POSTED 10:08 p.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 11:39 p.m. EST, March 22, 2006

 

NFL LOOKS TO REVAMP HOLDING

 

The Associated Press reports that the NFL's competition committee will be considering, among other things, a recommendation that officials be certain they saw holding on a play before throwing a flag.

 

"We want to make sure they actually see the foul," committee chair Rich McKay said.

 

Well, duh.

 

But let's consider this a bit more closely.  Is it an implicit concession that holding penalties currently are called when the zebra doesn't "actually see the foul"?  Plenty of Seahawks fans might agree with that, and McKay's statement does nothing to dispel the perception that the quality of officiating is below average.

 

We're also curious as to how the refs are going to make sure that they actually see the foul.  Either they see it, or they don't.  Are they supposed to huddle or caucus after each play and talk about whether any of them actually saw holding?

 

Actually, McKay's comments support, in a roundabout way, one of the suggestions that we made in the wake of the Super Bowl.  If McKay and company "want to make sure they actually see the foul," why not institute an efficient, fast system of instant replay that allows all holding calls (and other penalties that might be disputed) to be reviewed between plays?  It might require two or three replay officials to be monitoring the various available angles, and it likely will take a couple of years of experimentation in the preseason in order to perfect the system.  But it's a worthy endeavor, given the magnitude of the games.

 

The only way to improve the officiating process beyond the human element is through technology.  The sooner the NFL embraces this reality, the sooner the perception of the officiating will improve.

 

CURIOUS TIMING ISSUES IN VINATIERI DEAL

 

It's no secret that new Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri changed agents recently, and that the new guy, Gary Uberstine, promptly got a deal done for Vinatieri in Indy.

 

But an industry source has tipped us off to some curious timing issues regarding the agent switch.

 

On Friday, when Vinatieri was visiting the Packers, he was represented by another agent from Neil Cornrich's firm, since Cornrich currently is serving a two-year suspension.  But the source tells us that Polian has said publicly that he was contacted last week by Uberstine regarding the possibility of bringing Vinatieri to the Colts.

 

If true, it's a potential problem for Uberstine, given NFLPA rules mandating that five days pass after the termination of one agent and the hiring of another.

 

LEAGUE MIGHT SOFTEN WIDEOUT FLINCH RULE

 

Another issue that the competition committee could consider is an adjustment to the illegal procedure rule that flags the offense for minor flinches of receivers prior to the snap.

 

The purpose of the change would be to reduce the 850 false start penalties called in 2005, an average of more than 3.3 per game. 

 

But, frankly, we don't agree that the league should soften the rules in order to cut the number of flags.  Instead, the teams should make sure that the eleven players on offense can manage to stay still for a handful of seconds prior to the start of a play.

 

Part of the attraction of the game is its controlled chaos.  Sure, having all of the players freeze for at least one beat prior to the snap elevates form over substance, but in this one respect the form is a component of the substance. 

 

It's that dramatic moment of calm before the storm, and we think that allowing receivers to flinch or twitch or hitch or hop before the snap will detract from the starched-collar-and-spit-shine appeal of the game.

 

Heck, we think that the officials already are way too lenient in allowing a man in motion to stray toward the line of scrimmage prior to the snap.  Half the time, we'd swear we were watching the Roughriders against the Stampeders.

 

So don't compromise on this one, NFL.  Demand perfection in the adherence to the rules, and flag the guys who can't demonstrate it.

 

And if you're serious about reducing the number of flags thrown, why not start by refraining from throwing a hankie on holding calls that are away from the play.

 

NEW COMMISH REQUIRES ONLY 22 VOTES

 

In response to a recent suggestion that 24 votes of the owners will be necessary to pick a new NFL Commissioner, Howard Balzer of USA Today SportsWeekly tells us that only a two-thirds majority is necessary to elect the successor to Paul Tagliabue.

 

With 32 owners, that equates to 22 votes.

 

And those two votes could make a difference, if two or three factions develop among owners regarding the identity of the next Commish.

 

BRANDT CONTINUES TO PIMP FOR BROWN

 

A confused reader asked us to reconcile conflicting reports regarding Texas quarterback Vince Young's pro day workout.

 

ESPN's Chris Mortensen had a lukewarm assessment (scroll down).  NFL.com's Gil Brandt, in contrast, heaped praise on Young.

 

"The main event started at 3:15 p.m. -- Young throwing," Brandt wrote.  "He started off 7 out of 7.  In all, he had a 40-minute workout in which he threw from under center as opposed to out of the shotgun.  It gave team personnel an opportunity to evaluate him that way since he worked out of the shotgun predominantly at Texas.  He impressed everyone with his arm strength, quick delivery and accuracy.  Young made great strides today."

 

But it's well known in league circles that Brandt's nose owns a time-share on Main Street of Mack Brown's butt.  So we put far more credence in Mort's report.

 

And as to the issue of Young taking snaps from center during a workout of this nature, Brandt is missing the point.  It's not about whether he has the ability to move his body backwards in increments of three, five, or seven steps, but whether he can read defenses while backpedaling, especially since he hasn't had to do it very much in college.

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

 

The Bears have matched the offer sheet signed by DL Israel Idonije with the Bills.

 

The Pats have re-signed CB Chad Scott.

 

The Ravens have signed CB Corey Ivy and LB/DE Gary Stills.

 

Bengals QB Carson Palmer tries the "nothing happened" route when addressing the now-infamous halftime brouhaha involving WR Chad Johnson during the team's playoff loss to the Steelers.

 

QB Ben Roethlisberger is making a trip to Switzerland (he's looking forward to the tour of the instant cocoa plant).

 

Another day, another confirmed asshole closes in on a deal with the Cowboys.

 

The NFL draft will be conducted at the Radio City Music Hall.

 

The Lions have re-signed DE Jared DeVries.

 

QB Mike McMahon (a/k/a Alfalfa on HGH) visited the Vikings on Wednesday.

 

POSTED 7:53 p.m. EST, March 22, 2006

 

VINCE IS SLOWER THAN EXPECTED

 

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that Texas quarterback Vince Young ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at his Wednesday pro day workout in Austin.

 

The effort, which came on a fast track, was described to Mortensen as "slower than expected."

 

Some scouts, we've heard, will add at least 0.1 seconds to times generated on a surface that is regarded as unfairly fast.

 

Young's throwing effort was inconclusive, Mortensen says.  Although he completed 45 out of 50 passes, that source said, "That wasn't a remarkable achievement because he wasn't asked to make many tough throws and he waited a lot on his receivers to get out of their breaks. Teams that are curious about the guy are going to want to see more when they work him out."

 

The Titans will conduct a private workout of Young on Thursday, also in Austin.

 

The primary concerns regarding Young's mechanics are his semi-sidearm delivery and his inexperience taking snaps from under center.

 

POSTED 7:23 p.m. EST, March 22, 2006

 

CULPEPPER ADMITS ONE CRIME TO DUCK ANOTHER

 

Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper claims that he didn't break laws regarding public indecency during last October's Love Boat fiasco because, well, he was busy breaking another law.

 

Specifically, Culpepper says that he said "no, thanks" to a lap dance because he was too busy playing $20-a-throw craps.

 

"We told them, 'We didn't come here for that,'" Culpepper said.  "Nobody shooting dice wanted to get a dance."

 

Culpepper was in court with his wife.

 

Let's repeat that.

 

Culpepper was in court with his wife.

 

So now we get it.  Culpepper is willing to admit to engaging in illegal behavior that could prompt NFL Security to visit the inside of his rectal canal in order to avoid getting nailed for behavior that could prompt his wife to dig in even deeper.

 

RACE CLAIM COULD RESULT IN DISMISSAL

 

As it turns out, Daunte Culpepper might have been able to duck the charges pending against him without getting on the witness stand and confessing to illegal gambling.  (Although yours truly doesn't handle much criminal law, we think it was stoopid for Culpepper's lawyer to allow him to testify at a preliminary phase of the proceedings.  Now, the prosecution has a road map for trying to show that Culpepper is full of poopie at trial.)

 

Per Alex Marvez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the judge handling the case is wrestling with an argument that the prosecutor's decision to charge Culpepper and Vikings running back Moe Williams with indecent behavior, disorderly conduct, and lewdness reflects a racial bias, given that prosecutors filed no charges against two white men who have admitted to sexual impropriety on the cruise.

 

Judge Kevin Burke said Wednesday that the failure to charge the white men "looks bad."

 

In our opinion, prosecutors didn't give the two white guys a pass because they're white, but because they're not football players.  Prosecutors love to fry big fish, since most prosecutors have higher political aspirations.   

 

Our guess is that, if the two white guys had been named "Birk" and "Rosenthal," they would have been charged, too.

 

As to the pending case, the judge has asked the lawyers to submit additional legal argument before he rules on the motion to dismiss the charges.

 

POSTED 6:38 p.m. EST; UPDATED 7:00 p.m. EST, March 22, 2006

 

RAIDERS BANK ON BROOKS

 

Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com reports that the Oakland Raiders have reached an agreement with quarterback Aaron Brooks.

 

Brooks arrived for a visit Monday night, and was held over into Wednesday.

 

He was cut by the Saints last week, after quarterback Drew Brees joined the team. 

 

Brooks was acquired from the Packers in 2000, and became the starter after Jeff Blake suffered a broken leg.  Brooks led the Saints to the playoffs, and the first postseason win in franchise history.

 

He then won the job from Blake in 2001, and was the starter until getting benched late in the 2005 season.  The consensus in league circles is that Brooks regressed in recent years.

 

With Kerry Collins out the door and only Marques Tuiasosopo and Andrew Walter on the depth chart, Brooks arguably has the inside track for the starting job in 2006.

 

FINS RE-SIGN McKINNEY

 

The Miami Dolphins on Wednesday re-signed center Seth McKinney as the four-year veteran passed up a potential opportunity to join his brother, Steve, in Houston.

 

McKinney signed a two-year, $5 million contract.  He receives a $915,000 signing bonus and a $585,000 base salary in 2006.  Next year, he's due to receive a $2.5 million roster bonus and a $1 million salary.

 

Arguably, then, it's a one-year, $1.5 million contract, with a team option for a second year at $3.5 million.

 

McKinney had visited Houston and New Orleans.

 

POSTED 6:47 a.m. EST; UPDATED 8:32 a.m. EST, March 22, 2006

 

TAGS GOT NUDGED OUT?

 

We've heard on three different occasions over the past two days rumors that NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's decision to retire might not entirely have been his and his alone.

 

There's talk in league circles that Tagliabue was pushed to step aside by some of the newer team owners who were unhappy that the CBA negotiations went down to the wire, and by the perception that Tagliabue was "too chummy" with NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw.

 

We've previously reported that multiple team executives believed that the union "kicked our ass" on the various terms added to the new CBA regarding matters unrelated to the money that will be diverted to the salary cap.

 

Let's be clear on this.  Because we've been weaving more and more hard news into our rumor mill, this is an item that still fits squarely within the category of rumor.  But when three different league insiders mention it to us without us mentioning it to them, it's hard not to think that there might be at least a nugget of truth in there, somewhere.

 

Indeed, a day after ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Tagliabue was contemplating retirement, he denied that the "R" word was even on his radar screen.  So as we see it maybe the leak to Mortensen was intended to get the issue on the table, and then over the next ten days some of the owners might have gone to work to make it happen.

 

And if it's true that Tags was pushed in any degree, our guess is that league office candidates for the job might face an uphill battle, given their association with the guy who has held the position for 17 years.  Since it'll take 24 votes from 32 owners for the new guy (or gal) to be approved, this next move by the rich dudes who write the big checks could be as contentious as their most recent one -- especially if some of them believe that others of them pressured Tagliabue to step aside before he was ready to go.

 

LORD FAVRE IS COMING BACK

 

Although there's been no official announcement, we've been told that Packers quarterback Brett Favre has informed the team that he'll be returning for the 2006 season.

 

The move means that the Packers almost certainly will not take a quarterback with the fifth overall pick in the draft.  Previously, we'd heard that the team would potentially be interested in selecting Matt Leinart, if Favre were to walk away.

 

Since 2002, the question of whether Favre would or wouldn't retire has been the subject of rampant and regular scrutiny.  His return for 2006 means that, barring an unequivocal statement before, during, or after the coming season, we'll get to spend another 12 months or so periodically addressing the same, old, tired issue. 

 

LIONS CHASING ALLEN

 

We're told that the Detroit Lions are aggressively pursuing free-agent offensive lineman Larry Allen.  The Cowboys cut the ten-time Pro Bowler on Tuesday.

 

Allen's release creates $3.4 million in cap space for the Cowboys.  He had been a no-show for the first two days of the team's offseason conditioning program.

 

There's been talk that Allen possibly will retire.  But with at least one team looking to add his phenomenal strength to a blocking scheme that has been mediocre at best over the past few years, he might be persuaded to stick around.

 

HUTCH, VINATIERI EXAMPLES CONFIRM HUMAN NATURE

 

When a guy hits the open market in NFL free agency, he often heads to a new town.  And the reason is fairly simple.

 

The player typically has spent multiple years with his former team, and yet his former team never did much of anything to extend his contract before he secured the ability to entertain offers elsewhere.

 

"Guys like to feel wanted," Texans guard Steve McKinney recently told us.  "The last time most guys were recruited was eight years earlier when they were seniors in high school, so when they hit the market they're first looking for the most they can get, but they're also looking for someplace that really shows how much they want them.  I think when your own team lets free agency set your value, it's too late most of the time.  You're going to go to the first team that shows you love." 

 

New Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson echoed this basic theme in his first comments regarding the offer sheet that his old team, the Seahawks, likely would have matched but for a poison pill that would have made the entire amount of the contract guaranteed in Seattle.

 

"The truth of the matter is that I wanted to have a contract extension done before last season, and certainly before the [transition] tag deadline," Hutchinson said Tuesday.  "The Seahawks were either unwilling or unwanting to give me that contract, and Minnesota stepped up to the plate and offered it to me."

 

Never mind that Seattle would have paid the same money but for the provision in the offer sheet intended to dissuade them from doing so.  The 'Hawks had their chance to pay him long before he had a chance to look elsewhere, and they instead sat on their hands.

 

"Last February, they said they wanted to do something right after the draft," Hutchinson said.  "I said great.  I wanted to get something done before the season started because I wanted to be able to concentrate on the season.  And there wasn't any real communication or real negotiations that took place before the season started.  So that was the end of that."

 

Although Vinatieri has yet to comment on his move from the Pats to the Colts, he'll probably say something along those same lines.  New England could have paid him, but chose not to.  So in comes a new team with a lot of money in tow and a genuine interest in Vinatieri at a time when he might feel like his old team has taken him for granted and before you know it the guy is gone.

 

And that's the risk, as we see it, in allowing another team to "set the market" for a free agent.  It's a dynamic that's much more than just a number, since the player will become naturally inclined to join the team that made the offer than to stay with an organization that responds, if at all, with a proverbial gun to its head.

 

DEATH OF THE TRANSITION TAG?

 

One of the practical consequences of both the Steve Hutchinson matter and the recent CBA extension is that the transition tag is essentially dead.

 

Under the new rules applicable to free agency, the transition tag is no longer a device that can be revoked at any time, with no consequence.  Instead, like the franchise tag, the one-year tender becomes fully guaranteed if/when the player accepts it.

 

Likewise, the endorsement of the Vikings' approach to the Hutchinson offer sheet unlocks a new universe of potential terms that can be used in the hopes of preventing the original team from exercising the right to match that the transition tag provides.  Although the team constructing the offer sheet can't require the team with the ability to match to pay more, the offer sheet now can include a trigger that makes the deal fully guaranteed under conditions that don't exist in the new city, but that do exist in the old city.

 

So until the CBA is amended to prevent this kind of move, there's no reason to use the transition tag -- especially since the team gets no compensation of any kind if it chooses not to match the offer.  Instead, look for teams to dump the extra money into the tender and apply the franchise tag instead.

 

MESHAWN'S PRICE GOES UP

 

Last week, receiver Keyshawn Johnson said he wouldn't play for only $2.5 million per year.

 

Now, his floor apparently is $3 million.

 

According to the New York Daily News, the Giants have offered Johnson a deal averaging $3 million annually.  But Johnson has not accepted, opting instead (apparently) to shop the offer elsewhere.

 

The Panthers, Pats, Eagles, and Seahawks reportedly are interested in Johnson, who'll now find out whether that interest translates into more than $3 million a year.

 

BEARS ADD GRIESE

 

The Chicago Bears have added some insurance for a quarterback who once missed most of the 2004 season due to a torn ACL by signing a quarterback . . . who missed most of the 2005 season due to a torn ACL.

 

The Bears have inked quarterback Brian Griese to a five-year deal.  Griese, an on-again, off-again starter with the Broncos, Dolphins, and Bucs, played well during his most recent stint in Tampa, until his knee injury gave Chris Simms a chance to finally blossom.

 

The move gives the Bears something they haven't had during Rex Grossman's tenure as the starter -- a proven veteran who can spell Grossman if/when he gets hurt.  In 2004, Jonathan Quinn, Medicine Woman and some guy who looks like Gary Busey finished out a dismal season after Grossman went down in Week Three.  In 2005, rookie Kyle Orton was thrown to the wolves, but won games without stats until he was yanked after a broken leg Grossman suffered in the preseason had healed.

 

Now, Orton is No. 3 on the depth chart.

 

Griese almost signed with the Bears three years ago, but they instead landed Kordell Stewart.  Stewart was a disaster during his single season in Chicago.

 

WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

 

John Abraham is finally happy (we're pretty sure he'll find something else to piss him off, eventually).

 

After visiting the Steelers on Tuesday, WR Tim Dwight reportedly signed with the Jets (he gets a four-year, $4.2 million deal with a $750,000 bonus).

 

K Adam Vinatieri recently hired agent Gary Uberstine, who got the deal done with the Colts after Vinatieri parted ways with Jonathan Hurst of suspended agent Neil Cornrich's group.

 

While Vinatieri was getting his deal done with the Colts, the Pats were kicking the tires of K Paul Edinger.

 

G Stephen Neal visited the Fins on Tuesday and will meet with the Texans on Wednesday.

 

Vince Young will get his Uncle Rico on for scouts on Wednesday.

 

As one team in Texas welcomes a wideout who is ripping the Eagles, the Eagles' latest acquisition at receiver is ripping another team in Texas.

 

It's Christmas Day for confirmed Scrooge Ron Borges.

 

K Adam Vinatieri gets a $3.5 million bonus on a deal that averages $2.5 million per year.

 

Agent Kevin Poston says that LB Julian Peterson will get an $11.5 million signing bonus and $18 million in guaranteed money -- but we'll believe it when we see it.

 

RB Najeh "Dookie" Davenport took a load off in Miami on Tuesday.

 

Assault charges against Bears DT Tank Johnson have been dropped.

 

The Cards have matched the offer sheet signed by G Reggie Wells, a restricted free agent, with the Bills.

 

The Ravens are interested in QB Vince Young, in the event he falls to them at No. 13.

 

DE Joe Tafoya is expected to re-sign with the Seahawks.

 

S Lance Schulters is expected to visit Seattle on Wednesday.

 

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