We're
getting a big kick out of recent suggestions by some NFL agents
that they're willing to include in the contracts of players with
black marks on their records a provision that would enable bonus
money to be recovered if, for example, the kid tests positive
for a banned substances.
Most
recently, David "Troy
Williamson's Biatch" Canter has said that, if the
Broncos give punter Todd Sauerbrun a new deal in connection with
a trade for his services, the contract will include a bonus
"buyback" if Sauerbrun breaks any league rules or gets
in any trouble.
Defensive
tackle Luis Castillo, who tested positive for steroids at the
Scouting Combine, has made a similar commitment to the Chargers,
asking for a clause that would require him to refund his entire
signing bonus if he tests positive again for any juice other
than orange, grape, or Jesus.
What
these guys conveniently overlook is that teams already are
putting such clauses in most, if not all, player
contracts. So the offer to do so is little more than a
hollow P.R. gesture, intended to make a turdish talent seem
sympathetic to the media and/or the fans.
The
biggest problem, as some league insiders see it, for guys like
Sauerbrun and Castillo isn't that they'll get caught using
steroids but that their bodies will not hold up without chemical
assistance, assuming that the reports of Sauerbrun's usage are
true, and assuming that Castillo is embellishing just a tad when
he 'splains that he raged on 'roids only in connection with his
recovery from an injury while preparing for pre-draft
workouts.
And
that's why teams should be leery of Sauerbrun, and should have
stayed away from Castillo.
GROSSMAN
SHEDDING THE PIZZA FAT
Word
out of Chicago is that Bears quarterback Rex Grossman put on
nearly 30 pounds while recovering from a torn ACL suffered last
September.
Per
our BEars official mole (who among other things told us that the
Bears had a bong in their pocket for Ricky Williams Jr. more
than two months before the draft), Grossman has shed all but
five of those extra L.B.'s by dumping the "pizza and
beer" from his diet.
The
team's starting quarterback began his reduction process after
coach Lovie Smith expressed concern in January that Rex's girth
was getting a little gross, man.
Although
Grossman generally is considered to be the Bears' quarterback of
the present and future, there's no room for regression in the
NFL. If draft pick Kyle Orton develops quickly and the
2003 first-rounder can't fulfill his potential soon, Grossman
surely won't get five years to become the next Luckman.
TY
WON'T GET BIG COIN
In
response to reports that cornerback Ty Law expects to maintain
the same sky-high salary he was receiving in New England before
his wheel cracked like an ice cube in a bowl of bisque, league
insiders are questioning (again) the sanity of Law's agents,
Carl and Kevin Poston.
"No
f--king way [Law] gets big coin up front," opined one
league source.
"Unless,"
the source added, "[Redskins owner Dan Snyder] goes apesh-t
again."
But
there are three obstacles to Law getting an above-market
contract from the 'Skins. First, the team put itself in a
major cap mess by trading Laveranues Coles, making it difficult
to pay an eight-figure bonus to Law. Second, the 'Skins
drafted Carlos Rogers (or "Carlos Joseph" if you get
your NFL news from the yay-hoos
at Yahoo). Third, the 'Skins are still leery about
working with the Postons, who claimed that the team fraudulently
failed to include a second $6.5 million roster bonus for 2006 in
LaVar Arrington's December 2003 contract extension.
Teams
interested in Law include the Steelers, Lions, and
Dolphins. But we can't imagine any of them breaking the
pig for a guy who might not be the same in 2005 after breaking
his piggies in October of last season.
SUNDAY
ONE-LINERS
Sid
Hartman of The Minneapolis Star Tribune thinks that the
Vikings will miss WR Randy Moss (you're right, Sid --
without Randy, who'll be there to disrupt locker room chemistry
and to undermine the grossly underrated leadership skills of
Daunte Culpepper?).
Tony
Grossi of The Cleveland Plain Dealer is $4
million too low in his estimate of TE Kellen Winslow's total
potential liability to the Browns. (Conspiracy
Theory Alert: Wethinks the team is trying to get the
media to understate Evel Kellnievel's total potential liability,
so that when he forfeits the remaining $2 million due to be paid
on July 15 as a full settlement of the issue it'll look like the
Browns recovered a bigger percentage of their best-case
scenario.)
The
Saints are interested in WR
Az Hakim (gesundheit).
Jets
CB Jamie Henderson hopes
to make it back from a near-fatal motorcycle accident.
Packers
WR Robert
Ferguson has had Lasik surgery, which cured headaches that
were thought to have been related to the vicious hit he took
from S Donovin Darius last year.
POSTED
11:35 a.m. EDT, May 14, 2005
CHAVOUS
WANTS NEW CONTRACT?
Vikings
safety Corey Chavous reportedly wants
a new contract, according to the St. Paul Pioneer
Press. Chavous might, as a result, stay away from the
team's upcoming involuntary voluntary minicamp, which opens on
Monday.
Chavous
is scheduled to make $1.9 million this year.
As
one league insider opined, Chavous should be happy to be getting
that much from the Vikings.
Indeed,
word is that the Vikings could be inclined to part ways with
Chavous after June 1. So perhaps he's merely trying to
create some cover for his looming release.
If/when
Chavous goes, the team likely will turn to Willie Offord, a
third-round pick in 2002 who has yet to crack the starting
lineup. Offord would be teamed with Darren Sharper in a
revamped defensive backfield that would feature three new
starters in 2005, with Antoine Winfield the only holdover.
Per
the report, the ownership group received notice from the IRS
last month that they owe taxes on money received from Oakland
and Alameda County when the team returned to the Bay Area in
1995.
The
deal provided the team with $63.9 million in "loans,"
but had no schedule of repayment. If, therefore, the money
was not and has not been paid back, the money is income -- and
taxes should have been paid on it.
The
Raiders plan to challenge the matter, which shouldn't surprise
anyone. Count Chocula, after all, thrives not by feasting
on human blood but by paying money to the legal minions who do
his bidding on a continuous basis.
WALKER
'SPLAINS HOLDOUT
Packers
receiver Javon Walker addressed on Friday his contract status.
His
agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has made proposals, and the team hasn't
responded to any of them.
Walker
also said that the primary reason for skipping involuntary
voluntary workouts and a recent mandatory minicamp was to guard
against an injury that could damage his ultimate value.
But
as we've heard from various league insiders, there are ways to
work out participation in offseason sessions in a manner that
protects a guy against injury.
One
strategy, for example, is to participate in everything except
joint drills, during which the possibility of injury
significantly increases.
But
Walker and Rosenhaus aren't interested in cooperation, unless it
involves getting paid. That's why the Packers will
continue to get nothing but word play (e.g., "a
holdout isn't a holdout until it's a holdout") from their
Pro Bowl receiver and his
agent,
unless and until they realize that the team won't
budge.
SAUERBRUN
STILL DOESN'T GET IT
Carolina
Panthers punter Todd Sauerbrun has a long history of words and
deeds suggesting that his ability to send a cow-covered
elliptical spheroid through the air courtesy of his foot are not
matched by his cognitive skills.
Earlier
this year, Sauerbrun became the butt of jokes throughout the
league after being implicated as a steroid user via a CBS
News report.
The
incident greased the skids for Sauerbrun's exit from Carolina,
and the Panthers began to explore opportunities for trading the
ten-year veteran.
Enter
the Broncos, who have been collecting more turds of late than a
water treatment plant. After meeting with Sauerbrun, Mike
Shanahan and company decided to send a seventh-round pick to
Charlotte, and to commit to a contract that requires paying
Sauerbrun $1.2 million in 2005, $1.295 million in 2006, and $1.4
million in 2007.
If
a deal can't be worked out, Sauerbrun likely will be released
after June 1, and he will become a free agent.
Maybe
he thinks that he'll get a better deal on the open market, which
undoubtedly would include some money up front. But it's
one thing, in our view, for the Broncos to take on a contract
that, as a practical matter, commits them to nothing until
Sauerbrun (a vested veteran) plays in the regular-season
opener. It's quite another for Denver -- or anyone else --
to plunk down a bunch of coin for a guy whose track record calls
to mind terms like arrogant, self-centered, 'roid rage, jerk,
and closet homosexual, among others. (Editor's Note:
We're not suggesting that Sauerbrun is gay. Not that
there's anything wrong with that.)
There
have been reports that the Bucs (no surprise) and the Vikings
(less of a surprise, given the activities of Coach Meathead and
Phony Pee-Pee Boy) might be interested. But only the
Broncos brought Sauerbrun in for an interview in advance of a
trade, and we've got a feeling that, in the end, he'll end up
with a deal not nearly as good as the one that's going to get
flushed down the crapper by Carolina next month.
SATURDAY
MORNING ONE-LINERS
The
potential return of the NFL is a
non-issue in the L.A. mayoral race (but one of the
candidates has a revenue plan that includes televising all car
chases and shootouts on a pay-per-view basis).
The
Giants have reached
an injury settlement with QB Jim Miller (who somehow manages
to continue his NFL career without, you know, actually being on
a team during the regular season).
The
Packers won't
rule out pursuing LB Peter Boulware as a situational pass
rusher (even if hurt, he can't be any worse than Joe Johnson or
Jamal Reynolds or post-payday KGB or any other stiff that the
team has tried at the position since Reggie White retired).
With
C Rich Braham signed, the Bengals
are returning all 11 starters on offense in 2005 (does that
fall into the "good news" or "bad news"
category?).
The
Chiefs
are pissing and moaning about a political decision that
apparently will require them to pay for their own improvements
to Arrowhead Stadium.
The
Saints have implemented
a new technology for the convenience of season ticket
holders (they're using fishing line instead of shoe string to
tie the tin cans together).
The
Cardinals are hosting
free kicking camps every Saturday through July 30 (this
week's emphasis is how not to tear an ACL celebrating a
converted extra point).
"I
know the team has told me they just wanted competition,'' said
agent Ken Harris. "But I don't particularly believe
Doug Brien opted for Chicago over other possibilities for a
competition.''
"Look
at a class organization like the New York Jets,'' Harris
added. "They did not even hesitate to let Brien go
make a living somewhere else [after drafting Mike Nugent in
round two]. That's something Brien, his family and his
representation, I am sure, appreciate.
"When
you're on the other side of the coin there, you appreciate what
they did for Doug. [The Bears] have their competition, so
when they tell you [Edinger is there] for competition, they're
crazy. I do not think they would be adversely affected by
giving him a chance to make a living somewhere else than waiting
until September when it might shut him out.''
Bears
G.M. Jerry Angelo isn't ready to comply with the request.
"We're
going out to create as much competition as we can,'' Angelo
said. "Paul's making a lot of money, and in the interim,
they asked about seeking a trade. We told them to go ahead
and look. We paid Paul a lot of money. It's a
process, and we have to let it run its course. We can't
let him walk out.''
We
wonder whether Angelo would be taking the same position if the
Vikings coach Mike Tice didn't have a tee in his pocket for
Edinger. After all, the Vikings signed Edinger to an offer
sheet when he was a restricted free agent, forcing the Bears to
match the terms in order to retain his services.
Now,
the Bears have four kickers on the roster -- Brien, Edinger,
Nick Novak, and Tyler Jones. Our guess is that the Bears
will hold Edinger as long as possible, in the hopes that the
Vikings will go in a different direction, and that Angelo and
company won't have to face twice in 2005 the guy whom they
eventually will release.
Or
maybe Angelo and company are merely hoping that Minnesota will
blink and offer a low-round pick for Edinger.
Either
way, it's unlikely that Edinger and his agent will get their
wish.
Did
Boulware's agents know what the market would bear before
telling Ozzie to shove it up his Newsome?
We've
preached about tampering in this space on multiple times.
It's wrong. It's against the rules. It's improper.
It
happens.
Here's
how it goes down. Agents reach out to teams to discuss the
hypothetical terms that a hypothetical player could realize on
the hypothetical open market if he were available,
hypothetically. Since the tampering technically is
performed by the team and not the agent, we think it's stoopid
for any agent who knows that there's a sum certain behind Door
No. 1 to not try to get a peek behind Door No. 2, before it
flies open to reveal a goat humping a fence post.
So
if, in this case, Boulware's agent didn't place an afternoon's
worth of calls to every NFL team in the hopes of striking up
such a conversation before telling the Ravens "no,"
then Boulware should consider firing him.
Hell,
it's not as if the agent had to even take the initiative.
Media reports were swirling about Boulware's potential release
several days before it happened. If a team had a strong
interest in acquiring his services, a call discreetly could have
been made, and a "conversation that never happened"
could have occurred.
Sure,
the teams shouldn't be doing this. But they do it, whether
by talking about impending free agents at the Scouting Combine
or talking about cap casualties who face a "take a cut or
take a hike" ultimatum. And, in reality, the agents
aren't doing the best job they possibly can do for their clients
if they're not willing to listen to things that, in theory,
never should be said while the guy is still under
contract.
San
Antonio is an unlikely
candidate to host the Saints -- for starters, the city would
need a new stadium, or a $200 million upgrade to the Alamodome.
The
Texans have added
veteran OT Victor Riley, with a one-year deal worth $655,000
and a $50,000 bonus; he gets a $100,000 bonus is he makes the
season-opening roster and plays in at least one game.
Jim
Wyatt of The Tennessean seems
to be carrying the water for the Titans and CB Adam "Pacman"
Jones by presuming that Jones was "not involved" in a
bar fight merely because criminal charges won't be pursued . . .
Wyatt's backhanded "despite media reports to the
contrary" slap at The Nashville City Paper for its
prior report on the story is, in our view, cover for the fact
that Wyatt was playing with his Whizzinator while Terry
McCormick of The City Paper was tracking down the
details.
Chiefs
defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham will be moving
from the press box to the side line (making his return to
the team that poop-canned him as head coach seem even more
surreal on Sundays).
Kudos
to a reader named Flange who raised with us some compelling
questions on Thursday afternoon regarding the incident that
resulted in public disclosure that Onterrio Smith was in
possession of a prosthetic pee-pee last month.
Said
Flange:
"Does
anyone have privacy concerns over a citizen's private property
being discussed in the newspapers after a police search?
How did any of this come to light and doesn't it make you wonder
what about you may be made known following a search of this
kind? Do the security officials routinely blab to the
press what so-and-so carries in his/her baggage?"
We
hadn't thought of that specific angle -- and, in hindsight, we
probably should have.
Armed
with someone else's idea, we opted to try to get to the bottom
of the issue. So we contacted Kevin Seifert of The
Minneapolis Star Tribune, who broke the story regarding
Smith and his fake Johnson.
Seifert,
as it turns out, wasn't the beneficiary of an off-the-record
tip. Instead, the information was publicly available.
"Although
there were no charges," Seifert told us, "the airport
police wrote up an incident report. This report is public
record, just like any other police report."
Seifert
'splained that a copy of any such report is available, unless it
has been sealed for some reason. "In this case,"
he said, "it wasn't sealed."
And as Seifert also observed: "Perhaps a bigger
question is why the police wrote up an incident report if
nothing illegal happened. I don't really have an answer to
that."
Neither
do we. But it's nevertheless troubling for anyone who
worries about the balance between the preservation of personal
liberties and the protection of the public. In this case,
it looks like the line has been crossed, since there really was
no reason why anything should have reduced to writing for public
consumption the personal contents of Smith's baggage.
The
lesson to everyone is clear -- when flying, assume that anything
you put in your bag can and will be seen by others, and that a
piece of paper reflecting your possession of that item can and
will be generated and preserved in a public file.
THURSDAY
NIGHT ONE-LINERS
Bucs
owners Malcolm Glazer has
acquired control of the Manchester United soccer club (but
he is still a gigantic wiener).
The
Bears
have signed K Doug Brien, making the release of K Paul
"Nancy Stance" Edinger inevitable (and the good news
for Brien is that he won't have to worry about missing any
field goals in the playoffs with the Bears).
The
Colts have announced that they will replace their green cement with
FieldTurf; the team said in
February that it would install synthetic grass at the RCA
Dome.
Ravens
DE Terrell Suggs will
go on trial Monday for two counts of aggravated assault
stemming from a March 2003 fight.
The
Wisconsin lottery
blew $200,000 in 2003 on Super Bowl tickets that, for
reasons that aren't completely clear to us, were unable to be
used.
Here's
an update
on Tim Couch, and our guess is that yours truly has a better
chance of suiting up on Sundays than the No. 1 overall pick in
the 1999 draft.
Terry
McCormick of The Nashville City Paper reports that
officials in Georgia will
not pursue an arrest warrant for Titans cornerback Adam
"Pacman" Jones resulting from an April 27 incident at
a DeKalb County strip club.
Andrea
Akins accused Jones of hitting her with a bottle, and Jones
contends that the person responsible for the alleged assault was
Shaguana (great name) Jackson.
Although
the powers-that-be have concluded that the conflicting evidence
likely would not overcome the high burden of proof beyond a
reasonable doubt, Akins may still pursue a civil claim against
Jones, who soon will be coming into a pretty significant amount
of money.
POSTED
8:19 a.m. EDT, May 12, 2005
LEAGUE
FACES DILEMMA ON SMITH
The
NFL has spoken regarding the recent discovery that Vikings
running back Onterrio Smith had a phony pee-pee in his
pocketbook at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, and in our
estimation the league now faces a real dilemma.
Said
NFL V.P. of media relations Greg Aiello: "Under the
terms of our policy, a deliberate attempt to substitute or
alter a specimen during collection is a violation. But
the possession of paraphernalia outside of a testing situation
will be investigated and action taken if appropriate.
Our program requires that players be visually observed from
the front giving the sample with their shirts off and pants
down to their knees, making
the effectiveness of such an effort remote."
In
other words, if the league is properly applying its
drug-testing policies, Smith's "Whizzinator"
wouldn't have worked -- unless he were able to convince the
testing monitor that he had some sort of a "buy one get
one free" birth defect.
So
if, as the logic goes, the NFL's testing methods in this
regard are foolproof, the "Whizzinator" would be no
more effective than eight ounces of room-temperature urine
from Aunt Esther that gets handed to the piss man in a
goldfish bag when he knocks on the door.
Unless
Smith's story that he was taking the device to his cousin is
true (and as one league source said Smith's explanation would
have been more plausible if he would have claimed that the
thing was a sex toy), then Smith must have had reason to
believe that using the thing is effective -- which in turn
calls into question whether the guys responsible for
collecting human waste products on a regular basis are
properly positioning themselves to confirm that no foreign
objects are being used to supply the sample.
Our
prediction, then, is that the league will move gingerly on
this one, since suspending Smith would be an implicit
admission that the testing protocol is flawed. Look
instead for the league to apply some subtle pressure to the
Vikings to get rid of Smith, and for other teams to be
pressured not to give him a safe harbor.
And
given the current glut of running backs in the Twin Cities,
our guess is that other teams wouldn't be inclined to pounce
on Smith -- who is one slip away for a one-year suspension.
Moreover,
Smith's history is fairly well documented. He previously
enrolled in college at Tennessee, where he was arrested in
2000 for striking the mother of his child. He later was
suspended for half of spring practice in 2000, and
subsequently kicked off of the team in May of that year for
failing drug tests.
As
one league source told us, his team's pre-draft investigation
of Smith revealed that the guy was a "repeat
offender" at Tennessee.
Later,
Smith landed at Oregon, where he was suspended in the spring
of 2001 for a violation of team rules. In August 2001,
Smith was arrested for DUI and driving with a suspended
license.
So
even though Smith was, as the source said, "the most
talented running back in the draft class," his "unending
off field problems" caused him to drop to the fourth
round.
Speaking
of round four, the fact that the Vikings added to their
three-headed tailback monster by drafting another running back
in that specific stanza (Florida's Ciatrick Fason) suggests
that the team might have had an inkling about Smith's fake
winkling before April 24, since they now have Smith, Fason,
Michael Bennett, and Mewelde Moore on the roster.
MORE
ON PACMAN'S NEW PROBLEMS
Picking
up the ball that we tossed into the fray earlier this week and
running strong with it, Terry McCormick of The Nashville
City Paper has put a lot more meat on the bone regarding
new allegations against Titans first-round draft pick Adam
"Pacman" Jones.
Per
McCormick, Jones
is scheduled to appear before a DeKalb County, Georgia
magistrate on Friday for a hearing on whether an arrest
warrant should be issued in connection with allegations that
Jones hit a woman over the head with a bottle at a local strip
club in the early morning hours of April 27 -- less than 72
hours after his name was called as the sixth overall pick in
the draft.
Jones'
agent, Michael Huyghue, told McCormick that the allegations
are "completely false."
"Apparently
an allegation was made and later withdrawn. I don’t believe
this has much validity. This is a non-incident," Huyghue
said. "And if there is a court proceeding on
Friday, I think you’ll see that there’s really nothing to
this."
Jones'
camp claims that Shaguana Jackson (who was with Pacman at the
club) is the person who cold-cocked Andrea Akins. Akins
claims it was Jones.
Regardless
of whether Jones is innocent or guilty, he needs to show
better judgment. He dodged a major bullet in round one;
if the Titans hadn't taken a chance on him, Jones likely would
have fallen out of the top ten, since neither the Cardinals
(who selected Antrel Rolle) nor the Redskins (who picked
Carlos Rogers) had Jones at the top of their boards at the
corner position. Now, he needs to make the team that
drafted him not regret the move, especially in light a recent
string of Playmakers-style incidents that have plagued
the franchise.
As
we've said before (and surely will say again), NFL players
need to figure out where the "line" is -- and then
stay the hell away from it.
Maybe
Jones is starting to get smart about the manner in which he
should spend his free time. After we posted our story on
Monday night, we received an e-mail from Jones, who asked
yours truly to give him a call. In a response, yours
truly pointed out to Pacman that he hadn't supplied a phone
number, and to date Pacman has not replied.
Hopefully,
we'll hear from him again. We think he's a phenomenal
talent, and that he has a great chance to make a lot of money
through marketing opportunities.
Allegations
like this, however, won't help him get there.
Drew
Rosenhaus has added
two more new clients -- Titans QB Billy Volek and Titans C
Justin Hartwig (in an unrelated story, neither will be
participating in any offseason workouts until further notice,
or until they realize that it won't help them get new
contracts).
The
Packers are getting a little hot under the Cheesehead
regarding the advances
made by the rival Vikings in the offseason:
"OK, yeah, they picked up some people," offensive
lineman Grey Ruegamer said. "But you don't know how
these people are going to pan out. Look, when was
Minnesota so strong? When? You don't know what
you've got until you get out on the field."
By
releasing LB Peter Boulware now instead of after June 1, the
Ravens will
take the full acceleration of the remainder of his $13
million signing bonus in 2005, with no dead money in 2006; the
net
hit will be $1.6 million, since the team won't have to pay
his $6 million salary.
Nick
Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that the Pats can do
some post-June 1 shopping, since they've got just under $3
million in cap space available (but Cafardo apparently is
overlooking the fact that the team's rookie
pool number is $2,962,900).
As
the Miami Dolphins move on to "Plan B" (or is it
"Plan C"?) in their search for a new front office
guy, there's a question that some league insiders are aksing
about the situation.
Why?
Said
one source, "The guys that they are bringing in for
interviews are no better than the guys they already have in
Rick Spielman and George Paton. They work their asses
off and did everything Saban wanted them to do in free agency
and the draft."
Added
the source: "Change shouldn't be made for the sake
of change."
The
problem, however, is that Saban might have permanently damaged
his relationship with Spielman by bringing in Ruston Webster
and Chris Polian for interviews, especially since Saban seems
to be an obsessive-compulsive paranoid control freak who will
be looking over his shoulder more than ever, now that he's
given Spielman a reason to dislike him.
Still,
Saban should reconsider his apparent desire to replace
Spielman. After all, Spielman is a solid personnel guy
who had a key role in building a team that consistently was
among the best in the conference.
We're
not knocking the guys who have been mentioned as possible
replacements -- we're just wondering why a replacement is
necessary so soon.
BEN
SHOULD PARK HIS BIKE
The
league insiders with whom we have spoken regarding the wisdom
of Ben Roethlisberger's decision to ride a motorcycle sans
helmet are unanimous in their opinion.
Ben
should park the bike.
One
source told us that Roethlisberger's agent, Leigh Steinberg,
should push the issue. Steinberg's fear, however, might
be that he could risk alienating -- and losing -- his client
by forcing the issue.
SAINTS
IN "SHAMBLES"
A
league source tells us that the New Orleans Saints
organization is in "shambles" in the wake of the
departure of all scouts, who apparently have left for other
teams.
A
cloud of uncertainty has been hovering over the franchise for
several years now, as the team has been the subject of
lingering rumors that it will move out of Louisiana. The
lack of stability likely influenced most of the scouts to look
elsewhere.
Recently,
owner Tom Benson cut off talks aimed at resolving the
situation, opting instead to enforce the terms of a sweetheart
deal negotiated pre-9/11, before reduced tourism dollars and
increased security expenses made it much harder for the State
to live up to its end of the bargain.
The
Bills are conducting a press conference at 11:00 a.m. EDT on
Thursday "to
announce a major event" (will there be a marching
band, too?).
The
Dolphins officially have announced that CB
Will Poole has suffered an "injury" -- but they
haven't said what it is (even though everyone else with a
pulse who gives a poopie about the NFL knows).
POSTED
1:29 p.m. EDT, May 11, 2005
BOSTON
GIVING UP ON SAN FRAN?
There's
talk in league circles that receiver David Boston has
abandoned all hope of landing with the San Francisco 49ers,
and that Boston might try to persuade the Miami Dolphins to
give him another shot.
Boston
has been linked to the Niners for much of the offseason, but
the last we heard is that new coach Mike Nolan isn't
interested in adding a guy who has put the "T" in
"turd" for most of the past two years.
Boston,
a 1999 first-rounder out of Ohio State, showed great promise
in his early years with the Cardinals. But when Arizona
allowed him to play out his rookie contract and didn't try to
sign him in 2003, there likely was more to the story that
simply owner Bill Bidwill's cheapskatedness.
The
Chargers -- whose screening process of late by all appearances
consists of three questions: (1) have you killed
anyone?; (2) were you caught?; and (3) have you apologized? --
gave Boston a truckload of coin on the free-agent
market. San Diego then dumped him after a season marred
by injury, game-day cell phone usage, an early locker room
departure, and obscenities hurled at the strength coach.
Enter
the Dolphins, whose desperation to win a playoff game or two
persuaded them to take a flier on Boston for a low-round
pick.
He
promptly blew out his knee.
Two
surgeries later, Boston was arrested at a Rhode Island airport
for alleged assault and one of the Nicktator's first items of
business was to pinch him into the porcelain.
With
that history, we can't imagine Saban giving Boston a chance,
unless it happens pursuant to a bargain-basement, short-leash
deal with little or no signing bonus and lots of
incentives. Even then, we think the Fins would be far
better off using Saban's grace period to develop younger
players than to squeeze the remaining milk from a dried up
udder.
Falcons
QB Mike Vick has submitted
paperwork denying allegations that he gave a woman herpes
(Editor's note: Few defendants in any
civil action ever admit to wrongdoing in the official answer
to the complaint.)
The
Eagles
won't talk about whether Miami has contacted them
regarding assistant director of player personnel Jason Licht,
whom we've reported is under consideration for a job in the
Miami front office.
The
Dolphins are trying to slap an aqua "Wide Load" sign
on the ass of DT
Keith Traylor.
According
to The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Vikings running back
Onterrio Smith was detained last month at the Minneapolis-St.
Paul airport after police found caught
him with a prosthetic penis and dried urine used to
circumvent drug tests.
Police
became suspicious after they found multiple vials of white
powder in Smith's bags. The powder, as Smith later
acknowledged, was dried urine.
Smith
previously has been suspended four games for violation of the
NFL's substance-abuse policy. Another violation would
trigger a one-year suspension.
It's
unclear whether Smith's possession of the device constitutes
another violation of the league's policy. Testing
procedures require the player to take his shirt off and pull
his pants below his knees in front of an observer, so it'd be
interesting to know how he has been attaching this thing to
his, well, thing.
Packers
RB Ahman Green will
be charged with disorderly conduct Wednesday morning; the
misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in
jail or a $1,000 fine.
The
new FieldTurf at the Edward Jones Dome will
be in place for only a year because the powers-that-be
need to come up with a "removable system" that
allows the facility to be used for non-football events.
Steelers
WR Zamir Cobb could
nab a roster spot a year after suffering a broken leg in
the midst of a stellar preseason.
The
right knee of Browns TE Kellen Winslow is still
too swollen to permit a complete diagnosis of the damage
to it.
POSTED
9:15 p.m. EDT, May 10, 2005
TUESDAY
NIGHT ONE-LINERS
Former
NFL lineman William "The Refrigerator" Perry lost
a cake-eating contest to 135-pound Richard "The
Thermos" LeFevre, who ate a five-pound cake in less than
11.5 minutes.
Anaheim
has unveiled plans for a 70,500-seat
stadium, and we estimate that after the first season
roughly 20,000 of them will be assless on Sundays.
Browns
tight end Kellen Winslow was released from the Cleveland
Clinic on Tuesday, nine days after a motorcycle accident that
left him with multiple injuries.
Winslow
released the following statement:
"I
would like to thank my family, friends, fans, the Cleveland
Browns, and the staff at The Cleveland Clinic for their
support. I
am determined more than ever to get back on the field with
my coaches and teammates as soon as possible. I'm okay
and excited to be going home. I would like to thank
everyone in advance for respecting my privacy as I
recover."
The
phrase "I'm okay" might be a bit of a stretch, under
the circumstances.
And
Winslow's determination at this point has little to do with
when and if he'll get back on the field.
Icarus,
after all, was determined to fly.
Winslow's
overall interests at this point would be far better served, in
our opinion, by reflecting on the events that led him to this
point in his life, and by learning from his mistake.
Browns
coach Romeo Crennel talked
to the media for the first time since Evel Kellnievel
tried to jump the Snake River Curb, but Crennel really didn't
have anything to say.
With
the Jags making noise about possibly signing RB Eddie George,
Chris Fuamatu is working
like a Ma'afala to keep his spot on the roster.
The
folks at DenverBroncos.com need to learn that comedy
cannot be forced (but it can be, of course, acquired on
the free agent market and via multiple trades with Cleveland).
A
league source tells us that the recent promotion of Chris
Polian by the Colts was the final piece of a power play that
some believe was orchestrated by Indy G.M. Bill Polian to help
advance his son's career.
Earlier
in the offseason, Bill's pimping of his progeny resulted in
the Dolphins interviewing Chris for a job in the Miami front
office. As the source explained, certain folks inside
the organization went to bat for the younger Polian with new
coach Nick Saban. So Saban listened to their advice and
brought Chris in for a sit-down.
But
then the younger Polian backed off, and the thinking is that
his father used Miami's ginned-up interest in sonny boy to
lobby the Colts to promote him.
Saban,
we hear, was pissed off by manner in which this one
unfolded. And we think he had every right to be.
As the source opined to us, Saban "shouldn't have been
played for a chump like that."
The
problem for Polian & Polian is that the NFL has a
relatively small fraternity of front office personnel, and
people tend to remember actual or perceived indignities.
So unless Chris Polian ends up taking over for Bill as the
Colts' G.M., it might be hard for him to land somewhere else,
since folks have been and will continue to be talking about
the manner in which the Fins were played to help the Polians
advance their agenda in Indy.
GIANTS
GETTING IMPATIENT WITH SHOCKEY
The
recent cameo appearance of Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey at
the team's involuntary voluntary workouts has done little to
persuade teammates that it's okay for him to spend the bulk of
his time working out in Miami.
Word
is that Shockey's teammates are gradually becoming more upset
with his decision -- right or wrong -- to train away from the
rest of the organization.
Shockey
and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, deny that the move is a tactic
to secure a new contract for the former Miami tight end.
Not everyone buys that, however, and folks will continue to be
skeptical of Shockey's motives unless and until he puts
forward a far more compelling argument for his decision to not
do his training with his team.
Before
promoting Ruston Webster to the position of director of player
personnel, the Bucs
denied the Seahawks' request for permission to interview
him for the position of V.P. of football operations.
Ron
Cook of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette risks incurring the
wrath of the locals by suggesting that WR Hines Ward doesn't
deserve a huge contract because he's only "a
singles hitter."
Joe
Namath says that WR Terrell Owens' recent verbal jabs at QB
Donovan McNabb were "very
childish" (but not nearly as childish as, say,
getting snockered and telling a butchish sports gal that you
want to kiss her).
Namath
also says that former Jets K Doug Brien is "a
damn good kicker" (hey -- we thought Joe Willie was
off the sauce).
Multiple
SoCal cities continue
to jockey for the right to build a stadium for a
still-undetermined NFL team (our money is on the Saints).
USC
DL Manuel Wright could decide as
soon as Wednesday whether to enter the NFL supplemental
draft.
Packers
RB Ahman Green will
face charges for his recent domestic violence arrest.
Former
NFL LB Bryan Cox made back some of the money he paid in fines
by plunking down $150
on Giacomo to win.
In
the wake of Ruston Webster's decision to accept a promotion
with the Buccaneers to the position of director of player
personnel, a league source tells us that Webster actually
turned down a similar position in Miami before taking the gig
in Tampa.
Webster
could have left the Bucs for a step up in the front
office. Even though the director of player personnel job
in Miami would not have involved "final say"
authority, it would have been a sufficient vertical move to
permit Webster to depart prematurely from his contract in
Tampa.
The
fact that Webster interviewed in Miami on Friday suggests that
the Bucs knew they couldn't stand in his way.
Word
is that once Webster was offered the Miami job, Tampa put the
same position on the table, and he decided to stay put.
With
Webster out of the picture in Miami, we're now hearing four
names as possible candidates to replace Rick Spielman as the
chief personnel guru with the Fins: Bears director of
college scouting Greg Gabriel, Ravens director of college
scouting Eric DeCosta, Bucs director of pro personnel Mark
Dominik, and Eagles assistant director of player personnel
Jacon Licht.
We've
heard from several different sources that Titans cornerback
Adam "Pacman" Jones is facing allegations of battery
resulting from a post-draft strip-club spree in his home state
of Georgia.
The
allegations include a claim that Jones hit a woman over the
head with a bottle. There's also a contention that he
left another club that same night without paying his full tab.
Jones,
the first defensive player taken in the draft, apparently
wasn't harmed by past allegations of hitting a guy upside the
head with a pool stick at a Morgantown, West Virginia
bar. We've heard in the wake of the draft, however, that
if Tennessee hadn't taken him with the six pick, he might have
fallen past Arizona and Washington and out of the top ten, due
in part to character questions.
Word
is that civil litigation against Jones for the most recent
incident is brewing, and that there could be criminal charges
filed.
Stay
tuned.
WEBSTER
GETS A NEW GIG
Our
friends at PewterReport.com are reporting that Bucs director
of college scouting has
been promoted to the position of director of player
personnel, and that regional scout Dennis Hickey has been
promoted to Webster's old job.
Four
years ago, the Bucs pulled an identical same-day double-move
by bumping Tim Ruskell from director of college scouting to
the position now held by Webster, and Webster into the
position now held by Hickey.
We'd
reported over the past few weeks that Webster was under
consideration for gigs in Seattle and Miami. On Friday,
Webster interviewed secretly (or so the Nicktator thought) for
a position in the Fins' front office.
So
the Bucs moved to keep Webster around. He's been with
the team for 18 years, and he apparently isn't going anywhere
soon.
Said
McCombs as to whether there's a deadline for the pending
sale: "I
don't have a drop-dead date" (except, of
course, the date on which the seventy-something McCombs drops
dead).
Joe
Namath is going
to help the Jets get funding for their new stadium (we
suggest a kissing booth).
POSTED
11:38 a.m. EDT, May 9, 2005
HORN'S
TERMS GET OVERBLOWN
As
we've seen over the years, the initial media reports regarding
big-money deals often skew toward making the money look better
than it really is.
Typically,
the team in question doesn't get too bent out of shape about
this, since the organization wants the player to believe that
it was a good contract for him.
As
a result, we usually get the "real" numbers from
league sources who have no agenda other than to get the truth
out.
In
the case of the contract signed last week by Saints receiver
Joe Horn, the truth is that his much-hyped $7 million signing
bonus is actually only $3.865 million.
How
so, you ask? As it turns out, the media reports
trumpeting the Horn deal omitted a somewhat critical
factoid. In getting a $7 million bonus, Horn also agreed
to cut his 2005 base salary from $3.8 million to $665,000, for
a net difference of $3.135 million.
In
essence, then, the $3.135 million operates like a so-called
simple restructuring, in which the player gets now money he
would have received later in the year as salary, and cap hit
for that payment gets spread over the life of the new deal.
Getting
a $3.865 million signing bonus doesn't sound nearly as sexy,
either for Horn or his agent. So when the news of the
deal was leaked, the huge reduction in base pay conveniently
was omitted.
NFL
SPEAKS ON NO-SUIT RULE
We've
received overwhelmingly positive feed back on our rant
regarding the NFL's decision not to permit 49ers coach Mike
Nolan to wear a suit on game days. Indeed, everyone from
whom we've heard has agreed with our belief that head coaches
should be allowed to wear suits, notwithstanding the desire of
the league to sell official apparel by having it modeled by
guys like Andy Reid and Mike Holmgren (and it's a very good
thing that the catalog doesn't include thongs).
So
we contacted NFL V.P. of media relations Greg Aiello to get
more information regarding the situation. In response,
Aiello shared the league's perspective.
"For
the past eight seasons," Aiello said, "all sideline
personnel, including head coaches, have been required to wear
team-issued apparel on game day. This requirement is
part of the coach's contract with the club.
"By
wearing the team merchandise, the coach helps generate
exposure for the apparel through television shots and
photos. This exposure helps promote the club and its
apparel, which translates into sales. This revenue helps
pay coaches and player salaries."
But
there is an exception, according to Aiello.
"Coaches," he said, "are permitted to wear ties
but must incorporate apparel into game day attire. For
example, last year, Coach Mike Tice wore a tie with a Vikings
sweater."
So
it sounds to us that: (1) Nolan and all coaches already
have bargained away the ability to wear clothing of their own
choosing by signing a contract to become the head coach; and
(2) if Nolan or anyone else wants to look professional on game
day, there are ways to make it happen.
If,
after all, the Meathead can manage to figure out a way to add
a clip-on to his repertoire, Nolan is likely smart enough to
devise an ensemble that permits him to wear, for example, a
dark brown jacket and pants with a gold sweater sporting the
team logo, and a matching red tie.
[This
would be a great look if, you know, the suit and the sweater
actually matched.]
So
have we gone fruity on this one? Not really. We're just
trying to see the other side. Sure, the NFL is whoring itself
a bit in order to make more money. After all, one thing that
Aiello omitted from his economics lecture is that a nice chunk of
the revenue from the sale of official team apparel flows directly
into the Corinthian leather wallets of team owners as raw
profit.
Regardless,
we believe based on the available information that if Nolan really
wants to look professional on the sidelines, there's a way to make
it happen.
He
just needs to apply some of the same creativity he uses when drawing
up plays.
POSTED
6:51 a.m. EDT, May 9, 2005
POSTONS
HAVE A POINT ON MERRIMAN
Although
we believe that agents Carl and Kevin Poston are keeping
defensive end Shawne Merriman away from Chargers offseason
workouts in order to create the impression that they care
about their clients' financial well being at a time when
Browns tight end Kellen Winslow is staring at the potential
loss of millions for breaching his contract by riding a
motorcycle, it looks like the Postons might have a point
regarding their objection to San Diego's injury protection
language.
The
problem, as agent Ron Del Duca told us over the weekend, is
that the standard text used by the Chargers ties the players'
compensation, if injured, to "terms comparable to others
selected near your position in the 2005 Draft."
And
that's "too speculative," Del Duca said.
"The language also needs to be tied to what the player
picked at Merriman's spot received in 2004."
Del
Duca explains that by relying upon terms comparable to others
selection near Merriman's position in 2005, the Postons are
making a leap of faith that none of those deals will be bad
ones. For example, running back Steven Jackson's
contract at the 24th overall selection in 2004 represented a
sharp decrease in comparison to the contract given by the
Colts to tight end Dallas Clark at the same spot in
2003. So if the 23rd pick in 2004 (Seahawks defensive
tackle Marcus Tubbs) or the 25th pick (Packers cornerback
Ahmad Carroll) had suffered a serious injury before signing a
contract and had been subject to the same language, the fumes
of Jackson's crappy deal would have infected their
compensation.
Again,
we think the Postons have other motives for grandstanding,
especially since they've yet to offer the explanation set
forth above for their position on Merriman. Regardless,
they aren't as wrong on this one as many think, and the
Chargers (and anyone else tying the compensation to comparable
deals in the same draft year) should think about changing the
injury language.
GREEN
WINS STARE DOWN WITH BOLDIN
Although
receiver Anquan Boldin likely never will admit it, there's a
strong feeling in Arizona that coach Denny Green cajoled
Boldin into abandoning his holdout after making it clear that
Green was prepared to move on without him in 2005.
Green
was characteristically blunt in dealing with the issue, 'splaining
that the Cardinals were 10-22 over the past two seasons with
Boldin, and thus that the absence of one player wasn't going
to make much of a difference.
As
one league insider reiterated, Green told the team that
they're going to start their playoff run on when the season
opens with or without Boldin.
"It
is the same technique he used in Minnesota to control all the
egos they had on those teams," said the source.
MONDAY
MORNING ONE-LINERS
49ers
receivers coach Jerry
Sullivan is talking tough with the pass-catchers in San
Fran: "I told [WR Brandon Lloyd], 'You're not the
man, I'm the man. I said, 'Do what I tell you do to,
grow and get better at what you do and you'll be fine.
I'm not into theatrics, how many radio shows, how many
spinners you've got in your car. I just want you to be a
good football player.'"
Zygmunt
Wilf (we've gotta come up with a good nickname for this guy .
. . maybe Craphonso?) says that moving the Vikings out of
Minnesota is "not
even an option."
Pat
McManamon of The Akron Beacon Journalcontinues
to churn out good copy regarding the Winslow situation
(and we're not just saying that because he mentions us in
Monday's story).
We've
received a personal apology from Michael Felger of The
Boston Herald for the fact that his paper's Web site
posted on May 8 his article from March 8, to which we ran a
couple of links on Sunday (class move considering it wasn't
Felger's fault that Corey the zit-faced web master had his head up
his bunghole).
That's
right, kids. In an era when pro football is full of an
increasing numbers of thugs, turds, wife-beaters, and
curb-jumpers, and less than two years after the NFL leaned on
ESPN to scrap a fictional show that was forcing the league to
take an uncomfortable glimpse into the mirror, a man who wants
to pay homage to coaches of yesteryear by dressing in a (God
forbid) professional and respectful manner on the sidelines
isn't allowed to do it.
And
why the ban on being nattily clad? So that the league
can continue to use the head coaches as organic billboards for
official team apparel.
The
message, folks, is that greed is good. As long as you're
not a player. Then it's bad.
Nolan
petitioned the league earlier this year for a waiver of the
rule. "To me, it's professional. I think it's
respectful," Nolan said, according to The San
Francisco Chroncile. "There was certainly no
deal, no one came to me, there was nothing to gain. I
wasn't trying to put the spotlight on me. But what I was
trying to say, there's somebody in charge and this is what
they look like.
"There
were marketing issues and sales issues, all that stuff,"
Nolan said."
"All
that shit," is likely what he was thinking, and
rightfully so.
Nolan
also wanted to pay tribute to his father, Dick, who coached
the Niners from 1968 through 1975. "I must say
looking at the pictures of my dad -- they are all around my
office -- I thought, 'I'm going to do that.' But they
are not going to let me."
We'd
like to think that the NFL could set aside momentarily its
incessant efforts to overflow its coffers and consider the
potentially beneficial effect of allowing a coach to project
the right image to his team, his staff, the media, and the
fans.
Over
the past decade or so, suits and ties have disappeared at an
alarming rate from environments in which they used to
predominate. It started with "casual Fridays,"
and in time spread to Mondays through Thursdays, too, in many
offices across the country.
Even
in yours truly's primary line of work, lawyers are showing up
for depositions and hearings looking more like the assistant
manager at the local Piggly Wiggly than a professional.
But
we digress. Or do we? Doesn't the NFL have a
responsibility to try to foster notions of honor and respect
and tradition both on and off the field?
It
makes the whole "throwback" thing on Thanksgiving
weekend seem even more like the overt marketing ploy that we
knew all along that it was but didn't get upset about because
it promoted certain values that we all would be well served to
adopt.
Still,
Nolan can take comfort in the possibility that Joseph Abboud
or some other clothier will see this as an opportunity to pay
the NFL a bunch of money to become the league's "official
men's wear supplier," and there will be an assortment of
special jackets, shirts, and neckties tastefully designed with
official team colors -- and on sale at your local J.C.
Penney.
Then,
it will be okay for Nolan and his colleagues to get dressed
up.
The
Pats officially
will have no offensive coordinator for 2005; unofficially,
coach Bill Belichick apparently will handle the duties with
the assistance of his offensive assistants.
Tom
Brady actually signed his new contract on
Wednesday, and the news was somehow kept under wraps for
three days.
Although
the Cardinals haven't officially named Kurt Warner the
starting quarterback for 2005, only
his jersey is available for purchase in the team's new
uniform style.
Agent
Lamont Smith says that he
won't balk if the Browns want WR Braylon Edwards to sign a
contract with the same hazardous activities clause found in
Evel Kellnievel's.
There's
a
new "Slash" in the town where some think the
original "Slash" might have been more, ahem,
comfortable.
RB
Thurman Thomas will
be added to the Wall of Fame at Ralph Wilson Stadium (psst
-- make sure you use a picture of him without the
helmet).
While
kicking a soccer ball in the locker room with LB Joey Porter
on Saturday, Steelers QB Ben "Easy Rider"
Roethlisberger commented, "I'm
not wearing a helmet."
LB
Chad Brown picked the Pats over the Steelers because in New
England he's
more likely to be a starter (and they offered him more
coin, which is always nice, especially when you're trying to
sell official team apparel).
QB
Charlie Batch participated
in minicamp practice for the Steelers after microfracture
knee surgery last year; if he's healthy, could QB Tommy
Maddox's days in the 'Burgh be numbered?
Steelers
WR Hines Ward sat out Saturday's minicamp practice after suffering
a quadriceps contusion on Friday (and if he tears an ACL,
he can kiss his coming extension good bye).
Brady
will receive a $14.5 million signing bonus, with a $12 million
option bonus due in the spring of 2006.
Pasquarelli's
report doesn't address the specific timing of the bonus
payments. One of the sticking points in negotiations was
the number of bonus money installments, and whether all
payments would be guaranteed. Although $14.5 million
apparentlu is guaranteed now (regardless of when it's paid)
and the remaining $12 million apparently will be
guaranteed once the team exercises the option bonus in 2006
(barring something unforeseen, such as a Sunday afternoon
popping wheelies in a parking lot), it's possible that the
money will be paid out over a longer period of time.
The
base salaries are $1 million for 2005, $4 million for 2006, $6
million for 2007, $5 million for 2008, $2.3 million for 2009,
and $3.5 million 2010. The deal also includes roster
bonuses of $3 million each in the final three years of the
contract.
POSTED
3:05 p.m. EDT, May 7, 2005
WEBSTER
INTERVIEWS WITH FINS
A
league source tells us that on Friday, May 7, Bucs director of
college scouting Ruston Webster interviewed for the top
personnel gig with the Miami Dolphins.
We
previously reported that Webster was a top candidate to take
over the personnel department in Miami under coach Nick Saban.
But
while we previously assumed that the arrival of Webster would
mean the departure of G.M. Rick Spielman, word is that
Spielman could be reassigned internally, and not fired.
Stay
tuned.
POSTED
11:57 a.m. EDT, May 7, 2005
RICKY
COMING BACK?
A
source close to running back Ricky Williams says that the guy
who abruptly retired in 2004 intends to return to the Miami
Dolphins for the 2005 season.
It
probably makes sense to add "for now" to that scoop,
since Williams has proven to be less-than-reliable in his past
statements regarding his intentions.
This
news coincides with increased rumblings from other circles
that Williams will indeed return, which could leave the team
in a bit of a quandary, given that the No. 2 overall pick was
invested in Williams' replacement, running back Ronnie Brown.
It
remains to be seen whether Williams' return will prompt the
team to forget about that multi-million-dollar arbitration
award resulting from Ricky's sudden departure last July.
Also, at a time when guys like Edgerrin James and Shaun
Alexander can be had for a slightly used Suzuki motorcycle,
it's not as if anyone will be interested in swinging a trade
for the tongue-studded tailback from Texas.
Of
course, Williams will still have to deal with questions
regarding further suspensions due to past positive drug
tests. The league was willing to work out a sweetheart
deal with Williams when it appeared that he was willing to
return for 2005, but his decision to pull the plug arguably
left the NFL less inclined to cut him some slack now.
Also,
given that the negotiations have concluded on the NFL's next
round of broadcast rights deals, the league no longer has a
strong incentive in the short term to placate the networks by
helping get troubled-but-talented players back on the field.
At
least one management-side league insider is privately ripping
the New Orleans Saints for giving a six-year, $42 million
contract extension to receiver Joe Horn.
"This
is not the type of asshole that you give money to," said
the source. "This is not a championship caliber
player. This is another self-serving, self-promoting
asshole. Another sign that [G.M.] Mickey Loomis knows
nothing about football or winning championships. [He's]
the same guy that threw [former] Randy Mueller and [coach] Jim
Haslett under the bus."
Others
have complained about the sheer magnitude of the deal, which
pays the 33-year-old receiver $18 million over the next three
seasons.
As
it turns out, the NFL's new emphasis on the no-touchy rule
beyond five yards is helping both corners and receivers to
make big money. Premier cover men, given the focus on
calling illegal contact penalties, now come at a higher
premium.
And
the artificial inflation of receiver stats because of the more
aggressive patrol of the secondary by the zebras has allowed
guys like Horn to argue for a bigger payday.
But
we think teams like the Saints should have factored that into
their assessment of Horn's worth. If, after all, Horn
were gone, his replacement would still benefit from the
tilting of the playing field in favor of the pass-catchers.
WINSLOW'S
INJURIES WORSE THAN THOUGHT?
Media
reports out of Cleveland indicate that Browns tight end Kellen
Winslow's injuries are worse than originally reported.
Winslow
has, per NewsChannel 5 in Cleveland, "a
broken tibia and femur, along with a fracture to the large
bone in his thigh" (which commonly is known as the femur,
Dr. News Bunny). Winslow's ACL is damaged and possibly
torn, and there are lacerations on his kidney and liver.
There
is concern in some circles that his football career is over.
Mary
Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer has written a compelling
follow-up to Pat McManamon's article from earlier in the
week regarding Winslow's motorcycling habits.
Per
Cabot, Winslow became intrigued by motorcycle stunts when he
heard a bike rumbling while playing paint ball in the back
yard of his Westlake home (we didn't know that paint ball was
part of his broken-leg rehab regimen). Winslow
investigated, and found that a guy was doing wheelies and
other stunts on a motorcycle.
Winslow
befriended the rider, Jason Campana, and Winslow bought his
own bike on April 9.
A
week later, one of Winslow's neighbors called the police on
the sixth overall pick in the 2004 draft, who was "going
up and down the street about 50 miles per hour" and
"popping wheelies." Winslow had cleared out
before the police arrived.
Another
neighbor tried to reason directly with Winslow.
"One day he and someone else went down the
street about 15 times doing wheelies," said Dr. Robert Nahigian.
"One of them did a wheelie right in front of my house.
After about 15 minutes, I waved him down."
Nahigian told him that stunts weren't appropriate in
a residential area. "I also told him that I was concerned
about his own safety," Nahigian said. "He told me he
wasn't going over the speed limit."
Nahigian also wondered why Winslow was riding the
bike, given that he still was recovering from a broken leg.
"He would walk his dog and he wasn't even walking well before
the accident," Nahigian said.
On the day of the accident, Winslow and friends
apparently were practicing stunts. One observer believes
Winslow was trying to do a reverse wheelie, known in biker-dude
lingo as an "endo."
Next thing they knew, he was making like Superman
over the handlebars.
In
our view, this information should view heavily in the team's
deliberations as to whether to seek a full or partial
reimbursement of the bonus money paid to Winslow.
Regardless of whether he knew that his contract prohibited him
from motorcycling, his conduct was so clearly in violation of
the document that the team would be setting a dangerous
precedent by looking the other way.
Sure,
it's hard not to feel some empathy for Winslow given the
injuries he suffered, but those feelings will be present
whenever a guy gets seriously hurt doing something that, under
his contract, he shouldn't have done.
Winslow
took a colossally stoopid risk, not just with his own life and
health but with the very investment by the Browns that allowed
him to buy the machine that might have led to his athletic and
financial demise.
We
originally thought that the Browns would merely offer not to pay the
remaining $2 million or so on his option bonus (due July 15) to
resolve the issue, and we continue to believe that the team will do
that if it looks like Winslow will be able to play in 2006.
But if/when it's confirmed that he's out for two or more seasons, we
think the Browns will analyze long and hard the possibility of
cutting him loose and trying to get back as much of their bonus
money as they can.
And
we're still inclined to drop most of the blame on his agents, the
Postons, for the fact that Winslow got hurt. Based on Cabot's
story, motorcycle stunts had become an obsession for Winslow.
If he talked at all with Carl and/or Kevin from April to May,
Winslow surely blurted out that he'd bought a motorcycle, and/or
that he'd already learned how to do wheelies.
It'll
be very interesting to see how the "he said, she said"
plays out regarding this topic, especially with so much coin hanging
in the balance.
Finally,
though we're trying not to poke too much fun at Winslow given his
current circumstances, we're compelled to close this one out with an
e-mail we received from a reader who defended Winslow's actions:
"Kellen
was just trying to prove that when he signs a contract, he is a man
of his word. The contract stated that Kellen Winslow cannot
ride a motorcycle. So Kellen being a man of his word went out
and proved that he cannot ride a motorcycle."
Mitchell
was the team's 2001 first-round pick, and he generally was a
disappointment in four seasons with the team. His only
highlights came in two key moments, including making a clutch catch
on 4th-and-26 against the Packers in the 2003 playoffs and scoring
two touchdowns against the Vikings in the 2004 divisional playoffs.
"We
appreciate everything Freddie has contributed to the Eagles
organization over the last four years," Reid said. "By
releasing him now, it gives him the opportunity for a new start with
another team in the NFL."
Actually,
he would have had a better chance at getting signed -- and getting
paid -- if the Eagles had released him in late February, since he
then would have been eating at the trough during the first wave of
free agency. The Giants, for example, might have turned to him
in the days after Plaxico Burress turned down their initial contract
offer.
The
skids for Mitchell's departure were greased by his comments prior to
the Super Bowl, in which he baited the Pats by stupidly calling out
safety Rodney Harrison. Several weeks back, Mitchell cemented
his fate (possibly intentionally) by throwing verbal darts at the
Eagles and quarterback Donovan McNabb.
And
it had to have been Mitchell's loquaciousness that prompted the team
to cut the cord. After all, with Terrell Owens a possible
holdout to start the 2005 season and with Mitchell in the final,
cap-friendly season of his rookie deal, keeping him around for a
while might have been prudent.
But,
in balance, the smarter move likely was to lance the cancer out of
the locker room before it could metastasize to guys who will
actually be with the organization beyond the coming season.
In
hindsight, the class of receivers taken in round one of the 2001
draft has been a near-complete bust. David Terrell, the eighth
overall pick, was released by the Bears earlier this year.
Koren Robinson, the ninth pick, is a confirmed turd with cement
hands.
Rod
Gardner, the fifteenth overall selection, is a forgotten man in
D.C. Santana Moss, the sixteenth pick, has arguably been the
best of the pack, but he has yet to come close to fulfilling his
potential. (And if the guy who picked Gardner over Moss in
Washington hasn't already been fired, he should be.)
Mitchell
was taken at 25, and the Colts drafted Reggie Wayne at 30.
Wayne sputtered for a few seasons, but eventually has become a solid
contributor in Indy (and we admire him for getting in
Frakenmanning's face last season).
Back
to Mitchell, look for the trio of turd collectors (the Bucs, 'Skins,
and Broncos) to come sniffing around this fresh, steaming
pile. But he'll probably want far more money than he deserves,
so it likely will be a while before he works out a new deal.
SATURDAY
MORNING ONE-LINERS
Cards
WR Anquan
Boldin has blinked -- he'll show up for involuntary voluntary
workouts on Monday after it became clear that coach Denny Green
wasn't going to put up with a holdout.
The
Pats have signed LB Chad Brown to
a two-year deal worth $1.5 million in 2005.
Chargers
players are speaking out about the decision of first-round DE
Shawne Merriman to stay away from minicamp due to an objection to
the team's injury protection language (and G.M. A.J. Smith seems to
be hoping that Merriman will eventually punk the Postons).
Zygmunt
Wilf is the new lead partner of the group planning to buy the
Vikings -- Reggie Fowler reportedly relinquished his role and became
a limited partner on April 28.
Even
though Chargers TE Antonio Gates is officially not under contract
for 2005, he
has reported to the team's minicamp.
Giants
coach Tom Coughlin still wants to see TE Jeremy Shockey working
out on a full-time basis in New York.
Steelers
first-round TE Heath Miller was
a surprise participant in the team's Friday minicamp practice;
he is recovering from hernia surgery.
Steelers
LB Joey Porter says that his
shoulder is fine despite some offseason discomfort.
The
Titans
might move LSU QB Marcus Randall to the defensive secondary.
Former
Cowboys WR Drew Pearson thinks he has been excluded from the team's
"Ring of Honor" because his company trademarked the phrase
"Ring of Honor" in anticipation of Tom Landry's induction
in 1995, without the knowledge or consent of Jerry Jones (we think
it's karma for Pearson's blatant push-off against the Vikes in the
1975 playoffs).
["If
we don't break for lunch soon I'm just gonna eat this ball."]
QUOTE
OF THE DAY
From
Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, on the decision of quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger to continue riding his motorcycle without a
helmet: "The
concrete is undefeated."
Wide
receiver Jerry Rice wants to finish his twenty-year career
with a final season in San Fran. The only glitch is that
the Niners aren't interested.
"It's
looking real dark. This might be it,'' Rice told The
San Jose Mercury News. "I've had a few other
options, but right now, I'm having a hard
time seeing myself in another uniform."
We
think he meant "yet" another uniform.
Rice
says that an unidentified team has expressed interest in
signing him . . . but we figure that he's not inclined to play
in Canada.
So
in the end, Rice could end up finding a very bad way to cap a
very bad exit process from pro football -- by picking a public
spat with the team with which he became a superstar.
As
current Niners coach Mike Nolan 'splains: "Jerry
Rice is not only the best receiver in 49ers history, but the
best receiver of all time. We have a lot of respect for
what he has done in his career. We would love to have
Jerry retire as a 49er, but our plan is to develop the players
we currently have on our roster."
Retorts
Rice: "I understand them wanting to move on, but I
didn't understand how this would set them back. If
anything, I think I would bring a very positive perspective to
the 49ers. And also it gives me the opportunity to end
my career where I started. I feel like both parties
would be able to get something out of this.
"When
someone just comes out and says, 'No,' like that, it's hard --
especially after all you have done for that organization, the
Super Bowls and all that."
Our
advice for Jerry? Close your mouth and go away.
Now. Follow the example of Emmitt Smith. Hold a
press conference. Cry some real tears. Eat some
cake. And move on.
Actually,
it might already be too late for Rice to have a heartwarming
farewell via a one-day contract as a 49er. Because
if/when that happens, everyone will no that Rice had a bug up
his butt about the way the organization treated him by not
bringing him back for one more go.
So
the greatest receiver in NFL history could end up having the
worst exit by any star player in any sport. His move to
the Raiders wasn't a disaster, since after all he did play in
a Super Bowl while in Oakland. But his move to Seattle
in 2004 and his desecration of Steve Largent's supposedly
retired jersey put a bad taste in many mouths -- and few are
feeling sorry for Rice now as the team he once spurned turns
its back on him.
MOSS
TRADE MONEY DRIVEN?
There's
some revisionist history being circulated in Minnesota, not
long after the events in question transpired.
Specifically,
the Vikings now claim that money concerns drove the team's
decision to trade receiver Randy Moss.
"Well,
one thing we try to do is, from a salary cap perspective,
strive for long-term competitive excellence, and what I said
was that the Moss trade did not only just net [receiver] Troy
Williamson and linebacker Napoleon Harris," said V.P. of
football ops Rob Brzezinski. "But in addition to
that, the side benefit to the Moss trade is we
freed up over $40 million dollars in future salaries,
which gave us greater flexibility to be aggressive in free
agency and add the defensive players -- Pat Williams, [Fred]
Smoot and [Darren] Sharper and guys like that -- knowing that
in the future we could handle those contracts and still be
sound from the salary cap perspective."
That's
a load of crap, in our view. Since the departure of
coach Dennis Green, the Vikings have managed the cap
well. Too well, in the view of some.
In
fact, we suspect that Brzezinski's comments might have been
intended to take the steam out of rumors that the team's
decision to trade Moss was sparked by a February confrontation
between Moss and owner Red McCombs, during which Moss called
McCombs a "cheap bastard" for carrying a huge salary
cap bulge into 2004, in lieu of spending the money on
defensive help.
As
the rumor/urban legend goes, Moss and/or his agent, Dante
DiTrapano have told others that the "cheap bastard"
comment resulted directly in the trade between the Vikings and
the Raiders. We sent an e-mail to DiTrapano regarding
this rumor once we caught wind of it, but we've yet to hear
back from him.
The
fact is that the Vikings could have kept Moss for 2005 and
made a big splash in free agency. Sure, he would have
had an eight-figure cap number in 2005, but the acceleration
of his bonus offset most if not all of his salary, probably
resulting in some dead money.
And
if at some point in 2006 or beyond his "Paragraph 5"
salary was too high to permit proper cap management, he could
have been given a contract extension.
Bottom
line -- if you really want a guy, there are ways to keep him
around, and to stay fiscally sound. The Vikings clearly
didn't want Moss, and McCombs probably is leaning on guys like
Brzezinski to put the best possible spin on the move in the
event that the team doesn't live up to expectations that
inexplicably have increased even with the departure of one of
the best players in the NFL.
What's
that, you say? McCombs doesn't care because he'll soon
unload the team? Regardless, these moves occurred on his
watch, and he knows that he'll be villified if the team stinks
it up in '05. What better way to address that criticism
than to set the table now for an argument that the trade
wasn't made to win the Super Bowl this year, but to enable the
team to be competitive in the future?
MERRIMAN
WON'T PRACTICE
The
San Diego Union Tribune has more details regarding the
decision of Chargers first-rounder Shawne Merriman to boycott
offseason activities based on supposed dissatisfaction
with the standard injury protection language for unsigned
draft picks.
"If
I got hurt I still want to be paid like the No. 12 pick,"
Merriman said. "The language had to be pumped up,
and that was it . . . It's for my protection.
As reckless as I play, I definitely have got to watch
that."
The
Chargers think that he is protected, by virtue of the
following language: "In the event of injury during
this period of time, Player will be determined to have been
injured while under Contract, at terms comparable to others
selected near your position in the 2005 Draft."
But
Merriman's new agent, Kevin Poston, believes that the language
has too many loopholes. "We want him to be treated
[in negotiations] as if he's not injured," Poston
said. "Why would we go into camp when if he got
injured they're going to treat him as if he's injured?"
The
Chargers refuse to change the language, which they have been
using for years. And it's rare that any draft pick balks
at participating in offseason workouts without a deal in
place.
Coach
Marty Schottenheimer made it clear that it's in Merriman's
best interests to be there. "There's clear evidence
that players that are not afforded the opportunity of working
in the offseason program . . . [have] a difficult
time getting an opportunity to play," Schottenheimer
said. "The offseason is where all the detailed
coaching is done. Once you get into camp you don't have
time to spoon-feed people."
The
irony here, of course, is that the Postons are clamoring to
protect Merriman in the same week that another high-profile
client, Kellen Winslow, is recovering from a motorcycle crash
that jeopardizes more than $9 million in bonus money, along
with his salary for 2005 and big-money incentives he could
have earned. Our guess is that the Postons either didn't
read the language in the contract prohibiting Winslow from
riding a motorcycle or they didn't bother to tell him about
it.
The
Postons also screwed up a play-time incentive payment that was
included within the presumed bonus money Winslow received when
he signed his contract. Because the so-called
"falling off the log" incentive was based on
achieving 30 percent playing time in 2004 only -- and not in
any future years -- Winslow blew the chance at making that
money when he suffered a broken leg in the second game of the
season.
The
other irony here is that the Postons are obsessing over
possible loopholes in a one-sentence clause after they
admitted failed to confirm that LaVar Arrington's December
2003 contract extension included a second $6.5 million roster
bonus for 2006.
The
truth? We (and many others) believe that the Postons are
very bad for their clients and for the game. The problem
is that they only need to bamboozle a few guys a year in order
to stay in the game -- and the reality is that there always
will be guys like Merriman, Winslow, and Arrington who'll fall
for their sales pitch.
In
fact, we believe that the Postons have opted to seize on the
injury protection language in the Chargers contract in order
to generate some arguably positive press (at least from the
perspective of recruiting future players) at a time when
they're very likely to eventually be hit with much of the
blame for Winslow's "Evel Kellnievel" routine.
No one in the "real" media is writing articles about
how the Postons have screwed over Winslow, but the story about
their efforts to protect Merriman likely will be picked up by The
AP, and every kid getting ready for his final year of
college ball will have a chance to conclude while eating their
Post Toasties that the Poston brothers really care about their
clients.
Prosecutors
will
wait until later in the month to determine whether to
charge TE Kellen Winslow with reckless operation of a
motorcycle.
Tony
Grossi of The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrestles with the
question of whether the Browns should try to hold back salary
and take
back bonus money from Winslow.
Final
note (for now) on Winslow -- someone is actually selling
crash debris on ebay.
Vikings
S Darren Sharper is interested in working as an announcer
for college games when his playing career ends.
POSTED
8:38 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:32 p.m. EDT, May 5, 2005
MERRIMAN
PICKS THE POSTONS
A
league source tells us that Chargers defensive end Shawne
Merriman has parted ways with agent Gary Wichard, and will
sign with Carl and Kevin Poston.
Merriman
fired Wichard the Monday after the draft.
It
is believed that Merriman intended all along to retain Wichard
for the sole purpose of getting through the draft, and then to
move to the Postons, whose bad reputation in league circles
might have caused the Redskins in 2005 to refrain from
drafting tight end Kellen Winslow.
In
hindsight, we wonder how different Winslow's life might have
been right now if he'd merely selected different
representation. Chances are he still eventually would
have done something stoopid to screw up his career, but the
situation couldn't have been any worse over the past year in
D.C. than it's been for Winslow in Cleveland.
Merriman,
picked by the Chargers at No. 12, was miffed when the draft
that the Cowboys passed on him at eleven, after supposedly
telling the Maryland product that he'd be selected in that
spot. Word is that the 'Boys were scared off at the last
minute by character concerns regarding Merriman.
Coach
Bill Parcells recently said that he's too old to deal with
"thugs and hoodlums."
In
fact, there was talk prior to the draft that Merriman might
take a major tumble in round one due to questions regarding
his specific position on the turd-o-meter. We've also
heard that Merriman has at least one close friend of shady
repute who might have fueled some teams' concerns.
As
one league insider opined on Thursday night, Merriman is a
"bad dude all the way."
And
though these questions didn't stop the Bolts from pouncing on
the pass-rushing 'tweener, word is that the team would've
thought long and hard about selecting Merriman if they'd known
he'd ultimately land with the Postons. One of the
reasons that the Chargers were willing to take a chance on
Merriman is that the team believed Wichard would help keep
Merriman under control.
The
Postons, in contrast, might end up buying Merriman a
motorcycle.
Apparently,
the Postons already are taking the position that they'll hold
Merriman out of the offseason workouts due to concerns
regarding the team's minicamp injury waiver.
As
for Wichard, Merriman is the second first-round pick he's lost
since draft day. Last week, Titans corner Pacman Jones
dumped Wichard for Michael Huyghue, apparently after Wichard
refused to cut his fee from three percent to two percent.
And
it's a shame, in our view. Wichard has developed a
strong reputation for working hard to get his players in great
shape, and for arguing persuasively and relentlessly for
"his guys." In the end, Merriman used him and
Jones shook him down -- and both guys would have been far
better off in the long run if they'd danced with the one that
brung them.
FINAL
FIRST-ROUND PLAYERS AND AGENTS
With
Shawne Merriman planning to land with the Postons, the final
(for now) first-round agent selections are as follows:
1.
Alex Smith, QB, 49ers: Tom Condon;
2.
Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins: Todd France;
3.
Braylon Edwards, WR, Browns: Lamont Smith;
4.
Cedric Benson, RB, Bears: Eugene Parker, Scott Parker;
5.
Carnell Williams, RB, Bucs: Ben Dogra;
6.
Pacman Jones, CB, Titans: Michael Huyghue;
7.
Troy Williamson, WR, Vikings: David Canter;
8.
Antrel Rolle, CB, Cardinals: Ben Dogra;
9.
Carlos Rogers, CB, Redskins: Todd France;
10.
Mike Williams, WR, Lions: Mitch Frankel, Tony Fleming;
11.
Demarcus Ware, DE, Cowboys: Pat Dye, Bill Johnson;
12.
Shawne Merriman, DE, Chargers: Carl and Kevin Poston;
13.
Jammal Brown, OT, Saints: Ben Dogra;
14.
Thomas Davis, S, Panthers: Todd France;
15.
Derrick Johnson, LB, Chiefs: Vann McElroy;
16.
Travis Johnson, DT, Texans: Gary Wichard;
17.
David Pollack, LB, Bengals: Ken Kremer;
18.
Erasmus James, DE, Vikings: Ethan Lock;
19.
Alex Barron, OT, Rams: Roosevelt Barnes;
20.
Marcus Spears, DE, Cowboys: Jimmy Sexton;
21.
Matt Jones, WR, Jaguars: Dave Butz, Alan Herman;
22.
Mark Clayton, WR, Ravens: Ben Dogra, Jim Steiner;
23.
Fabian Washington, CB, Raiders: Brian Mackler, Jim Ivler,
Jason Chayut.
24.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers: Mike Sullivan;
25.
Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins: Joel Segal;
26.
Chris Spencer, C, Seahawks: Ken Kremer;
27.
Roddy White, WR, Falcons: Neil Schwartz;
28.
Luis Castillo, DT, Chargers: Mike McCartney, Rick Smith,
Mark Bartelstein;
29.
Marlin Jackson, CB, Colts: Doug Hendrickson, Mike
Sullivan;
30.
Heath Miller, CB, Steelers: Tom Condon, Ken Kremer;
31.
Mike Patterson, DT, Eagles: Gary Uberstine;
32.
Logan Mankins, OG, Patriots: Frank Bauer.
Notably
absent from the first round this year are David Dunn and Leigh
Steinberg. Former partners turned litigants, Dunn has
continued to be successful even while in bankruptcy. And
some thought that Ben Roethlisberger's ascension in 2004 would
help Steinberg return to the ranks of the elite agents in
collegiate recruiting.
Both
guys, as it turned out, were shut out this year, at least in
round one.
In
fact, neither Dunn nor Steinberg have any players drafted in
the second round, either.
RAMS
FIRST TO SIGN A PICK
In
a move that by all appearances has been missed by the major
media, the St. Louis Rams are the first team to sign a draft
pick in 2005, inking on April 29 safety Jerome Carter. (Editor's
note: Apparently, we missed the fact that
the move previously was reported when we did our Google search
on the issue, so perhaps the program created by those two
gay-looking billionaires isn't as solid as believed.)
Carter,
a fourth-rounder, signed a three-year contract with a $319,000
bonus and salaries of $230,000 in 2005, $310,000 in 2006, and
$385,000 in 2007.
The
contact has a rookie pool number of $336,330, which amounts to
7.3 percent of the team's $4.604 million rookie pool.
POSTED
6:38 p.m. EDT, May 5, 2005
BIG
BEN RISKING BONUS BY RIDING BIKE?
A
Wednesday report in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
caused a mini-frenzy in the 'Burgh by revealing that Steelers
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger owns and rides a motorcycle, in
apparent violation of his NFL contract.
Well,
we've obtained a copy of Big Ben's contract, and our opinion
as to whether Roethlisberger is risking a forfeiture of bonus
money falls squarely into the category of "definite
maybe."
Like
Winslow's contract, Roethlisberger's deal contains the
standard "Paragraph 3," which states:
"Without prior written consent of the Club, Player will
not play football or engage in activities related to football
otherwise than for Club or engage in any activity other than
football which may involve a significant risk of personal
injury."
Unlike
Winslow's contract, Roethlisberger's deal does not expressly
refer to a breach of Paragraph 3 and/or an injury resulting
from motorcycling as grounds for recovering all or part of
Roethlisberger's signing bonus.
But
the default language contained in an Addendum regarding the
$7.2375 million option bonus paid to Roethlisberger on day
five of the 2005 league year permits the Steelers to recover a
prorated portion of the option bonus if he "voluntarily
retires not due to a NFL football related injury."
Thus, if Roethlisberger were to pull a Winslow and ultimately
be forced to retire due to a motorcycle mishap, the Steelers
arguably cover recover a chunk of the option bonus, in an
amount that decreases as each year passes.
Of
course, that language potentially applies if Roethlisberger is
injured by any activity unrelated to NFL football,
including driving a car, walking down stairs, or slipping on a
piece of beef jerky at the local Kwik-E-Mart. Thus,
apart from Paragraph 3 -- violation of which is not expressly
mentioned in Roethlisberger's option bonus Addendum as a basis
for partial reimbursement -- there is nothing in the document
that reasonably could be construed as a ban on riding
motorcycles.
Although
Roethlisberger's agent, Leigh Steinberg, doesn't believe that
riding a motorcycle creates any contractual problems for the
quarterback, we think that the matter is far from clear.
Paragraph 3 generally bars Roethlisberger from engaging in
hazardous activities, and the ultimate resolution of what is
and is not hazardous will depend on the facts of each case.
In
our view, it'll be far more prudent for both sides to insist
on certainty in this regard -- one way or the other. At
a minimum, Steinberg would be wise to get the team to make a
representation as to the type of motorcycle that
Roethlisberger drives and the extent of Roethlisberger's use,
and then to obtain a commitment from the team that such
activities do not jeopardize his contract in any way.
If
the team refuses, then Steinberg might want to consider
seeking resolution of the ambiguity via arbitration.
Given the ultimate consequences that K2 now faces, it makes
sense for every NFL player to know with full precision the
activities in which they can and cannot engage away from the
field.
Regardless
of whether injury due to motorcycle use would enable the
Steelers to recover bonus money, any injury unrelated to
football would give the team the option to not pay Big Ben's
salary for the period in which he is unable to play.
Bottom
line -- we'd suggest that any NFL player wait to engage in
potentially risky activities until after their career's
end. After all, isn't seven months of banging hats
enough excitement?
WINSLOW
HAS TORN ACL?
Though
we're not quite sure how the diagnosis could be confirmed if
Kellen Winslow's knee is still swollen like a bitch-slapped
grapefruit, The Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
reports that Winslow
has a torn ACL that will knock him out of the entire 2005
season.
As
one league insider told us on Thursday afternoon, fears that
Winslow's knee may be "ruined" suggests that there
is concern of nerve damage, which likely cannot be fixed via
surgery and rehab.
If
Winslow can't play because of the injury, he'll most likely be
placed on the "Non-Football Injury" list, which will
give the team the option to forego paying his 2005 salary,
which per his contract is scheduled to by
$1,187,500.
POSTED
1:43 p.m. EDT, May 5, 2005
BROWNS
TO PURSUE WINSLOW BONUS?
We're
picking up preliminary indications that the Browns
"definitely" will attempt, eventually, to recoup a
portion of the signing bonus paid to tight end Kellen Winslow
for riding a motorcycle in breach of his contract.
The
organization, we're told, feels badly for Winslow, and Winslow
and his father, the Chargers Hall of Famer of the same name,
are "devastated." Thus, the Browns are
unlikely to pursue the full amount of their potential
contractual recovery.
But
as one league insider explained to us, the Browns need to do
something in order to discourage the next guy browsing for
crotch rockets to think twice.
Our
prediction is that the Browns will offer to resolve the
situation by retaining $2 million-plus due to Winslow on July
15 as the final installment of his $4.4 million option
bonus. Under the terms of his contract, the team can
seek to recover up to $9.4 million, and it looks to be an
open-and-shut case.
As
to the injuries Winslow suffered as a result of Sunday's
accident, we're told that there's a "good chance"
that Winslow's right knee is "ruined." No
diagnosis is possible until the swelling subsides, and the
fact that the swelling has been so extreme for so long
suggests that there's a very serious problem with the joint.
For
now, the Browns most likely will continue to lay low as to the
money issue. It looks like, however, something will
happen before owner Randy Lerner is due to write another check
to K2 with seven zeroes in July.
If
and/or when it's time for Winslow to answer for his decision
to buy, own, and ride a motorcycle in blatant violation of his
rookie contract, we believe that Winslow will say he didn't
know that he was engaged in activities that placed his bonus
money in jeopardy. And this will call into question
whether his agents, Carl and Kevin Poston, properly 'splained
to Winslow the relevant restrictions.
This
assumes, of course, that the Postons even knew that the
contract contained specific language prohibiting motorcycling,
especially since they've admitted that they didn't read the
contract extension signed in December 2003 by Redskins
linebacker LaVar Arrington.
Either
way, it's likely time for Carl and Kevin Poston to assess
their overall financial status, because there's a good chance
they'll be asked to make a rather large contribution to the
Kellen Winslow post-NFL rehabilitation fund.
POSTED
5:59 a.m. EDT, May 5, 2005
LOOMING
HORN DEAL RAISES EYEBROWS
A
couple of weeks ago, we reported that the Saints had worked
out a contract extension with receiver Joe Horn.
And
we've been waiting ever since for reality to catch up with our
report.
But
the deal is and has been close. We're now hearing that,
when finalized, the new contract will pay Horn $18 million
over the first three years.
That
number is causing consternation in some front offices around
the league. Receivers are, in the opinion of one
management-side league insiders, "a dime a
dozen." So giving a guy like Horn, who's 33, a
huge-money deal only makes it harder for other teams to
re-sign their own receivers.
THURSDAY
MORNING ONE-LINERS
Former
Packers S Darren Sharper says that QB Brett Favre should
keep his nose out of WR Javon Walker's contract dispute
(why didn't Sharper say something a year ago when Favre called
out Mike McKenzie for the same thing?).
The
Steelers have opened
contract negotiations with the agent for WR Hines Ward,
who says he wants to retire as a member of the team.
Dolphins
LB Junior Seau 'splains why
he decided to stay in Miami until his career ends:
"For me to go somewhere else, I didn't want to do that
Jerry Rice kick where I'm floating. This is going to be
my last stop.''
The
Steelers will have five
minicamp practices from Friday to Sunday (and those
bastards just had to schedule another camp for -- sniff, honk
-- Mother's Day weekend).
Dolphins
TE Randy McMichael, entering the final year of his contract,
wants a new deal but doesn't
plan to hold out: "Why would I want to hold
out? What does that prove? What is that going to
prove to anybody, by holding out? I love playing this
game. I don't want to be away from it. That's not
even in the back of my mind at all."
Anaheim
is making
a serious pitch to build the stadium for whatever NFL team
lands in L.A.
The
Redskins have reached an agreement on a contract extension
with receiver Santana Moss, according to a league source.
Per
the source, Moss will sign on Thursday a six-year extension,
voidable to five based upon the achievement of minimum playing
time (i.e., 30 percent) in any season from 2006 through
2010.
Under
the contract, Moss will receive bonuses (signing, roster, and
option) over the first two years in the amount of $11 million.
We're
getting mixed information, however, as to the total amount of
new money. One source says that the deal carries $26.55
million in new money for the five years beyond Moss' prior
deal for 2005. Another source says that the deal has
only $25 million in new money, making it comparable to the
contract signed in 2004 by Panthers receiver Steve Smith.
Moss,
who was traded to the Redskins from the Jets for Laveraneus
Coles in March, had been staying away from the Washington's
involuntary voluntary workouts due to his unresolved
contractual status.
Per
McManamon, Winslow had driven his motorcycle to Canton on
Sunday and visited a "bike superstore." Upon
leaving the store, an off-duty cop saw Winslow pop a wheelie.
"I
looked at the guy working with me and said, 'That's a
million-dollar wheelie,'" Eric Stanbro told McManamon.
Winslow
held the wheelie for about 100 feet, and the bike was moving
fast at the time.
"He
gunned it,'' Stanbro said. "He was going real
fast. I'd estimate between 40 and 50 miles per
hour."
But
Winslow appeared to be a novice rider. "It appeared
to us he was riding with a bunch of very experienced riders,''
Stanbro said. "The way they were dressed, their
bikes. His bike had a 30-day tag on. He looked a
little uncertain."
What
should be even more uncertain at this point is whether Winslow
gets to keep more than $9 million in bonus money that, under
the contract he signed with the Browns, he legitimately could
be asked to repay. These teams aren't giving out lottery
prizes to high draft picks. The money is paid in
anticipation of future performance, and if the player -- for
whatever reason -- impairs his ability to perform, he rightly
should pay back the money.
The
problem, as one league insider 'splained to us on Wednesday
morning, is that the team will be viewed as the "bad
guy" if it asks Winslow to refund a big chunk of his
bonus, even though Winslow clearly violated his commitments to
the team by owning and riding a motorcycle. And the fact
that the injury wasn't the result a one-time brain fart by
Winslow but part of a lifestyle choice that brazenly breached
his contract.
Shame
on the Postons, in our view, for not making it clear to
Winslow in no uncertain terms that he should not own, operate,
or joyride on anything with two wheels and a motor. And
if the Postons didn't make it clear to Kellen that he
shouldn't be on a motorcycle ever, it might be time (again)
for them to alert their insurance carrier of the coming
malpractice claim.
"Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow
remains at The Cleveland Clinic following a motorcycle accident on
Sunday, May 1. A timetable for his release from The Cleveland
Clinic has not been determined.
"Kellen's internal injuries remain stable and
are improving. The concern remains with his right knee, which
will continue to be re-evaluated.
"Over the last several days, Kellen has been
visited by team President John Collins, Senior Vice President and
General Manager Phil Savage, Head Coach Romeo Crennel, some of his
teammates, and other Browns personnel. Kellen is in good spirits and
asks that people respect his right to privacy regarding his medical
condition.
"The Browns focus and concern remain with
Kellen's health and well being and the club will not comment on any
aspects of his contract."
In our view, the Browns are playing this the right
way. They can always rattle the sword regarding Winslow's
bonus after he's out of the hospital -- and after they've had a
chance to fully investigate the extent of his motorcycle use.
We've got a feeling, though, that in the end the team will try to at
least get some of the money back, even if it's only the $2 million
or so that he's scheduled to be paid in July.
According
to The Cleveland Plain Dealer, agents Carl and Kevin
Poston will
be arriving in town on Wednesday to meet with injured
client "Evel Kellenievel" Winslow and possibly the
entity to whom he contractually promised not to ride
motorcycles -- the Browns.
Winslow's
condition has not changed, but the biggest potential problems
are his injured shoulder and his injured right knee.
From
the Postons' perspective, they need to tread very lightly when
talking about this situation with the Browns. This time
around, the Browns hold all the cards. If/when it
appears that Winslow's injuries from the Sunday motorcycle
crash will significantly impair his ability to play football
in the future, the Browns could chose to aks for more than $9
million back in bonus money -- more than $2 million of which
hasn't even been tendered to Winslow yet.
And
our guess is that, even if the Browns plan to keep Winslow,
they might ask him to forego all or part of the payment due to
Kellnievel on July 15 in settlement of his blatant contract
breach.
Why
shouldn't they? At a time when a growing number of
players are willing to refuse to honor their contracts by
staying away from mandatory minicamps, we like the idea of the
Browns forcing Winslow to live with the consequences of
conduct that constitutes a clear violation of the terms to
which he agreed.
The
process would be fairly simple. The Browns would seek an
arbitration, and the arbitration (given the plain language of
the contract) would be a rim-rocking slamma jamma.
Then
again, the smart thing for the Browns for now is to bide their
time. After all, they've got Kellnievel by the short
hairs, so perhaps he and his agents will behave. At a
minimum the team can now quit worrying about the Postons
trying to put language in the deal that would give Winslow a
chance to recoup that $5.4 million incentive payment based on
minimum playing time that the agents foolishly placed in only
the first year of his contract.
Seahawks
DT Chartric Darby, on
the origin of his name: "It's really hard to
say where my mom got Chartric from. She didn't want to
name me Charles. My father's name is Charles. So
it's Chartric. But I go by Chuck." (Think of
it this way, Chuck -- she could have named you Craphonso.)
The
cover of EA Sports' college football game will feature the
image of Desmond
Howard striking his Heisman pose in 1991 (and the cover of
EA Sports' NFL game won't feature an image of Howard
trying to fight off a jam at the line of scrimmage).
POSTED
8:37 p.m. EDT, May 3, 2005
FAVRE
TAKES JAB AT JAVON
In
2001, Packers quarterback Brett Favre took verbal shots at an
NFC North receiver wearing jersey number 84 because said
pass-catcher admitted that he plays only when he wants to.
Now,
Favre is taking aim at another division wideout who wears No.
84 -- the only difference is that this guy is on Favre's team.
According
the The Green Bay Press-Gazette, Favre is taking issue
with the decision of teammate Javon Walker to
skip a recent mandatory minicamp because of displeasure
with his contract.
"If
Javon wants to know what his quarterback thinks, and I would
think he might, I’d tell him he’s going about this the
wrong way," Favre said. "When his agent tells
him not to worry about what his teammates think and all that
stuff, I’d tell him I’ve been around a long time and that
stuff will come back to haunt you."
Ouch.
"I
would’ve never thought it would be a guy like Javon,”
Favre added. "I guess in this business nothing
should surprise you, especially what happens when guys have a
little bit of success. Some guys handle it the right way
and some guys don’t."
Double
ouch.
"Nowadays
you're seeing more and more guys pulling that stunt," he
said. "If guys continue to do that and are
successful getting away with it, then I’ll be gone, but I
think the game will be ruined. My reaction to Javon’s
situation was 'Here we go again.'"
Triple
ouch.
"Maybe
I’m old-school, but I always thought you honor a
contract. Sure, sometimes guys pass you up in salary,
and maybe it’s a lesser player, but it’s all based on what
a team has as far as value in that person."
We've-lost-count
ouch.
"I
sure hope the Packers don’t give in to him," Favre said.
"I don’t sit up in the front office, and I don’t talk to
them — regardless of what people might think — and tell them who
to draft and who not to draft. They don’t ask me, and it’s
not my job. My job is to throw passes and be a leader.
"That’s why I decided to speak up. I
need to be a leader and even though I may not like having to do it,
I think some things needed to be said."
So
does Favre worry about not having Walker in what could be Brett's final
season? Nope.
“I’d
just as soon go without him. He’s a great player. I think he can
help us. He’s likeable and easy to get along with, but I’m guessing
he’s getting the wrong advice, and he’s buying into that."
Coincidentally,
Favre made similar comments nearly a year ago after then-Packers cornerback
Mike McKenzie skipped a minicamp for reasons identical to Walker's 2005
absence.
"When
you sign a contract, you sign a contract," Favre said of
McKenzie. "We all make a lot of money, and sometimes it doesn’t
seem fair when other guys make more who you know you’re better than.
But that’s the way this business works. As bad as that may seem at
times, it will work itself out. I hope he realizes that, because he’ll
hurt our football team if he’s away, and he’ll really help our team when
he’s here. So we need him back."
McKenzie
ultimately hired in 2004 the same guy who represents Walker this time around
-- Drew Rosenhaus. And Walker is one of several Rosenhaus clients who
are expressing their displeasure with their contracts by staying away from
mandatory offseason workouts and involuntary voluntary sessions.
WHAT
ABOUT GUSS?
Speaking
of Rosenhaus, as his profile continues to reach unprecedented levels, a
logical consequence is that there eventually will be a backlash, both from
other agents and from the teams who are unhappy with his tactics.
And
although we've tried to see both sides of the issue (but tend to agree with
the notion that a contract is a contract lest it would be called something
other than a contract), we wouldn't be fulfilling our mission if we didn't
mention a situation from 2004 that an increasing number of NFL insiders are
talking about as Rosenhaus continues to ruffle feathers both in the agent
community and in NFL front offices.
Florida's
Guss Scott, a safety, was a third-round draft pick of the Patriots in
2004. The Pats, who are one of the handful of teams who insist on
five-year deals for mid-round picks, initially worked out a contract with
Rosenhaus that would have paid Scott a signing bonus of $625,000 plus salaries
of $230,000, $305,000, $385,000, $460,000, and $545,000.
The
contract was reported to the league office, but due to a language technicality
the deal was scuttled. We're told that the Pats increased the bonus
money the second time around in exchange for the removal of some out year
escalators -- but Scott refused (on Rosenhaus' advice) to sign the five-year
deal, opting instead for a one-year contract for the minimum salary of
$230,000.
No
bonus. No guarantee. No nothing.
And,
of course, Scott promptly blew out his knee.
This
time around, Scott signed another one-year deal with New England, for only
$235,000, and he'll get the money only if he makes the team. Since the
Pats face no bonus acceleration because Scott had no bonus, they can cut him
loose at any time with no cap consequence, and pay him not another dime.
So
by foregoing his signing bonus in the hopes of hitting free agency sooner than
five years into his NFL career, Scott suffered an injury that could, in the
end, prevent him from ever getting paid like he would have gotten paid if he'd
merely pocketed the big-money bonus and collected $230,000 in salary last year
and $305,000 this year.
Sure,
it was a calculated risk, and our goal here isn't to bash Rosenhaus for
playing the odds and losing. But the reality is that, as Rosenhaus signs
more and more clients who previously were represented by other agents and then
holds those guys out for more money, more and more folks will scrutinize every
single move he makes, and they'll use any misstep -- actual or perceived --
against him.
That's
precisely what's happening with the Scott situation, and there's a growing
throng of league insiders frothing at the mouth for Drew's next boo-boo.
Recently-signed
LB Jamie Sharper is penciled
in as a starter on the outside for the 2005 season.
Raiders
FB Rob Konrad has
opted to retire based on information he obtained via the physical he took
after signing with Oakland.
Cowboys
DE Marcus
Spears is determined to make more like "Broccoli," less like
"Britney."
POSTED
6:33 a.m. EDT, May 3, 2005
GREEN
TO TAKE A HARD LINE WITH BOLDIN
Word
around the league is that Cardinals coach Dennis Green plans
to take a hard line with holdout receiver Anquan Boldin.
Boldin,
the 2003 offensive rookie of the year, has been clamoring for
a new contract ever since hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus in
2004. And although at times it has appeared that the
Cards were indeed willing to tear up the rookie deal years before its
expiration and give Boldin a new contract, it hasn't happened
yet.
Green,
in our view, isn't a guy to be messing with when it comes to
issues of this nature. If Boldin refuses to play, Green
will simply tilt the offense more heavily toward 2004 draft
pick Larry Fitzgerald. After all, Boldin was a holdover
from the regime prior to Green's arrival -- so why should
Green bend over backwards to pay him big money prematurely?
In
fact, we're surprised that Green would even consider giving
Boldin a new contract. In Minnesota, Green and former
offensive lineman Randall McDaniel were barely on speaking
terms because Green adopted a policy of not re-doing deals
that had more than one season remaining -- after someone else
in the organization supposedly promised McDaniel a new
contract more that had two seasons left on it.
Boldin's
decision to hold out from the recent mandatory minicamo likely will cause Green to strengthen his
resolve, and the ball will be in Boldin's court as to whether
he plays for the terms he negotiated as a rookie -- or whether
he sits and doesn't get paid at all.
Meanwhile,
we're hearing that Green also plans to continue to purge from
the roster guys who were there before his arrival in early
2004. He dumped several pre-Green Cards over the past
year, and will continue to do so until he has a roster full of
his own "guys."
VETS
IMPRESSED WITH SABAN
Since
no one will ever mistake us for charter members of the Nick
Saban Fan Club, anything positive we have to say about the guy
we've dubbed the Nicktator should be regarded as gospel truth.
And
we've heard through the grapevine in the wake of Saban's first
NFL minicamp that veteran members of the team were extremely
impressed by the level of organization demonstrated by the new
coach in a series of fast-paced practices.
"He
is organized like a mother-f-----r," said one member of
the team.
Though
we're not quite sure precisely how organized a mother-f----r
is, we assume that the statement is a compliment.
MOONSHINE
A MAJOR TEASE?
Barely
a week after Arkansas receiver Matt "Moonshine"
Jones was taken by the Jags with the 21st overall pick in the
draft, there are concerns emanating out of Jacksonville that
the athletically freakish Jones could end up being a major
tease.
Some
folks in and around the Jags program believe that Jones will
be "a Shockey-like" player who "wants all the
publicity but will be a tease on the field."
Jones'
decision to sit out most of the team's initial minicamp
practices due to a pulled hamstring prompted some to conclude
that he's "already acting like a pussy."
Jones
wowed scouts at the Combine with his size and speed, but he
has been dogged by questions regarding his commitment to the
game. And even if he's capable of running a 4.37 without putting in hours of training time, there's a certain
overall ethic necessary to be successful in the NFL -- and
that ethic requires among other things guys to push through
the discomfort of a tweaked hamstring.
HEATH
A HUGE RISK?
We're
hearing that Steelers' first-round tight end Heath Miller
still isn't fully recovered from a slew of injuries, including
a sports hernia that required surgery, which he suffered while
serving time in Camp Groh.
As
one league insider explained, Miller is "a bigger risk
than the Steelers want to admit."
The
Steelers, whose consistent success over the past decade in
most games without the word "Championship" in the
title has left them with few annual areas of necessity, are
one of the rare teams who focus on filling needs with their
first-round picks and not on taking the best available athlete
on the board.
In this regard the Steelers have been willing to take
calculated risks. Two years ago, for example, the
Steelers traded up to nab USC safety Troy Polamalu, despite
some serious concerns regarding his propensity to suffer
concussions. Through two season, that gamble has paid
off.
But
it's a similar risk that the team is taking again in 2005 with
Miller.
And
in
our experience, sooner or later everyone's luck runs
out.
JONES,
TUNA NEED TO GET A ROOM
Less
than a year after their relationship was showing signs of
irreconcilable differences, Cowboys owner/G.M. Jerry Jones and
coach Bill Parcells are getting along "better than
ever," according to a league source.
Parcells
desperately wants another Super Bowl championship before he
retires, and the thinking is that he's willing to do whatever
it takes to coexist with Jones as they try to put it all
together for what could be Parcells' last shot at a third
Lombardi.
Parcells
already seems to be in rare form, recently tossing out names
like "Chubby Checker" and "Fats Domino"
for first-round defensive end Marcus Spears, who showed up at
minicamp a tad on the heavy side.
ROLLE
STAYING WITH DOGRA
We
learned late Monday night that the rumors regarding cornerback
Antrel Rolle dumping agent Ben Dogra and signing with agent
Michael Huyghue are off the mark, and that Rolle is staying
put.
For
now.
Is
saying "for now," we don't mean to imply that
something will happen, but only that something could
happen, since these kids have the right to change agents
whenever they want and that there are always agents who are
looking to swoop in and take over.
We've
likewise confirmed that cornerback Pacman Jones will indeed
make a move from Gary Wichard to Huyghue. Word is that
Jones aksed Wichard to cut his fee to two percent, and that
Wichard declined.
Of
course, Huyghue was poop-canned by the only first-rounder whom
he has represented (Vince Wilfork of the Pats) because Wilfork
was unhappy with the terms of the contract Huyghue negotiated.
And
as one league insider has 'splained to us, it's far better to pay
three percent to an agent who negotiates a good contract than
to pay only two percent for a bad deal.
In
this regard, perhaps Pacman should take a peek at the contract
signed by last year's sixth overall pick before merely
assuming that the process of putting together a good deal for
a top-ten selection involves little skill or ability.
POSTED
10:28 p.m. EDT, May 2, 2005
WINSLOW
TO LOSE MORE THAN $9 MILLION?
Setting
aside for now the question of whether Browns tight end "Evel
Kellnievel" Winslow should have been riding a motorcycle as he still
rehabs from a broken leg that scuttled his 2004 rookie season
(and prevented him from earning a big-money bonus payment by
failing to participate in 30 percent of the team's offensive
snaps), we've gotten a look-see at Winslow's contract, which
indicates that he shouldn't have been riding a motorcycle at
all. Ever. Period.
As
a general matter, Winslow has breached Paragraph 3 of his
contract, which prevents him from "engag[ing] in any
activity other than football which may involve a significant
risk of personal injury."
And
this breach could have significant consequences.
Winslow's motorcycling allows the team (if it so chooses) to
recover $5 million of his initial signing bonus and the full
$4.4125 million of his option bonus triggered at the outset of
the 2005 league year, $2.4125 million of which won't actually
be paid to Winslow until July 15.
So
the total potential price tag on Winslow's deliberate failure
to comply with the terms of his contract is a whopping $9.4125
million.
Under
the contract, Winslow becomes potentially responsible to pay
back the bonus money due to "injury as a result of a
breach of Paragraph 3 of the Contract" or "as
a result of participation in hazardous activities which
involve a significant risk of personal injury and are
non-football in nature, including but not limited to
skydiving, hang gliding, mountain climbing, auto racing, motorcycling,
scuba diving, or skiing." (Emphasis added.)
The
bottom line is that, under the terms of Winslow's deal,
getting injured while motorcycling is no different that
walking away from his contractual obligations, a la Ricky
Williams did nearly a year ago.
In
either case, the club can recover bonus money.
And
in Winslow's case, he could end up forking over more than $9
million.
The
bigger question is whether the Browns should make a grab for
Winslow's $9 million. Since the guy that drafted Winslow
is long gone and given that we can't imagine Winslow and 2005
first-round pick Braylon Edwards co-existing in the same
conference much less in the same locker room, we think the
Browns should send Winslow a bill for $9.4125 million, and
then let nature take its course.
If
nothing else, such a move could help the Browns recoup a major
chunk of Butch Davis' buyout.
POSTED
8:12 a.m. EDT, May 2, 2005
ROLLE
NEXT ON HUYGHUE'S RADAR SCREEN?
With
cornerback Pacman Jones already apparently joining the stable
of clients managed by agent Michael Huyghue, we're now hearing
indications that Huyghue could be turning his attention to
cornerback Antrell Rolle.
Rolle,
the second corner drafted behind Jones and the eighth overall
pick in the draft, currently is represented by Ben Dogra, whom
Rolle hired after dumping David Dunn.
Although
players have the right to change representation whenever and
wherever they choose, we're troubled by post-draft movement of
this nature, given that the agents who are getting dumped
typically have invested a lot of time and money into training
the kids for the draft and otherwise getting them in position
to be taken as high as possible.
More
turds for Shanny -- the Broncos are interested in Panthers
P Todd "Testosterone Boy" Sauerbrun, and are
prepared to offer Carolina a seventh-round pick in the 2006
draft.
Lions
coach Steve Mariucci thinks that, after one minicamp, the 2005
Lions believe
they "can be really good" (hey, Steve, check
back with us after they put the pads on and start breaking
bones).
Apart
from T.O., the Eagles also are upset with RB Brian Westbrook, who
has yet to sign his one-year, $1.43 million restricted
free agent tender.
Cowboys
coach Bill Parcells has changed DE Marcus Spears' nickname from
"Chubby Checker" to "Fats Domino".
(Are we the only ones who see the irony in all of this?)
The
mother of Chiefs fourth-round WR Craphonso Thorpe believes
that a broken leg he suffered as a junior at Florida State cost
him millions in the draft (we think she's just saying that
because she still feels guilty for naming her son "Craphonso"
. . . were her other choices "Poopetrius" and "Shittake"?).
Keep
an eye on Pats seventh-round QB Matt Cassel, a former backup
at Southern Cal who
could end up becoming the next Tom Brady if a new contract
can't be worked out before 2007 with the closest thing the
franchise has to a superstar.
QUOTE
OF THE DAY
Chiefs
coach Dick Vermeil, who apparently has learned his lesson
after comments made last season regarding running back Larry
Johnson, had this to say about the first official look at his
2005 squad: “You really don't get to know what they're
about until you get them in pads and they come out of their
pajamas — I
won't say diapers.”
POSTED
7:33 p.m. EDT, May 1, 2005
PACMAN
PUNKS WICHARD?
In
the days preceding the draft, there was a rumor making the
rounds that if West Virginia cornerback Adam "Pacman"
Jones took a tumble in round one, he'd likely fire agent Gary
Wichard.
Jones,
originally listed among the top overall picks in the draft,
saw his fortunes become a bit fuzzy as the draft approached,
with Miami's Antrel Rolle and Auburn's Carlos Rogers closing
the gap. In the end, it was Rolle and not Jones invited
by the NFL to attend the draft in person, which was taken by
many to be an indication that Rolle would be the first
defensive back off of the board.
But
it was Jones who was selected by the Titans with the sixth
overall pick, and with that outcome Wichard's position seemed
to be secure. As we can attest, Wichard worked
relentlessly to keep Pacman's stock high in round one, fending
off all sorts of innuendo and character questions that were
swirling through league circles with the draft
approaching.
Still,
there are now rumors making the rounds that Pacman will be
parting ways with Wichard in favor of former Jags exec Michael
Huyghue.
These
rumors are unconfirmed, and we're in the process of attempting
to obtain more information directly from Wichard. For
now, though, it appears that Jones has shown his appreciation
for Wichard's efforts to keep him in the top ten (and in front
of Rolle and Rogers) by giving him a swift kick in the rear
end.
SUNDAY
EVENING ONE-LINERS
Ravens
first-round WR Mark
Clayton pulled a hammy while running a pattern on
Saturday; concerns regarding a bum knee helped Clayton fall
into the Ravens' claws at No. 22 last Saturday.
Colts
DE Dwight Freeney recently underwent shoulder surgery and might
not be ready to go when camp opens in July; since the
procedure was aimed at merely
cleaning up past damage, we're trying to figure out why
the procedure wasn't done a lot sooner.
Panthers
WR Steve Smith is practicing
with a "foreign object" in his leg (if the thing
weren't surgically implanted, Smith might be tempted to use it
the next time he jacks an unsuspecting teammate upside the
grill).
Falcons
S Cory Hall has decided
not to re-sign with the team that cut him on March 2, and
to seek employment elsewhere.
The
Bengals apparently plan
to move on without C Rich Braham if unable to sign him to
a new contract this week; Braham's agent say he's not aware of
any deadline for getting a deal done.
The
Colts have wrapped
up their first official minicamp for rookies and
first-year players, and the full squad returns on May 20 for a
three-day mandatory camp.
Hall
of Famer Jim Brown takes issue with the holdout of Browns RB
Reuben Droughns; "It
puts a bad taste in everybody's mouth," Brown said.
"I don't think with this organization you're going to
make this ownership do too many things if you hold out. I
don't think it's the wisest thing to do from any
standpoint."
Browns
WR Braylon Edwards "tweaked
his groin" on Saturday (he also injured his upper leg
in practice).
Seahawks
colossal first-round bust from 2001 WR Koren Robinson finally
has figured out that if
he doesn't "get right" he's gonna be left
behind, permanently.
Raiders
QB Kerry Collins has noticed
how "effortless" WR Randy Moss is in his stride
(get ready for that word to pop into your head again and again
regarding Mr. Moss).
Pat
Yasinskas of The Charlotte Observertakes
a comprehensive look at the up-and-down career of P Todd
Sauerbrun.
Browns
tryout invitee Sam Mayes, at 347 pounds, identifies as his
favorite meal his
grandmother's meatloaf . . . the whole loaf, washed down
with a gallon of milk.
Cowboys
rookie DE DeMarcus Ware had this to say when told by the Tuna
that it's Ware's
job to deliver water to the coach . . . all year:
"I was like, 'So what does that mean?' He was like,
'You've got to get me water every day on my breaks.' I was
like, 'I'll be glad to get you water.' When I gave it to
him, he gave me some junk. He was like, 'Get used to
it.'" (And we're like, "Didn't they teach you
how to talk right in college?")
