.

Bush says that the injury isn't serious, but what else would he say after so stupidly risking his ability to get ready for the 2007 season?

We know that plenty of NFL players like to play pickup basketball in the offseason, and we doubt that any contract specifically prevents a guy from hitting the hardwood in order to stay in shape.  But the reality is that ankles can sprain and ACLs can tear and Achilles' tendons can pop on the basketball court, too.

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POSTED 8:22 a.m. EST, February 17, 2007

BRONCOS DECIDE TO KEEP WALKER

After the Denver Broncos traded for receiver Javon Walker in 2006, they signed him to a long-term deal that was essentially a one-year contract with a team option on the remainder.

Bill Williamson of the Denver Post reports that the team opted this week to pick up the option, which will keep Walker in town for 2007 and beyond.

Walker will receive $10.7 million during the 2007 offseason, and the "majority" of it (per Williamson) was paid out this week.

Under his current contract, Walker is scheduled to earn base salaries of $600,000 in 2007, $2.1 million in 2008, $5.6 million in 2009, $5.85 million in 2010, and $6.7 million in 2011.

In his first season with the team, Walker had 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns.  He emerged as a star for the Packers in 2004 after two so-so seasons, and a rift developed with the team as he campaigned for a contract with a signing bonus in the range of $17 million.  Walker tore an ACL in the first game of the 2005 season, and then was traded to Denver in April 2006.

Williamson also reports that Walker's spirits have improved in recent weeks.  Walker was sitting next to Darrent Williams when Williams was shot in the early morning hours of January 1, and Williams died in Walker's arms.

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POSTED 8:09 a.m. EST, February 17, 2007

MARINELLI CLEARING OUT THE TURDS

Per a league source, the Lions' recent decision to allow players like cornerback Dre' Bly, defensive end James Hall, and defensive tackle Marcus Bell to shop themselves around is an effort toward clearing out the guys who don't have the attitude or mindset that coach Rod Marinelli wants.

When Marinelli was hired last year, one of the concerns was that the roster had been compiled without regard to whether the players would respond to Marinelli's no-nonsense, high-intensity approach.

And, though we're not generally inclined to cut the Lions much of a break due to years/decades of ineptitude, it'll be interesting to see what happens as Marinelli gets more and more of the guys that Marinelli thinks will be a better fit.

It's all an effort to get the team toward a goal (as we hear it) of seven wins in 2007.  The thinking in the building is that seven is the magic number necessary to help President/CEO Matt Millen survive beyond his seventh year with the team.

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GREEN BAY GOING DEFENSE IN FREE AGENCY

We reported recently that the Packers' first target in free agency will be Ravens linebacker/defensive end Adalius Thomas.

We're now hearing that the defensive side of the ball will be the primary, if not exclusive, focus of the team's efforts in free agency.

Last year, quarterback Brett Favre spoke openly about wanting the team to make a free-agent acquisition along the lines of defensive end Reggie White.  Though there was no Reggie-type player available last year (and there isn't one available this year), quantity could be the key as the Packers improve their ability to keep other teams off of the scoreboard.

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HENEGHAN NOT LONG FOR NINERS?

The addition of Lal Heneghan to the San Francisco front office has not been regarded as, as we hear it, a successful move.

The opinion held by some is that Heneghan, a former employee of the NFL league office, brings too much of a league-office mentality to the operation (whatever that means), and that he is not a classic "football guy."

Heneghan's primary expertise is the salary cap, not the identification and/or evaluation of football talent. 

He previously was the cap guy with the Browns, but was abruptly fired by former coach Butch Davis in 2004.  Heneghan was hired by the 49ers in April 2006.

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POSTED 8:06 p.m. EST, February 16, 2007

BEARS LOW-BALLED LOVIE

A league source tells us that the Bears have offered coach Lovie Smith an extension worth less than $3.2 million per year.

And we're told that the low-ball offer was made since the Super Bowl.

Though we'd love to be so underpaid, the number is a slap in the face to a guy who took his team to the Super Bowl in his third year on the job.

Our advice to Lovie?  Coach out your lame-duck season and head to the highest bidder. 

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POSTED 5:57 p.m. EST, February 16, 2007

PATS SLAP SAMUEL

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the New England Patriots have applied the franchise tag to cornerback Asante Samuel.

Samuel has emerged as a quality cornerback, and would have likely drawn plenty of attention in a light free-agent market.  Historically, even so-so corners get overpaid in the early days of the league's annual shopping spree; Samuel surely would have cashed in this year.

The use of the tag also sets the stage for another ugly mess between the Pats and one of the team's key players.  Last year, the agent for Deion Branch antagonized the front office by grandstanding in the media, and Samuel's agent already has begun that same process this year.

If Samuel accepts the tender, he'll receive a one-year guaranteed salary of $7.79 million.

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POSTED 5:46 p.m. EST, February 16, 2007

BEARS TAG BRIGGS

As expected, the Chicago Bears have applied the franchise tag to linebacker Lance Briggs, which puts him in position (if/when he accepts the tender) to earn $7.2 million in guaranteed salary for 2007.

If the tender is not accepted, Briggs is not under contract, and will not be involved in voluntary or mandatory offseason workouts.  He could also skip all of training camp and the preseason, and still earn the full $7.2 million by signing the tender on the eve of the start of the regular season.

His only risk is that the team could withdraw the tender as long as it is not accepted.  The Eagles did just that several years ago with linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, and the Eagles did it in 2005 with defensive tackle Corey Simon.

It'll be interesting to see what Briggs does, in light of our recent report that some members of the team have sworn to do no business with the Bears until coach Lovie Smith gets a contract extension.  If Briggs is one of said players, will he refrain from cashing in on his $7.2 million guaranteed payday?

And if he signs the tender, will he nevertheless hold out from mandatory minicamps and/or training camp until he gets a long-term deal?  

Briggs became a star by virtue of the Tampa 2 defense, which showcases the abilities of an athletic weakside linebacker.  He therefore would be an attractive candidate to any other team that uses this same attack.

If another franchise signs Briggs, the Bears would be entitled to two first-round draft picks as compensation.  Also, Briggs could be traded from under the tag, a tool that other teams have used from time to time.  In this specific case, however, there's no reason to think that the Bears have tagged Briggs simply to trade him.

Finally, the Bears retain a right to match any offers made to Briggs.  But because of the poison pill that was used by the Vikings to get Steve Hutchinson from the Seahawks in 2006, it will be very easy for a team willing to part with a pair of first-rounders to make a play for Briggs.

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POSTED 2:53 p.m. EST, February 16, 2007

MUTINY BREWING IN CHICAGO

Keep a close eye on the situation in Chicago, where the Bears have still not given coach Lovie Smith a new contract, and where there is no evidence that significant discussions between the team and the Super Bowl coach aimed at extending the deal that expires after the 2007 have begun in earnest.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that some members of the team have agreed among themselves to refuse to do any contract extensions or restructurings until Smith gets rewarded for the team's performance on his watch.

And there's also an intention among some of the players to be candid with the free agents whom the Bears plan to target in March, with some current Bears players ready and willing to tell any new recruits not to count on Smith being around in 2008.

We think the team should move very quickly to lock Lovie up for the next four or five years, at $4 million or so per season.  That's fair value for a guy who has one Super Bowl appearance and three years of total head-coaching experience.

The sticking point could be that the Bears hope Smith will have reduced expectations because the team lost in the Super Bowl.  Then again, the guy who lost Super Bowl XL ended up with an extension that reportedly pays him $7.5 million to $8.5 million per year.

Smith would have had more leverage if he'd tried to do a new deal in the dead week before Super Bowl preparations, since there was a much better overall feeling in the air about the Bears and their coach before the team put on a so-so at best performance in the February 4 loss to the Colts.  But Smith gambled that the Bears would win the Super Bowl, which might have put him in line for a deal worth more than $5 million per season.

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POSTED 11:20 a.m. EST, February 16, 2007

IRVIN OUT AT ESPN?

Flamboyant receiver turned flamboyant broadcaster Michael Irvin finally got into the Hall of Fame.

And, in the same year, he might finally be out in Bristol. 

As Pat Reichart of the New York Post writes:  "One industry source believes the decision has already been made, and that some at the network view the outspoken Irvin as a ticking time bomb, ready to explode into a public-relations nightmare."

(Ready to explode?  Ready to explode?)

Reichart also says that ESPN would not confirm or deny the report (uh-oh, Mike), and that the network said that it "currently [is] in the process of discussing studio assignments for next season."

Per Reichart, there is speculation that Bill Parcells will return to ESPN for the 2007 season.  When word broke that Parcells was in talks to become the next coach of the Cowboys, ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli said (as we wrote way back on January 18, 2003) that Parcells should be fired on the spot for not spoon-feeding the scoop to his then-current employer.

So if the Tuna comes back, we doubt that he and Len will be getting together to discuss the latest developments in, you know, man bras.

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POSTED 10:26 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 10:53 a.m. EST, February 16, 2007

CARROLL SAYS HE'S STAYING PUT

USC coach Pete Carroll reportedly had communications this week with the San Diego Chargers, who fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer on Monday.

But Carroll also says that he's staying put at USC.

Carroll raised eyebrows on Tuesday when he refused to comment on the situation.  The no-comment route prompted us (and others) to conclude that he had learned something from the Nick "I'm Not Going To Be The Alabama Coach" Saban fiasco, and that if Carroll couldn't truly say he's not going to be the Chargers coach, then he would say nothing at all.

But on Thursday Carroll explained the reason for his decision not to talk:  "I just got tired of answering questions about the NFL, because there's always a follow-up question from [the media], no matter what I say, so I decided I wouldn't say anything,  I wasn't looking at it.  I like where I'm at.  I'm not going anywhere."

Okay, folks.  There it is.  Carroll essentially has said he's not going to be the Chargers coach.

And as much as we'd love to see our theory regarding the situation come to fruition, we're inclined to believe him.

With that said, we think that Carroll was a candidate for the job when he said "no comment" on Tuesday, and that in the intervening 48 hours a decision was made, by him or by the team, not to pursue it any further.

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YOU NEED A SPRINT PHONE

With the San Diego Chargers engaged in an eleventh-hour effort to hire a new head coach before the scouting combine and free agency (since it makes sense to have an idea as to the schemes a team will be running before bringing in new talent), the most pressing news item for the true NFL fan is who will get the chance to build on the Chargers' 14-2 effort in 2006, and when will he get it?

There's no better way to stay continuously in touch with the developments in the San Diego coaching search than with a Sprint phone featuring the NFL Mobile package.  

And with free agency coming up in only two weeks (and, yeah, we'll be all over it), you need to be able to check anywhere, anytime the moves (or lack thereof) that your team is making.

So if you don't have a Sprint phone, get one.  And if you have one, you should be using your Sprint phone to check out the latest news on NFL Mobile whenever you are away from your computer, and your hands are free.

But, please, try not to drop the thing into the bowl.

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THE REAL DEAL ON DABOLL

There has been much confusion over the past few days regarding why and how the Jets were able to pilfer Pats assistant coach Brian Daboll, who most recently coached the team's receivers and previously was a defensive assistant.

Per a league source, Daboll wanted to be the quarterbacks coach, and head coach Bill Belichick declined the request. 

Coincidentally, Daboll's contract was expired.  And so he left.

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POSTED 8:15 a.m. EST, February 16, 2007

RUMORS FLY OF BILLS TO TORONTO

There's a rumor gathering steam in Western New York that Bills owner Ralph Wilson plans to sell the team to interests in Toronto, and that the team would move there.

As the rumor goes, Buffalo would retain the name "Bills" and the franchise's records, etc., and an expansion team would be placed there within five years.  The deal would be similar if not identical to the agreement reached when the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996.

The rumor could have its roots in the recent comments of running back Willis McGahee to Penthouse magazine, wherein Willis said that the team should be moved to Toronto.  And there's an e-mail that was posted earlier this week on a Buffalo-area political web site that speaks of the transaction as a done deal.

But we don't buy it.  Why move the Bills to Toronto and then backfill Buffalo with an expansion team when an expansion team can be simply plopped into Toronto?  The owners likely would be able to charge a much higher entry fee to Toronto interests than in Buffalo, where local billionaire Tom Golisano is pretty much the only guy who would be in position to plunk down the cash.

And with the two cities less than 100 miles apart, we can't envision the league having two teams in that same vicinity, especially since the Bills are already having trouble filling a stadium on a regular basis.

Finally, we think that the league realizes its current eight-division, 32-team format works well, and an expansion team would screw that up -- unless a second expansion team (Los Angeles) were added at the same time.

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CLEO TIME IN MIAMI?

Buried in a Miami Herald item from earlier in the week was the revelation that the Dolphins have told backup quarterback Cleo Lemon, a looming restricted free agent, that he will compete for playing time in 2007.

The move makes sense, given that the new coach in Miami is former Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.  Lemon was a favorite of former Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer (and presumably of Cameron) in San Diego, and the decision of G.M. A.J. Smith to trade Lemon without Schottenheimer's knowledge or approval was one of the many things that caused their differences to become irreconcilable.

Now that Cameron is in Miami with Lemon, we expect Lemon to get as much of a shot as Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington to be the starter in 2007, especially since the expectations in Miami will be tempered a bit this season.

The more immediate problem for the Fins is to decide the right level of tender to extend to Lemon, given that the poison pill device makes it very easy for another team to craft an offer sheet that a restricted free agent's current team can't match.

Since Lemon was undrafted, the Fins will have to tender Lemon at the new second-round level, if not higher, in order to ensure that they will keep him around for another season.

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CONFUSION PERSISTS ON HIRING ASSISTANTS

We know that the many intricate rules regarding the NFL can be confusing, and we've screwed up our share of them from time to time.  But we're always surprised when someone who covers the NFL as a full-time gig gets a basic fact so plainly wrong.

On Thursday, Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post had this to say regarding the Jets' efforts to hire Pats receivers coach Brian Daboll:  "It's possible . . . that Daboll will be used in an offensive-assistant-head-coach role of some sort, since that would be a title upgrade to his position in New England, something that would be required unless Belichick simply didn't want him back."

But a title upgrade isn't enough to allow a team to hire an assistant coach from another team who is still under contract, unless the title upgrade in question is "head coach."

The rule is simple.  If an assistant coach is under contract with one team, another team cannot hire him for any other assistant-coaching position, even if the move would be regarded as a promotion.

The only exception?  If the team employing the assistant coach is willing to let him leave, then he can go.

Some teams allow assistant coaches to leave for promotions.  Others, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, staunchly refuse.  As a result, guys like Lions coach Rod Marinelli never became a defensive coordinator before becoming a head coach, because the Bucs refused to allow such a move.  And when Marinelli became the coach of the Lions, the Bucs refused to allow him to take his son-in-law, Joe Barry, to become the defensive coordinator in Detroit.

So Barry finished his contract, and then took the job.

Though we don't agree with the notion of preventing coaches from climbing the ladder, there's an easy solution for the assistants -- sign year-to-year contracts.  Most of them, however, want the security of a multi-year deal.  To get it, they often give up the opportunity to leave for a better gig somewhere else.

In Daboll's case, either his contract with the Pats was up or the Pats decided they didn't want him anymore.  But the title offered had nothing to do with it. 

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MORE ON THE NEW JUNE 1 RULE

We explained earlier this week the new rule that allows a team to make a cut before June 1 but process the transaction as occurring on June 2.  This allows the team to part ways with up to two players early in the offseason but still spread the bonus acceleration over two years.

But since the team also has to carry the player's base salary on the books until June 2, we couldn't think of any reason why a team would use the device -- especially since cutting the guy in February or March gives him more time to land in a new city and learn a new offense/defense and play well enough to make the team that cut him look bad for cutting him.

We've now come up with two reasons, one on our own and one with the help of a league insider.

First, per a league insider, the tactic is useful if the player is owed a significant roster bonus at any point from March 1 and June 1, and if a pre-June release would result in a big cap hit due to unallocated bonus payments.

Second, per our otherwise feeble cognitive skills, if the player has a big base salary and there is concern that he might hurt himself while working out at the team facility (e.g., the Steve McNair situation), the team could cut him early and postpone the processing of the transaction in order to keep him out of harm's way.