POSTED 8:06 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:53 p.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

TAYLOR REFUSES PLEA DEAL

Redskins safety Sean Taylor has rejected a plea bargain that would have permitted him to avoid jail time.  Taylor passed on the deal because it would have required him to plead guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault.

The stakes couldn't be higher.  Because if Taylor is convicted on any one of the three felony counts pending against him, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three years.

On one hand, we can understand Taylor's desire not to have a felony on his record.  On the other hand, we can't understand Taylor's desire not to have a felony on his record.  In our estimation, Taylor won't be running for office or going to law school or doing anything else in his life that would make the felony charge relevant to him.   So who cares about a stinkin' piece of paper, especially in light of the fact that the stinkin' piece of paper helps him to avoid finishing his career as a member of the Mean Machine?

Beyond the possibility of a stint in the hoosegow (and all that it implies), an incarceration could require Taylor to surrender millions in bonus money, if it's ultimately determined that the new CBA restrictions on the forfeiture of signing bonus money don't apply retroactively to contracts that already have been negotiated and signed.

Then again, a guilty plea could be problematic as well, since it would subject Taylor to discipline from the league office, pursuant to the NFL's personal conduct policy. 

So we'd reconsider this one if we were Taylor.  Though his lawyers might be confident that they can score an acquittal, any lawyer who says that he or she knows what a jury will do is either stupid or lying (or both).  There's simply too much at stake here to pass on the offer, in light of the steep consequences of the worst-case scenario.

TUESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Former NFL QB Quincy Carter has signed a contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL (it remains to be season whether he lands a sponsorship with, um, Pepsi).

S Victor Green signed a one-day retirement contract with the Jets.

Alex Marvez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the Fins have re-signed OT Damoin McIntosh.

The Bengals are busting about the arrival of DT Sam Adams (with the exception of the kitchen staff).

["Must . . . eat . . . food . . . .  Must . . . eat . . . food . . . ."]

Bengals CB Keiwan Ratliff doesn't mind the possibility of losing his punt return job to newcomer Antonio Chatham, since Ratliff has his eyes on a starting job on defense.

There's a movement in Cleveland to move LeCharles Bentley from center to guard.

Browns CB Gary Baxter says he doesn't want to move to safety.

CB Ty Law will visit the Seahawks.

The Bengals will look to QB Jamie Martin if QB Joey Harrington signs with the Dolphins.

The Niners are hoping that S Darnell Bing will be available at the top of round two.

The Colts have re-signed RB James Mungro.

Soon-to-be Hall of Fame LB Harry Carson will throw out the first pitch for the Mets at their home opener.

QB Daunte Culpepper speaks, again.

The Pats have signed S Mel Mitchell.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that a team "in the mid-teens" already has told USC RB LenDale White that it plans on drafting him (hello, Coach Kevlar).

The Texans have signed LB Wali Rainer and WR Jake Schifino.

POSTED 7:48 p.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

BILLS OWNER SOUNDS THE ALARM

Ah, the sweet smell of vindication.  Wait.  Maybe it's just the Ben-Gay.

Either way, we now can emerge confidently from the mountain of e-hate mail we received last week when we identified the Buffalo Bills as a prime candidate to move to Los Angeles.  On Tuesday, Bills owner Ralph Wilson expressed concerns to Governor George Pataki regarding the ability of the team to thrive in its current home.

"While I am committed to Western New York, the long-term viability of our franchise may be in serious doubt," Wilson told Pataki.

The team issued a press release regarding the private meeting, and the release included Wilson's otherwise private comments.  In other words, the Bills are launching a public campaign aimed at drawing attention to their current plight.

Wilson points to the new CBA, which he says creates an unequal playing field between large-market and small-market teams.  This marks a stark departure from the reasoning he cited after joining Bengals president Mike Brown as the only two franchises opposed to the revenue sharing plan that was adopted by owners in conjunction with the extended labor agreement between the league and the NFLPA. 

At the time, Wilson said that he voted against the plan because he didn't understand it.  In the past month, he apparently has figured it out.

"I have 46 years invested in this franchise," Wilson now says.  "There are those who don't care about us, our passionate fans or our hardworking taxpayers.  Well, I do.  I am not going to sugarcoat this, and I am not going down without a fight.  The people who have supported us for these 46 years deserve more than that."

Previous speculation was that the team could be sold and moved after the 80-something Wilson's death.  With L.A. ownerships groups likely willing to pay upwards of a billion for a new team, Wilson might be looking to cash in . . . before he checks out.

Stay tuned.

POSTED 4:37 p.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

MOULDS A TEXAN, FINALLY

John Clayton of ESPN.com reports that the Buffalo Bills have traded receiver Eric Moulds to the Houston Texans, in exchange for either a fourth-round or a fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft.

Mould will sign a four-year, $14 million contract with the Texans, including a $5 million signing bonus.

He joins a talented offense that includes receiver Andre Johnson, quarterback David Carr, and (very soon) tailback Reggie Bush.  If Johnson can recapture the form he flashed in 2004, and if David Carr can stay on his feet long enough to deliver the ball, Moulds could flourish against single coverage.

Coupled with new coach Gary Kubiak's Denver-style blocking schemes, the Texans could be on their way to becoming one of the most improved teams in 2006.

Moulds is the second big-name receiver to land with a Texas team in little over two weeks.  Last month, Terrell Owens signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Cowboys.  Like Moulds, Owens received a $5 million signing bonus.

POSTED 1:12 p.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

TAYLOR WILL STAND TRIAL

On the same day that a new arrival to Miami learned that he won't have to face a criminal trial in Minnesota, a guy who already is from Miami learned that he will.

Judge Mary Barzee has denied a motion to dismiss the felony assault charges pending against Redskins safety Sean Taylor, according to the Miami Herald.  Taylor's lawyers had claimed that prosecutor Mike Griece had failed to disclose that Taylor's alleged victims have been arrested since Taylor allegedly pointed a gun at them in June 2005.

The trial will begin on Monday, April 10.  As we explained earlier on Tuesday, the fact that the folks at whom Taylor allegedly pointed a piece have been arrested on other charges in the ten months since the alleged crime suggests that the prosecution won't be presenting a troop of Boy Scouts as witnesses next week.  And that will make it harder to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Taylor is guilty.

POSTED 12:50 p.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

LOVE BOAT CASE AGAINST CULPEPPER THROWN OVERBOARD

A Minnesota judge has pitched the criminal charges pending against former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper.  Culpepper had been facing three misdemeanor counts arising from his alleged cavorting with a stripper on a boat last October.

Per KARE-TV and the AP, the judge ruled that there was no probable cause to believe that Culpepper had committed a crime.  Culpepper's lawyers also had moved to dismiss the charges based on allegations of racial bias, since two white men who admitted to engaging in the same behavior for which Culpepper was charged had faced no scrutiny.  Today's ruling apparently does not address that issue.  Running back Moe Williams has offered up a similar argument, and the charges against him are still pending.

Also charged are cornerback Fred Smoot and tackle Bryant McKinnie, who based on the criminal complaints allegedly engaged in far more, ahem, colorful conduct that Culpepper and Williams.  Their cases are also unaffected by the ruling.

Culpepper recently testified that he was shooting craps on the cruise, and that he declined the opportunity to receive a lap dance.  It remains to be seen whether he'll now face scrutiny for admitting to engaging in illegal gambling.

The Vikings traded Culpepper to Miami last month for a second-round pick in the April 29 draft.

POSTED 11:15 a.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

TITANS PROTECTING THEMSELVES

A league source tells us that the position the Tennessee Titans have taken regarding quarterback Steve McNair arises directly from the team's desire to protect itself from owing McNair the full amount of his $10 million salary in 2006.  

If, for example, McNair drops a 50-pound dumbbell on his foot while working out and can't play at all in 2006, the team would be on the hook for his entire salary.  Under Article XXXV, Section 4 of the CBA, any player injured during offseason workouts will be protected as if injured during training camp.

Still, the Titans did a piss-poor job of employee relations regarding the way they handled the issue.  Per Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper, coach Jeff Fisher didn't even know that the team intended to eject McNair from the practice facility.

"This was out of my hands," Fisher said.  "I did not find out about it until [Monday].  I'll get involved as soon as I get back in town [on Tuesday].  I'm hopeful that [G.M.] Floyd [Reese] and [agent] Bus [Cook] can somehow get the contract renegotiated."

Good luck with that, Jeff.  Because Cook is spittin' mad.

"Steve is under contract, and if they're afraid he's going to get hurt, then they need to ask the rest of them to leave, too," Cook told McCormick.  "He has a contract, and as far as I'm concerned, this is a breach of that contract."

Actually, it's a potential breach of the CBA.  Article IV, Section 1 states that "no Clubs, either individually or in concert with other Clubs, will engage in any lockout for the duration of this Agreement."  Moreover, there's nothing in the old CBA that permits a team to impose "discipline" on a player who wants to participate in offseason workouts.  Under the terms of the new CBA, the ability of a team to place a guy on a paid suspension is revoked.

Look for this one to get uglier before it gets prettier.  And check back later on Tuesday for our analysis as to why the brunt of the blame for McNair's current predicament falls squarely in the lap of his agent.

SCHEDULE COMING OUT THURSDAY

Thanks to the reader who clued us in to the fact that the NFL Network's on-line programming guide reveals that, on Thursday, April 6, a two-hour edition of Total Access will air at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Based on past network precedent, this means that the full 2006 NFL schedule will be released, analyzed, and scrutinized during the two-hour show.

We plan to sneak out of the law office early on Thursday in order to catch the broadcast live.  (Please don't tell the boss.)

DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

We're six day in to our partnership with Sprint and NEXTEL, and we thought that this would be as good a time as any to remind our readers to support our exclusive telecommunications sponsor by clicking the ads on the our site -- and buying Sprint and NEXTEL products.

We're also featuring for April, and possibly beyond, the Adam Archuleta Freak of Training workout video.  (It's slightly different than the Richard Simmons tape your mom bought you for Christmas as a gentle way of letting you know that your ass is now officially bigger than any chair in her house.)  If you're looking to really get in shape, click the link at the top of the page, beneath the links to the team pages.  

And to anyone out there who thinks our new sponsorships might cause us to go softer than that ass that won't fit in any chairs, don't worry.  We won't change a thing.  Ever.  Our advertisers knew what we're all about before they signed on, so our tone and content shouldn't be a shock to them.

POSTED 9:15 a.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

VIKINGS WANT SCHAUB

Kevin Seifert of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Minnesota Vikings talked on Monday with the Atlanta Falcons regarding a possible trade for backup quarterback Matt Schaub.

Per Seifert, the discussions were "casual" and did not result in "formal negotiations."  Yet.

In Minnesota, Schaub would be a natural fit for the West Coast offense that Brad Childress is installing.

The Falcons resisted sending Schaub to the Jets last month for defensive end John Abraham.  In the end, the Falcons gave up their first-round pick (No. 15 overall) as part of a three-team trade that resulted in Atlanta landing Abraham, along with a 2006 third-rounder and a 2006 fourth-rounder from the Broncos.

This suggests that the Falcons will want, at a minimum, the Vikings' first-round draft pick (No. 17 overall) for Schaub, possibly along with a second-rounder or a third-rounder.  The Vikings enter the 2006 draft with two choices in round two and two choices in round three.

Even with as much as a Lawrence Welk package (i.e., a one and a two and a three . . . insert groan here), we're not sure that the Falcons will part with Schaub.  There have been indications that starter Mike Vick is souring on the coaching staff, and we've heard that Vick might want out.  If that's the case, Schaub might be the long-term answer in Atlanta.

But keep in mind that Schaub will be a restricted free agent after the 2006 season.  Even if the Falcons impose on him the highest possible tender, they'd face getting only a first-rounder and a third-rounder in return.  And if a team like the Vikings were to sign Schaub in 2007 to an offer sheet containing a sham poison pill making the deal fully guaranteed if matched, the Falcons' talons would be tied.

The real question, then, is whether Atlanta should take a one and a three (or maybe a two) this year, or whether to take a one and a three in 2007.

The only difference is that keeping Schaub for 2006 preserves the team's ability to give the job to him in 2007, if Vick's attitude further disintegrates in 2006. 

Then again, moving Schaub out of town might be the best way to remove the stick from Vick's rear end.

TAYLOR PROSECUTION ON LIFE SUPPORT

The lawyers for Redskins safety Sean Taylor have filed a motion to dismiss the felony assault charges pending against their client, based on allegations that the prosecution failed to disclose evidence that Taylor's alleged victims have been arrested for thefts, drug possession, and other crimes since June 2005, when Taylor allegedly pointed a gun at them, after they allegedly stole his ATV.

"Once this kind of information comes to my attention I have an obligation to turn it over," prosecutor Mike Grieco said, "but only once that information comes to my attention.  And it was never brought to my attention.  Somebody in law enforcement knew, but it's a big county and there are hundreds of arrests every day, and I was unaware of any of this."

Hang on a second, Mike.  These subsequent arrests supposedly occurred within Dade County, not North Dakota.  How in the world is knowledge of these arrests not imputed to the prosecutor's office in, um, Dade County?

Sure Grieco didn't actually know about it.  He didn't want to know about it.  And his office doesn't apparently have a system in place to funnel to the prosecutors information regarding arrests and other potentially significant developments involving the alleged victims of crime and other persons of interest.

But it should.  Otherwise, guys like Griece could conveniently stick their heads in the sand and then hope that the defense lawyers never find out on their own that the victims have some unsightly warts on their butts.

Think of it this way.  If Sean Taylor had been arrested on other charges since June 2005, Grieco's cell phone would have been playing the theme from 21 Jump Street within minutes.

Even if Taylor's lawyers can't secure a dismissal of the felony charges pending against the former Miami Hurricane, the fact that the alleged victims are of apparently questionable character will make it much harder to secure a conviction via the criminal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.  To meet that threshold, the jury must believe that the alleged victims are completely telling the truth and that Taylor is completely lying. 

So even if the subsequent arrests ultimately aren't admissible to impeach the credibility of the alleged victims, our guess is that it'll be very difficult to coax a compelling performance out of them on the witness stand.

TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel finally addresses the Chmura-Favre cat fight.

RB Ricky Williams has joined the Dolphins for offseason workouts.

The Fins on Wednesday with host 30 draft-eligible prospects with local ties (it's amazing that they all finagled work releases for the same day).

LB Jamie Winborn's contract with the Bucs is worth $1.6 million over two years, including a $200,000 signing bonus.

The agent for OT Torrin Tucker says that the Cowboys might not match the offer sheet signed by Tucker with the Bucs.

CB Charles Woodson visited the Packers on Monday, but he apparently left without a contract.

The Rams have signed LB Raonall Smith to a one-year, $750,000 deal, with a $150,000 signing bonus; Smith was a second-round pick of the Vikings in 2002.

The Bills and Texans are haggling over whether Houston will send a fourth-rounder or a fifth-rounder to Buffalo for WR Eric Moulds.

It sure sound to us like the Titans are hoping that QB Matt Leinart is taken at No. 2, clearing their path to Vince Young at No. 3.

Former Packers OL Grey Reugamer has signed a one-year deal with the Giants.

Broncos TE Dwayne Carswell is working out with the team after suffering a serious car accident in October.

POSTED 8:08 a.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

TITANS LOCK OUT McNAIR

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Jim Wyatt of the Nashville Tennessean report that the Tennessee Titans have barred quarterback Steve McNair from the team's practice facility until his current contract is resolved.

McNair actually was asked to leave the facility on Monday by a team trainer after the veteran quarterback arrived on Monday for offseason conditioning.

"Steve was told that until he got his contract straightened out, he wasn't welcome at the facility," agent Bus Cook told Mortensen.  "Heck, he's got his contract already straightened out and now he's trying to fulfill it by reporting for the offseason.

"A month ago they say he needs to be there to get familiar with the young guys," Cook told the Tennessean, "and now they tell him to get out?  I have never seen anything like that in my life.

"They can sugarcoat it any way they want to, but when you throw your starting quarterback off the property, an MVP, Pro Bowl guy who led them to the Super Bowl and one of the greatest players in the history of the team . . . .  To just to throw him out?  After this, I don't think Steve would want to go back any more."

The team is attempting to persuade McNair to reduce his $10 million salary, which makes up a $24 million cap number for 2006.

"The reason his cap number is $24 million is because they kept asking him to restructure every year to create space," Cook said. "This guy has done everything for the team, and he has two or three really good years left.  Now, they treat him like this."

Good luck, Titans, getting McNair to reduce his salary now.  It's just a matter of time before the former Alcorn State star is looking for a new home.

WHITE SAYS HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE WORK ETHIC

In a Monday appearance on the NFL Network's Total Access, former USC running back LenDale White spent most of his time 'splaining away his abysmal pro day workout from Sunday, which (he claims) resulted from a previously undisclosed hamstring injury.  His upper body didn't cooperate much more, allowing him to manage only 15 reps in the 225-pound bench press.

But even as he attempted to defuse the notion that he didn't work out because he's out of shape, White conceded that he needs to work on his "overall work ethic."

Even though the appearance with Rich Eisen and Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman had the feel of a Pete Carroll-Pat Kirwan inside job aimed at giving White a chance to redeem himself and preserve his draft status, we think it worked.  Scouts love White's film, so there's no issue as to his ability.  The bigger question is one of maturity, and perhaps his performance from Sunday has been the kick to the cajones that he needed in order to realize that he's not going to be able to buy nice things (like that Range Rover he was driving on Sunday) if he doesn't work hard on a consistent basis.

Still, we don't see White lasting beyond the fifteenth overall pick, which we think the Broncos acquired from Atlanta in the specific hope that the Denver product would be available in that spot.

POSTED 10:05 p.m. EDT, April 3, 2006; UPDATED 9:23 a.m. EDT, April 4, 2006

SCOREBOARD COMPANY LETS CAT OUT OF BAG FOR FINS

Earlier on Monday night, we reported that the Dolphins will unveil at a Saturday press conference "the creation of a national branding strategy for the stadium and unveil the new stadium logo."  We thought it meant that the Fins would be selling the naming rights to Dolpins Stadium.

To the contrary, the Fins are merely changing the name of Dolphins Stadium to . . . Dolphin Stadium.

A reader advises us that the official web site of Daktronics, a South Dakota scoreboard and video display company, describes as one of its recent projects the installation of two large video displays at the venue, with a scheduled completion date of July 2006.  In so doing, Daktronics discloses the new name of the stadium, including its new logo.

The broader question, as we see it, is whether the new Dolphin from the stadium logo eventually will replace the team's traditional cartoon-style, helmet-wearing marine mammal on the side of the player helmets.

Given that the team plans to unveil the new name at logo at a presser on Saturday, we have a feeling that owner Wayne Huizenga didn't anticipate that Daktronics would let the cat out of the bag.  And we figure that, before too long, the "Recent Projects" link on the left side of the Daktronics site will be tweaked.  A little.

(Editor's note:  As we expected, Daktronics has removed reference to the Dolphin Stadium project from its web site.  It was gone as of 9:20 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 4.  At 6:45 a.m. EDT on April 4, it was still there.)