POSTED 9:56 p.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

KEYSHAWN TO CAROLINA

 

The Panthers have struck a deal with former Cowboys receiver Keyshawn Johnson.

 

The contract covers four seasons, and carries a $5 million signing bonus -- the same signing bonus that the guy who replaced Johnson in Dallas, Terrell Owens, recently was paid.

 

The Panthers are Johnson's fourth NFL team.  He was the first overall pick in the 1996 draft.  After four seasons with the Jets, he was traded to Tampa for two first-round draft picks.  In his fourth year with the Bucs, a falling out with coach Jon Gruden got Johnson sent home with six weeks left in the season.  He thereafter was traded to the Cowboys for receiver Joey Galloway, whom Dallas had obtained from the Seahawks for, you guessed it, tow first-round draft picks.

 

In Carolina, Johnson will enjoy plenty of single coverage across from Steve Smith, one of the premier receivers in the league. 

 

POSTED 7:54 p.m. EST; UPDATED 8:38 p.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

ALLEN JOINS THE NINERS

 

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that free-agent offensive lineman Larry Allen has agreed to a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.

 

The deal is contingent on Allen passing a physical.

 

We heard on Wednesday that Allen, released recently by the Cowboys, was going to be pursued heavily by the Lions. 

 

WOODSON FINALLY SURFACES

 

Our friends at the PewterReport.com report that free-agent cornerback Charles Woodson is arriving in Tampa on Thursday night for a Friday visit with the Bucs.

 

Woodson, the 1997 Heisman Trophy winner, spent eight seasons with the Raiders.  He played under the franchise tag for the past two seasons.

 

His effectiveness has been limited over the past few years due to injury.  Speculation in league circles is that an unreasonably high price tag prevented him from landing with a new team during the early, free-spending stage of free agency.

 

THURSDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

 

The Raider have re-signed OT Chad Slaughter and OT Brad Lekkerkerker.

 

Cowboys OT Rob Petitti pocketed more than $271,000 under the performance-based pay system, more than his entire 2005 base salary.

 

The Packers got rid of the old medicine balls and the plastic weights from Sears full of sand.

 

WR Javon Walker and S Mark Roman are the only no-shows for the Packers' offseason workout program.

 

The Redskins have $4.5 million in remaining cap space.

 

The Pats have made an "informal inquiry" regarding Bills WR Eric Moulds.

 

Another year, another new brand of panty shield for NFL quarterbacks.

 

The Cardinals might be interested in QB Kerry Collins.

 

Seahawks QB Seneca Wallace, a restricted free agent, visited the Bucs on Wednesday.

 

The Rams might be interested in P Matt Turk.

 

QB Mike McMahon visited the Broncos on Thursday.

 

LB Patrick Chukwurah left Tampa on Wednesday without a contract.

 

LB Ben Taylor is weighing offers from the Packers and the Browns.

 

The Lions are still trying to trade QB Joey Harrington, whom the team has essentially exiled pending a deal or a release.

 

The brother of Steelers S Tyrone Carter partied with Snoop Dogg after the Super Bowl -- and then got another 4.5 years of jail time because going to the game made him late for what would have been a six-month prison sentence.

 

The Giants re-signed WR David Tyree to a five-year, $7.5 million contract.

 

The Seahawks have signed former Pats OL Tom Ashworth.

 

The Panthers are interested in WR Marc Boerigter.

 

The Wersching Machine will soon be producing license plates.

 

POSTED 6:10 p.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

STEELERS INTERESTED IN MOULDS

 

A league source tells us that the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in acquiring receiver Eric Moulds from the Buffalo Bills "if the price is right."

 

In this regard, that could have two meanings.  First, there's the price to pay the Bills to get him.  Then, there's the price that Moulds will want.
 

Moulds, a ten-year veteran, has twice been asked to take a pay cut for 2006, and has consistently refused.  The team recently authorized him to solicit trade offers.

 

He's scheduled to earn $6.089 million in base salary in 2006, and $7.25 million in 2007.

 

The Steelers don't typically break the bank for players from other teams, and Moulds might be willing to take less in Pittsburgh than he could get elsewhere, given the strong likelihood that the Steelers will be in the thick of things again in the 2006 postseason.

 

POSTED 6:02 p.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

POSTON SUES UNION

 

Agent Carl Poston, who was suspended by the NFLPA for his handling of linebacker LaVar Arrington's December 2003 contract extension, has filed suit against the union, according to the Associated Press.

 

Poston claims that the NFLPA violated its own rules by failing to impose discipline within one year after the occurrence on which the action against him was based.  He also argues that "he or his lawyer should have been allowed to appear before the disciplinary committee to contest the accusations and an independent arbitrator should have been appointed to handle the dispute."

 

But the lawsuit ignores that fact that Poston has the right to refer the matter to arbitration pursuant to the NFLPA's agent regulations.  Pursuant to Section 6(E), Poston has the right to appeal the proposed disciplinary action to an outside arbitrator.

 

Moreover, the contention that the disciplinary action was not taken on a timely basis ignores the plain language of the regs.  Although Section 6(B) states that "[a] Complaint must be filed by the Disciplinary Committee within one year from the date of the occurrence which gave rise to the Complaint, or within one year from the date on which the information became known or reasonably should have become known to the Disciplinary Committee, whichever is later," the next sentence tolls the one-year period if the action arises out of facts that are subject to "civil or criminal litigation, arbitration, civil or criminal proceedings, administrative hearing or investigation."

 

Because the grievance Arrington filed regarding the December 2003 extension was resolved via a meaningless settlement within the past year, the NFLPA was fully within its rights to pursue the disciplinary action when it did.

 

It's fitting, then, that a suspension essentially triggered by Poston's failure to read his client's contract has resulted in a lawsuit that is premised upon Poston's apparent failure to read the relevant rules.

 

POSTED 3:00 p.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 4:30 p.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

TITANS TO TAKE VINCE?

 

A league insider with a proven knack for reading the tea leaves when it comes to discerning what teams will do in round one of the draft firmly believes that the Tennessee Titans are poised to select quarterback Vince Young with the No. 3 selection.

 

Echoing comments we've heard from others regarding Young's presence on the field and football intangibles, the source says that Young is a freak and that, when ignoring the measurables and looking merely at the tape, Young is clearly the best of the three quarterbacks projected to go early in this year's draft.

 

Although the Texans are heaping plenty of praise on the local product, the team that holds the No. 1 pick in the draft likely is erring on the side of not pissing off its fan base, many of whom already will be dismayed when the Texans choose USC tailback Reggie Bush.  And although the Saints hope to trade down a bit and target a defensive player, only a swap with the Raiders at No. 7 would leave the Saints in position to get the guy they want.  But then the question would be whether the Raiders would be willing to muster enough to make up for the 1,100-point gap on the trade chart between the value of the No. 2 pick (2,600 points) and No. 7 (1,500 points).

 

Still, it's possible that someone else might try to jump in front of the Titans, if the buzz surrounding Young continues to grow as draft day approaches.

 

The next major step in the process comes on April 2, when Bush and USC quarterback Matt Leinart work out at the Trojans' pro day.  If Leinart, who isn't a stud in a T-shirt-and-shorts workout, doesn't wow scouts, it's possible that the race for the No. 1 could come down to Bush and Young.

 

Just like everyone thought it would be the morning after the Rose Bowl.

 

MOSS AGENT DENIES CRACK ALLEGATIONS

 

In his first comments since being arrested last week on charges of possession of crack cocaine, NFL agent Dante DiTrapano tells Dave Gustafson of the Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette that DiTrapano is innocent.

 

"I've never used crack," DiTrapano said. "I wouldn't know crack if it fell from the sky."

 

DiTrapano said that he and his wife were staying at the Hilton in St. Petersburg before he checked in to a rehabilitation facility.  He said that he was prescribed OxyContin for pain in his legs and got hooked on it.

 

But police allege that DiTrapano and his wife rented three rooms, and that the couple and three local residents were having a party in the rooms.  DiTrapano allegedly went out to get beer, and the others wouldn't let him back in the room when he returned.  So he allegedly smashed the bottles against the wall in the hallway, which prompted hotel management to call the police, who claim that they found 73 rocks of crack cocaine and 21 grams of power cocaine in the room, including six pieces of crack on DiTrapano himself.

 

In response, DiTrapano says that he and his wife rented one room, realized that it didn't have a bathtub, and then rented two other rooms.  (If the logic reflected in that sentence makes no sense to you, welcome to the club.)

 

Then, three local people DiTrapano claims he didn't know somehow got access to the first room he had rented, and the police were called.

 

DiTrapano is representing himself (mistake), and he says he has interviewed local attorneys in St. Petersburg regarding the possibility of suing the police department for false arrest and illegal search and seizure (second mistake).

 

Meanwhile, a warrant was issued earlier this week when DiTrapano failed to appear for a hearing on the crack possession charges.  He told the Gazette that the warrant resulted from the fact that he's in a treatment facility different than the one identified in his bond agreement.

 

We'd like to give DiTrapano the benefit of the doubt on this, but we're having trouble buying his version of the events.  The three folks who were arrested along with DiTrapano and his wife simply don't look like people who would have much success hanging around the halls of the St. Petersburg Hilton looking for a room that had been rented but then abandoned in favor of the two adjacent rooms because it didn't have a tub in it.

 

THURSDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

 

The Bucs have suggested that all penalty calls be subject to the replay system (we agree. . . completely).

 

 

Bears CB Jerry Azumah is retiring due to a recurring neck injury.

 

WR Keyshawn Johnson met with the Panthers on Thursday.

 

LB LaVar Arrington and QB Anthony Wright visit the Bengals on Thursday.

 

New Bears QB Brian Griese doesn't expect to be warming the bench:  "I don't think any player who is worth his salt is content to be a backup, especially someone who has been a starter before," Griese said.  "I'm not going to resign myself to anything.  I'm going to come out and be the best player I can be and help the Bears win."

 

POSTED 1:07 p.m. EST; UPDATED 1:38 p.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

COMMISH SEARCH PROCESS LAUNCHES MONDAY

 

A league source tells us that the search for a successor to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will commence on Monday in conjunction with next week's ownership meeting in Florida.

 

Specifically, a one-representative-per-club meeting will launch at 2:00 p.m., the purpose of which will be to form a committee charged with locating the next Commish.  Thereafter, the work toward identifying Tagliabue's replacement will commence.

 

The process will culminate in an ownership vote at some point in the future, with 22 of 32 votes necessary to win the job.  Tagliabue was elected on the sixth ballot in 1989.  His predecessor, Pete Rozelle, got the job on the twenty-third ballot.

 

POLIAN HAS A HIDDEN AGENDA?

 

We noted recently an apparent overlap in the representation of kicker Adam Vinatieri during his negotiations with the Colts.  It seems to us that Gary Uberstine initiated contact with Indy while Vinatieri was still being represented by Neil Cornrich's firm.

 

The smoking gun came from the mouth of Colts president Bill Polian, who admitted to hearing from Uberstine last week on at least two Boston-area radio appearances.

 

But then it occurred to us.  What in the hell is Polian doing on New England radio talking about how he pilfered the Pats placekicker?

 

Dude, you got the guy.  Move on.  Don't rub it in the old team's face or contribute to the stirring up of their already agitated fan base.

 

And then it occurred to us.  Perhaps Polian thinks he should be a potential candidate to replace Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, which could be prompting Polian to do what he can to inject his name into the media at a time when the pool of possibilities is being assembled.

 

Who knows?  Maybe Polian decided to ink Vinatieri this week due in part to the bump that Polian's Q rating within league circles might enjoy.

 

Is it odd to think that?  If so, it ain't much odder than the G.M. of a team who just signed a player taking time out of his schedule to talk to the media in the player's old city, especially with the draft coming up and free agency still in full bloom.

 

TAGS RETIREMENT COSTS RADIO DUDE HIS JOB

 

Dave Lenihan, who was in only his second week as a morning show host on KTRS radio in St. Louis, lost his job on Wednesday due to statements he made in the wake of NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue retiring from his.

 

Lenihan was fired after uttering an apparently inadvertent (but very possibly Freudian) racial slur regarding U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who initially was rumored to be a candidate to succeed Tagliabue.

 

"She's been chancellor at Stanford.  I mean she's just got the patent resume of somebody that's got some serious skill," Lenihan said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch  "She loves football.  She's African-American, which would kind of be a big coon. . . .  A big coon?  Oh my God.  I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that.  OK?  I didn't mean that.  That was just a slip of the tongue."

 

Apparently, what Lenihan meant to say was "coup."

 

In context, we initially were inclined to agree that the statement was less Al Campanis/Jimmy the Greek and more Marty McFly/George the Bush.

 

But then we read this nugget from the article, as Lenihan succeeded to dig even deeper in trying to explain himself.

 

"I've never, ever really used that word in my life.  Maybe psychologically-wise deep down perhaps, but it's not how I feel," Lenihan said.

 

So is he saying that because he only walks around thinking the word, it's okay?

 

"I don't know what is in Mr. Lenihan's mind, said KTRS chief Tim Dorsey.  "I know what I heard.  I know it was reprehensible."

 

The St. Louis Cardinals bought half of KTRS in 2005, and it is the new flagship station of the franchise.

 

Rice has said that she has no present interest in the Commissioner position.

 

POSTED 12:02 p.m. EST; UPDATED 12:14 p.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

VINCE "HAS AN AURA"

 

In our effort to continue to muddy the waters as much as we possibly can regarding the potential draft order at the top of round one, we've obtained information from a league source regarding the March 22 workout of Texas quarterback Vince Young.

 

The information we've heard corroborates the rave reviews from folks such as Gil Brandt, Sean Salisbury, and Mel Kiper, Jr., and it somewhat contradicts an opinion from a scout that was expressed to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

 

Said our source:  "I thought [the workout] was excellent.  He's got a big arm, he was accurate, he's got size, and athletic ability.  He ran fast for his size and really didn't do any warm-ups.  He wasn’t going to run and at the last minute, stripped down and ran.  People had times between 4.54 [and] 4.62.

 

"He has an aura about him." 

 

That last statement means far more to us than anything else we've heard or seen, including the six or seven or 16 or 15 on the Wonderlic, the lack of experience taking snaps under center, and the Uncle Rico throwing motion. 

 

Intangibles, we believe, are far more important than tangibles, especially when it comes to figuring out who will or won't be a successful NFL quarterback.  We've always liked Young's demeanor and his presence, notwithstanding any flaws in his game, or in his brain.

 

Still, we continue to be troubled by the advice Young is getting.  He showed up for the pro day workout not intending to run.  Which means that he hadn't trained to run.  Which means that his agent told him he didn't need to run.

 

But after he was pressured into running by folks who were in attendance at the workout, Young stripped off his sweats and posted a good but not great time on a fast track.

 

Look, we realize that Young and his family are loyal to Major Adams, who successfully has gotten himself in position to have and to hold Vince as a client.  But consider much buzz Young would have created if he'd been working to maximize his 40 time, especially when little things like emerging properly out of the starting position can make a huge difference in the final number. 

 

If Young had put up a legitimate time below 4.45, even on a fast track, he might have gone a long way to recapturing the momentum that arose right after the Rose Bowl -- but that gradually has dissipated over the past couple of months.

 

Instead, Young is struggling to get his aura to transform into buzz as the draft approaches.

 

VINCE DIDN'T RE-TAKE THE WONDERLIC

 

Despite prior reports that Texas quarterback Vince Young would take another crack at the Wonderlic test in conjunction with his pro day workout, we're told that Young did not sit again for the 50-question general intelligence test.

 

It would have been a perfect opportunity for Young to do so, since the test is administered during pro day workouts to the draft-eligible players and any interested incoming seniors.

 

So he'll instead stand on his official score of 15.

 

Yet another error, in our view, by his agent.  On one hand, taking the test again might have been an admission that the test is actually important to the overall process.  On the other hand, he scored a freaking 15.  On his second try. 

 

How bad is a 15?  When we gave 15 sample questions last month to Florio Jr. (a third-grader) with no advance notice and five minutes to work with, he got five questions right. 

 

That projects to a 16.7.

 

VANDY TO SIGN WITH COWBOYS

 

Don Banks of SI.com reports that kicker Mike Vanderjagt will sign with the Dallas Cowboys.

 

Vanderjagt became regarded as one of the best kickers in the NFL after joining the Colts in 1998.  He previously kicked in the Canadian league, and Colts president Bill Polian was drawn to his experience booting the ball in bad weather.

 

But despite his record accuracy, Vanderjagt is best known for missed kicks and for a public spat with quarterback Peyton Manning and coach Tony Dungy.  Several years ago, Vanderjagt called them out for being too low key, and Manning suggested that Vanderjagt was "liquored up" at the time he made the comments.

 

The final straw was a badly missed field goal that would have sent the 2005 divisional playoff game between the Colts and Steelers to overtime.

 

Earlier this week, the Colts signed former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, who seems destined to join Jan Stenerud as the only kickers in the Hall of Fame.  Many assumed that Vinatieri would land in Dallas, given his relationship with former Pats coach Bill Parcells.

 

POSTED 8:46 a.m. EST, March 2006

 

NO LONDON GAME IN 2006

 

Despite recent momentum that was pointing squarely in the direction of a 2006 NFL regular season game being played in London, we've learned that the plan has been scrapped for 2006.

 

A reader tipped us off to the scuttling of the game for the coming season, attributing the move to the amount of time and effort devoted to the CBA extension.

 

On Thursday morning, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello advised us that, indeed, the plug has been pulled on the project for 2006.  Aiello says that a game possibly will be played in London in 2007.

 

In our view, the fate of the NFL's expanded presence in other countries will depend on the identity of the successor to Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.  Tags was hot for the notion of playing more regular season games beyond U.S. borders, even though the idea of giving up a home game is not an attractive one for many NFL owners.

 

Still, the key to the increased profitability of the league is to expand the pie.  There are billions of world citizens who don't live in the United States, and these are all folks who can spend their pounds, marks, and/or francs on shirts, hats, and/or DirecTV subscriptions.

 

So we think it's inevitable -- and we think that at a minimum there will be a London game in 2007, even if it's only a parting gift of sorts for Tagliabue.

 

POSTED 8:21 a.m. EST; UPDATED 8:34 a.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

PACKERS SANDBAGGING ON LORD FAVRE RETURN

 

We reported on Wednesday that Packers quarterback Brett Favre has told the team that he'll play again in 2006, but that no public announcement has been made.

 

Our report caused a mini-commotion.  ESPN.com ran a story attempting to debunk it.  Adam Schefter of the NFL Network asked Favre's agent, Bus Cook, about it.

 

Said Cook:  "That's news to me -- and I spoke to Brett an hour ago."

 

G.M. Ted Thompson declined to address the matter, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.  "It's not our policy to respond, confirm or non-confirm things on a Web site," Thompson said.  "We'd spend all of our day doing that."

 

The Wisconsin State Journal writes that Thompson "laughed off" the report.  "I don't comment on Internet reports," Thompson said Wednesday.  "Especially Internet reports."

 

Of course, a good follow up question would have gone something like this:  "But, Ted, this is a site that has broken major stories, just in the past month, including the Vikings' efforts to trade Daunte Culpepper, the retirement of the Commissioner, the Vince Young Wonderlic score, the financial details of the Edgerrin James contract, the offer sheet signed by Steve Hutchinson with the Vikings, and the existence of the 'poison pill' in that offer sheet.  Still no comment?"

 

Then again, that question wasn't necessary.  Thompson knows about us, and he knows that we're much more than just some sports site that simply scours the web for stories reported by others. 

 

So why wouldn't Thompson respond?

 

Because, in our view, he knows the report is right on the money.

 

Though we're not sure whether the Packers are trying to keep guessing the other teams who are or who might be inclined to get in front of them on draft day or whether the Packers want to allow Favre to create the impression that he wasn't pushed into making a decision or whether the team wants the fans and the media to ultimately conclude that the organization did enough to improve the team in the offseason since the end result prompted Brett to come back, Thompson's reaction tells us everything we need to know. 

 

Favre is coming back, and the team and the player are keeping it under wraps.

 

Here's the best circumstantial evidence that, in our view, supports the fact that something is happening.  In Thursday's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Tom Silverstein writes that the trigger for Favre's roster bonus has again been bumped, this time from March 22 to April 1.  In that same article, however, Silverstein writes that the roster bonus "is mostly artificial because under the terms of the contract Favre doesn't receive the money until September if he returns and doesn't receive it at all if he retires."

 

Mostly artificial?  If Silverstein is right on that, the deadline for the bonus is completely artificial.  All the team had to do was to exercise the roster bonus and then sit back and wait.  If Favre retires, they don't pay it.  If he plays, they pay.

 

So this whole roster bonus postponement thing is part of the smokescreen.  Favre is coming back.  He knows it.  His agent knows it.  The team knows it. 

 

And everyone involved has decided, for whatever reason, to keep it under wraps.

 

DAUNTE'S TESTIMONY WAS VERY UNCONVENTIONAL

 

In the wake of the decision of Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper to take the stand on Wednesday to deny allegations that he engaged in illegal touchy-feely with a stripper during the Love Boat cruise last October, we've heard from multiple lawyers with experience in criminal matters who were shocked by the decision to let Culpepper talk at this stage of the proceedings.

 

POSTED 12:01 a.m. EST, March 23, 2006

 

RAIDERS WANTS VINCE

 

A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders "were all over" quarterback Vince Young at his March 22 pro day workout in Austin, and that there's a strong belief in league circles the Raiders will select him with the seventh overall pick in the draft, if he's still available.

 

We're also told that the Raiders are worried that Young won't be available in the seven hole.

 

The Titans, with the third pick, could be the best bet to take Young.  The Jets, at No. 4, are a more remote possibility.  Other teams could try to strike a trade with one of the teams who pick before the Raiders in order to move up and get Young before the Raiders can gobble him up.

 

Click here for more of the latest NFL news and information (or you can study the film Napoleon Dynamite for tips on how to throw like Vince Young).