POSTED 9:17
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:53 p.m. EDT, May 7, 2007
JAGS CUT CARROLL
The Jacksonville Jaguars
have cut cornerback
Ahmad Carroll, only two days after he was arrested on multiple charges in
Atlanta.
Carroll was a first-round draft
pick of the Packers in 2004. Green Bay cut him last season due to poor
performance, and the Jags signed him after he cleared waivers.
Though most readers from whom
we've heard believe that the Jags should be applauded for the move, the reality
is that they could end up facing a grievance. Under the CBA, only the
Commissioner is permitted to mete out discipline for off-field conduct.
The most that a team can do is suspend a player for up to four games without pay
for conduct detrimental to the team.
The more prudent course for the
Jags would have been to keep Carroll around until training camp, and then to
include him in the first wave of cuts. By dumping him two days after his
offseason arrest, it's obvious that the move was disciplinary.
By the way, we've yet to assign
Turd Watch points to the Jaguars, because we have yet to ascertain the specific
felony-or-misdemeanor status of each charge. We hope to get the answer on
Tuesday.
EVEN MORE MINICAMP REPORTS
Finally, here are the last of the
minicamp reports for the first weekend of post-draft sessions. You've
liked them so much that we need to keep doing them.
And now we're trying to figure out
how in the heck we'll manage to do regular team-by-team training camp reports in
July and August.
Tampa Bay: Coach Jon
Gruden, on his rookies: "They better quit watching the NFL Network all day
and they better quit playing their video games and get off the cell phones and
the Blackberries and all that stuff and get outside here on the nice, green
grass. Find a place to run and run. And then run again and run
again." (Wow. He said "run" in that passage about as offen as he
ordinarily says the "F" word.) . . . Rookie Tanard Jackson
played cornerback in
college, but will primarily be a safety with the Bucs. . . . The Bucs
have three key offensive linemen who are
23 or younger, and another one who is 24. . . . Former Nebraska QB Zac
Taylor is
one
of six signal-callers on the roster. . . . Coach Jon Gruden
sees leadership qualities in first-round DE Gaines Adams. . . . Sabby
Piscitelli's first name is "Sabatino."
(There's nothing like having a good Irish boy on the roster.)
Washington: DL Justin
Hickman, an undrafted rookie,
has a chance to make the team, given that the 'Skins drafted no others at
this key area of need. . . . LB Dallas Sartz and LB H.B. Blades
were roommates at the scouting combine, and are now hoping to be the
eventual replacements for Marcus Washington and London Fletcher. . . . QB
Mark Brunell
won't
throw in team drills until training camp, due to offseason shoulder surgery.
. . . Offensive coordinator Al Saunders isn't sure when RB Clinton Portis
(shoulder surgery) will be cleared to fully participate in practice. . . .
Meet
LaRon Landry. . . . Landry will be the strong safety and Sean Taylor
will be the free safety. . . . Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is
distancing himself from the Cover 2/Tampa 2 schemes of the past two years. .
. . Undrafted
CB Byron
Westbrook is the brother of Eagles RB Brian Westbrook. . . . The
Redskins brought in
64 undrafted
free agents for tryouts.
POSTED 8:13
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:18 a.m. EDT, May 7, 2007
FOX SEES CAROLINA CAREER FLASH
BEFORE HIS EYES
The Panthers got a huge scare on
Sunday when receiver Steve
Smith went down with a knee injury in the waning minutes of a minicamp.
Smith got tangled up with a
defense back, per the Charlotte Observer, and remained on the field for a
few minutes while trainers checked out his left knee.
But Smith, who suffered a broken
leg in the first game of the 2004 season and missed the final 15 games, was
fine.
"Any time a player goes down,
it's scary, especially when it's that guy, 2004 was flashing in front of my
eyes,'' coach John Fox said.
It would be more accurate to say
that Fox saw his entire career in Carolina flash before his eyes. The
sixth-year coach is widely believed to be on the hot seat, and without Smith it
would be even harder for Fox to keep his job beyond 2007.
We also wonder whether Smith
lingered on the field a few moments longer than necessary, as a reminder to the
team that his value to the franchise is not properly reflected in his current
contract. Last year, some league insiders opined/speculated that Smith
might have been milking a hamstring injury a little longer than necessary as a
subtle strategy for making it known that he wants more money.
MAYWEATHER-DE LA HOYA AND NFL
NETWORK by Michael David Smith
Floyd Mayweather defeated Oscar De
La Hoya Saturday night in the biggest fight in years. [Editor's
note: Zzzzzzzz.] But even the biggest fight in years was
viewed by only a few million people -- nothing compared to the size of the
audience the NFL draws.
The reason, of course, is that
Mayweather-De La Hoya was broadcast on pay-per-view, just like every big
fight. Boxing has suffered a huge decline in popularity and become a niche
sport because when fans have to pay extra to watch a sport, many of them find
something else to do.
And that brings us to the NFL's
decision to begin showing games on NFL Network, which tens of millions of cable
subscribers still don't have. The business dynamics of the NFL putting its
games on its own cable channel and boxing putting its fights on pay-per-view
aren't the same, but they're similar: A sport has decided to make more
money and have more control by putting its product on a platform that fewer fans
will see.
Will the NFL decline in popularity
because of NFL Network? Not any time soon. The package of games is
limited to eight Thursday and Saturday nights, and the NFL wisely shows games on
broadcast television in the markets of the two teams playing. If anything,
the overall existence of NFL Network has helped the league's popularity.
But the current slate of eight
games is as far as the league should take it. The NFL needs to resist the
temptation of trading a smaller audience for more money, unless it wants to see
its popularity go in the direction of boxing's.
MORE MINICAMP CONTACT
Several years ago, the biggest
source of offseason eye rolling was the notion that voluntary camps were truly
voluntary. Though some players still from time to time exercise their
prerogative to not attend, it's a luxury available only to those whose spot on
the depth chart is secure. For players trying to win a job or keep a
tenuous hold on a position at which a first-day draft pick was used, failing to
volunteer to attend is the equivalent of volunteering for a spot on the bench,
or on the waiver wire.
But now that coaches are being
more careful regarding the making of public comments regarding the non-voluntary
nature of these voluntary camps, the new source of offseason amusement is the
photographic evidence of the amount of contact that occurs in offseason camps
that are supposed to be contact-free.
Every year, readers send us photos
of contact. Here are the latest pics we've received, from this weekend's
round of camps:

Says the CBA: "The intensity
and tempo of drills should be at a level conducive to learning, with player
safety as the highest priority, and not at a level where one player is in
physical contest with another player."
Um. Yeah.
In March, we heard that players
intended to complain more loudly and more frequently about the level of contact
in offseason camps, due in part to their desire to extend their careers, so that
they can continue to consume a slice of the ever-growing salary cap. To
date, however, the players have been silent.
And so has their union.
EVEN MORE MINICAMP REPORTS
We're blown away by the reaction
we've gotten to our seat-of-the-pants idea to compile minicamp reports, which
basically are a collection of one-liners focused on the teams who recently
convened post-draft workouts.
So here are a couple more reports
for the teams that went to camp over the May 4-6 weekend:
San Diego: S Marlon
McCree worked out on Friday, but his knee "swelled
up like a cantaloupe." He might not be able to practice until
training camp. . . . Of the 27 undrafted free agents taking part in the
camp, maybe four
or five have a chance to make it. . . . Fifth-round WR Legedu Naanee worked
out with the tight ends on Saturday but lined up in various positions during
team drills. . . . Special-teams ace Kassim Osgood might
get a chance to contribute as a receiver. . . . FB Andrew Pinnock is slimming
down in the hopes of replacing Michael Turner in 2008. . . . RB/KR
Darren Sproles bobbled
a couple of punts, opening the door for first-round WR Craig Davis to give
it a try. . . . RB LaDainian Tomlinson says that he
will try to replicate last season's record performance (he also might want
to try climbing the Empire State Building with golf shoes and some used masking
tape).
Seattle: The Big Show is happy
with his rookies. . . . Chris Gray took C Chris Spencer's place, and Ray
Willis filled in at Gray's spot at guard. . . . CB Pete Hunter and WR
Chris Jones wrestled
on the ground for 30 seconds with a ball they both caught at the same time
(not that there's anything wrong with that). . . . CB Marcus Trufant has moved
from the right side to the left side. . . . DT Craig Terrill gave
QB Matt Hasselbeck a blonde wig on Sunday, so that he would look more like
rookie QB Derek Devine. . . . Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer looks at the performance of each
rookie draft pick over the weekend. . . . WR D.J. Hackett has
taken Darrell Jackson's spot at starting split end, for now. . . . QB
Matt Hasselbeck was able
to participate in the camp despite offseason surgery on his non-throwing
shoulder. . . . Said Hasselbeck regarding former Seahawks TE Jerramy
Stevens: "All
of his problems stem from one thing, and that was alcohol. If you take
alcohol out of the equation, he's a perfect teammate and a great kid." . .
. DB Jordan Babineaux has signed his RFA tender, but did
not practice due to offseason shoulder surgery.
Tennessee: Third-round WR
Paul Williams got
the better of first-round S Michael Griffin on a few plays during rookie
practice. . . . As of Friday, the Titans
were evaluating whether or not to pursue WR Keyshawn Johnson. . . .
The Tennessean and the Nashville City Paper apparently
gave their beat writers the weekend off.
The last two -- Tampa and
Washington -- are coming later today.
MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS by
Michael David Smith
Miami QB Daunte Culpepper's adoptive
mother has died at 92.
The Packers' season ticket waiting
list has nearly
74,000 people on it.
The NFL bars rookies like JaMarcus
Russell from more than one minicamp before school is out -- even though Russell
isn't enrolled in any classes at LSU.
Former Bills K Steve
Christie is weighing his options between playing in the CFL and retiring.
The Redskins have signed
RB Derrick Blaylock and offered a contract to free agent TE Zach Hilton.
The Dolphins have contacted the
Jets about trading
for G Pete Kendall; Kendall is scheduled to make $1.7 million this year and
thinks he deserves more, given the meteoric rise in salaries at the position.
Although Browns G.M. Phil Savage
said for months that Brady Quinn was one of the top five players on his draft
board, he now won't
say where Quinn ranked.
Now that they've added a tackle in
Joe Thomas, the Browns think Ryan
Tucker could move to guard.
Seahawks C Chris Spencer, who is
expected to be the starter this year, had surgery on both shoulders after the
season and is having
lingering soreness that is requiring him to go back to Dr. James Andrews.
When the Bengals selected Oregon
DL Matt Toeaina, it marked the
third consecutive year they had taken a player hailing from Pago Pago (gesundheit),
American Samoa.
POSTED 6:21
a.m. EDT, May 7, 2007
DEL RIO COVERING HIS DEL REAR?
An industry source tells us that
the prevailing theory regarding the recent comments of Jags coach Jack Del Rio hinting at a desire to draft quarterback Brady Quinn is that Del Rio
realizes he's stuck with Byron Leftwich at quarterback for 2007, and that Del
Rio is laying the foundation for his future job interviews -- if the team
doesn't perform well enough in 2007 for Del Rio to keep his position.
"He'll tell future employers that
he had no chance because [V.P. of player personnel] Shack Harris, who views
Leftwich as his clone, forced him to keep Leftwich," said the source.
The source said that Del Rio
possibly will take Harris down with him. Owner Wayne Weaver still isn't
fond of Del Rio following his flirtations with LSU after Nick Saban left, and
Weaver (we're told) likes Harris. If Leftwich flops in 2007, Harris will
have to explain why he didn't support the possible selection of Quinn.
A league source with
knowledge of the dynamics confirms the existence of the in-house acrimony over
Leftwich: "Del Rio
and Harris have been having major tantrums with each other over the whole
quarterback thing. It's a total mess. Something, or someone, has to
give. Harris is like Leftwich's father, Del Rio is like his
mother-in-law."
With all that said, the thinking
in league and industry circles is that Leftwich will indeed flop, and that the
new coach in 2008 will have to find another quarterback.
There's also some confusion as to
why the Jags didn't pounce on Quinn from a business standpoint. The kid
would have generated interest, and sold tickets at a stadium where selling
tickets on a consistent basis is a huge problem.
As we see it, the only positive
that comes out of this for the franchise is that, if (when) Del Rio gets fired,
the new coach will get to find his own quarterback from day one, avoiding the
problem that often arises when a new coach is forced to work with an incumbent
starter.
POSTED 8:38
p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:23 p.m. EDT, May 6, 2007
MORE MINICAMP REPORTS
We got a great response to our
initial wave of minicamp reports. So we guess that means we should do some
more.
Here we go.
Cincinnati: As a
result of free-agency losses, the Bengals are
trying to rebuild their punt coverage and return teams. . . . Former
Bengals RB
James Brooks spoke to the attendees of the rookie camp. . . . Brooks
is part of the
Auburn tailback mill that has delivered multiple prospects at the position
to the Queen City. . . . LB Earl Everett says he fell from a projected
second-rounder to undrafted rookie signee of the Bengals
due to a pulled hamstring in his 40-yard dash. . . .
Former Miami (Ohio) C Steve Kosky
missed his commencement ceremony to try out for the Bengals. . . . LB
Ed Hartwell
has not yet signed with the Bengals, but claims that he will start on the
weak side this year for the team. . . . WR Chad Johnson left a trading
card and a note in rookie CB Leon Hall's locker that said "This
is the only way you gonna touch me."
Detroit: Offensive
coordinator
Mike Martz is changing everything about QB Drew Stanton (except for his
dreamy hairdo). . . . Stanton is the
fourth quarterback drafted by the Lions in seven years. . . . Rookie
DE Ikaika Alama-Francis is learning how to
sand the floor and paint the fence. . . . Gerald Alexander was
preparing to do laundry when he found out he was being drafted by a team
that has a long history of getting hung out to dry. . . . WR Calvin
Johnson says
he doesn't talk trash. . . .
Sixty-eight players participated in the three-day camp. . . . One of
the guys trying out at receiver is the
guy who used to throw bad passes to Calvin Johnson at Goergia Tech.
Green Bay: There are
questions about
whether the Packers reached for WR James Jones in round three. . . .
Rookie S Aaron Rouse thinks that
his height will
work to his advantage. . . . Did sixth-round K Mason Crosby benefit
from kicking in the
mile high club? . . . Joe Werner wants to be the
next converted
hoopster to play tight end. . . . Seventh-round RB DeShawn Wynn
pulled a calf
muscle. . . . First-round DT Justin Harrell
wants to prove that
G.M. Ted Thomson was right for picking him. . . . Second-round RB
Brandon Jackson is
what the Packers thought he would be, so far. . . . DT Justin Harrell
says that his two injuries in college are "[u]nfortunate
incidents that I can't explain." (That sentiment also applies to the
Packers' drafts under Ted Thompson.) . . . . Outgoing CEO Bob Harlan
appears to regret giving both the coach and G.M. titles to Mike Sherman. . .
. The depth chart at running back is
populated with no-names. . . .
Eight players were at the 32-man rookie camp on a trial basis. . . .
The Packers
have some interest in WR Keyshawn Johnson.
Indianapolis: Coach
Tony Dungy recalls Chuck Noll's approach to the first practice of the year --
"After the first practice,
don't cut anybody and don't put anybody in the Hall of Fame." . . .
Peyton Manning's foundation
has given $500,000 to 70 youth-related agencies in Indiana. . . . Now
that the Colts have finally managed to win the big one, they're loading up on
guys who couldn't.
Miami: Owner Wayne
Huizenga addressed the team and
basically told them to
stay out of trouble. . . . CB Andre' Goodman
reinjured his shoulder
on Saturday. . . . QB
Cleo Lemon is making
lemoņadé out of his opportunities. . . . Meet
John Beck. . . .
The Fins have
re-assigned the locker of RB Ricky Williams and the locker and number of DT
Dan Wilkinson. . . . G.M. Randy Mueller took a slap at the Nicktator
with this one: "We need to shake it up.
It wasn't working.
We're going to continue to look to improve this team. If it can be done, some
way, somehow, we'll do it." . . . Vernon Carey is
switching from right
tackle to left tackle, and L.J. Shelton is moving from left guard to right
tackle. . . . LB Zach Thomas on the state of the team: "The
grass has been brown around here for a while. Hopefully it gets a
little greener.'' . . . Coach Cam Cameron
wants to get the most
out of WR Chris Chambers and TE David Martin. . . . RB
Ronnie Brown has been eating too many hash browns. And Twinkies. . . .
L.J. Shelton
has lost 20 pounds and hopes to drop 10 more. . . . Chris Liwienski
and Dan Stevenson are the
starting guards for now. . . . Ted Ginn
rode a stationary bike in the only offseason work in which he's allowed to
participate until Ohio State's graduation ceremonies in June. . . . WR
Kelly Campell
suffered an injury to his lower leg. . . . QB Daunte Culpepper
expects to participate
in next month's minicamp. . . . Fins WR Marty Booker, on reports that he
is on the trading block: "I
ain't got nothing to say." (Well, if football doesn't work out, he can
always teach English.)
Minnesota: RB Adrian
Peterson has not
reinjured his collarbone. Yet. . . . Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is
willing to
contribute $250 million toward the construction of a new stadium. . . . A
total of 28 players
attended the rookie camp on a tryout basis, but the team refused to name
them. . . . Meet
Brian Robison.
. . . And
Sidney
Rice.
More will be added on Sunday
night.
POSTED 1:28
p.m. EDT, May 6, 2007
SOUP NAZI HAD NO JUICE ON DRAFT
DAY
A league source tells us that
Giants coach Tom Coughlin had no juice within the organization during the 2007
NFL draft.
This development suggests that
Coughlin has zero influence over the shaping of the roster, and it lends
credence to rumors that the Giants decided to keep Coughlin for one more year so
that they won't be in the early stages of a new coach's tenure when guys like,
say, Bill Belihick or Bill Cowher are available.
Belichick's status with the
Patriots is the topic of much confusion, since the Pats (unlike most teams)
refuse to make public details about the terms of its head coach's contract.
He might be on the open market in 2007, or he might not.
Cowher presumably is free to coach
again in 2007 without compensation to the Steelers, since his contract had only
one year remaining on it. But the Steelers could take the position that
they hold his rights for one year of NFL coaching, and that if someone else
tries to hire him, the Steelers are owed compensation.
Of course, Cowher could show up in
Pittsburgh next January and declare that he's ready to resume his gig with the
Steelers. If they don't re-hire him, any further obligations to the
Steelers would arguably disappear.
As a practical matter, the solid
relationship between the Maras (who own the Giants) and the Rooneys (who own the
Steelers) could make the folks in New York unlikely to do anything that would
prompt a battle with Cowher's former team. If the Giants were to be
interested in Cowher, we think that all details regarding his availability would
be worked out behind the scenes, well before the Giants would begin to pursue
him.
PFT ON FOX SPORTS RADIO
Check us out today at 4:30 p.m.
EDT on FOX Sports Radio.
All of our upcoming radio spots
for a given week can be seen right here.
That is all.
POSTED 12:59
p.m. EDT, May 6, 2007
PFT MINICAMP REPORT
The draft is over but the
offseason won't be slowing down just yet. Minicamps will be popping up
throughout the league, and here's a look at what's going on in each of the
cities where folks are playing football in helmets, T-shirts, and shorts.
San Francisco: A
league source tells us that WR Ashley Lelie, a new free agent, is already
injured, and that players are questioning his toughness. . . . Ditto for
OT Jonas Jennings, who won't practice at all during this minicamp. . . .
Other players out due to injury
are TE
Delanie Walker, WR Darrell Jackson, C Eric Heitmann, and CB Shawntae Spencer. .
. . QB Trent Dilfer
slammed his helmet to the ground after CB Nate Clements intercepted a Dilfer
pass and returned it for a score. (You'd think Dilfer would be used to
getting picked off by now.) . . . . Fourth-round rookie LB Jay Moore
drops into pass coverage like a man who weighs far less than 275 pounds. . .
. LB Manny Lawson thought that he was being held by TE Vernon Davis, so Lawson
tore off his shirt and threw it down and said multiple times, "If
you want it, you can have it!" Said Davis in response: "He just
got mad because I beat him."
Oakland: WR
Mike Williams is hobbled by a hamstring injury; he left practice on Saturday
after initially injuring the muscle on Friday. "However you want to phrase
it, he's blown a chance," said coach Lane Kiffin, regarding Williams' failed
stint in Detroit. . . . Seventh-round WR
Johnathan Holland is out with a separated right shoulder. . . .
Second-year player
Darnell Bing has been moved from linebacker back to strong safety, where he
played at USC. . . . Robert Gallery and Barry Sims are
alternating between left tackle and right tackle. . . . DT Warren Sapp
has lost 49 pounds.
. . . Said WR Jerry Porter regarding rookie QB JaMarcus Russell:
"Looks like someone hired a JUGS machine and put a jersey on it."
Carolina: LB
Dan Morgan is back after his latest concussion ended his 2006 season in
September. . . . WR Dwayne Jarrett
made an acrobatic catch
on Saturday. . . . Jarrett is wearing No. 80. . . . Fourth-round
rookie Ryne Robinson is
the top punt returner, with Chris Horn as the backup. . . .
Six players were held
out of practice on Saturday due to injury. . . . WR Steve Smith
likes the new offense:
"If you want to compare it, it's like sitting in coach and moving up to first
class."
Baltimore: The Ravens
conducted a two-day rookie minicamp, where first-rounder
Ben Grubbs made his debut. "I think it went well," he said. . . .
Former Lions and Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, who previously
worked for the Ravens,
stopped by for a visit, but head coach Brian Billick says that there are no
plans to hire him. . . . G.M. Ozzie Newsome says that the
team is negotiating with LB Terrell Suggs, whose rookie contract expires
after 2007.
Chicago: Third-round
rookie LB Michael Okwo
could fill the void eventually created by LB Lance Briggs. To do so,
Okwo will have to beat out 2006
fourth-rounder Jamar Williams. . . . Undrafted UNLV S
Jay Staggs was relentless in his efforts to get a shot at the NFL. . . .
Rookie TE Fontel Mines is at the team's rookie camp on a tryout basis, and
might win a contract due to some nice downfield catches on Saturday. . . .
WR David Ball and QB Chris Leak, both undrafted rookies,
have been impressive. . . . Rookie RB Garrett Wolfe, on his lack of
height: "People say I'm
5-7 . . . well,
I'm not trying to dunk a basketball out here. So I'm not sure where
5-7 matters."
More to come.
POSTED 8:15
p.m. May 5, 2007
BENGALS SOUTH RESET THE ARREST
CLOCK
Well, they made it past ten, and
all the way to 16.
But just as we thought the "days
without an arrest" counter would make it to 20, it's time to put it back to
zero.
If only we can remember how to do
it.
Per First Coast News in
Jacksonville, Jaguars cornerback
Ahmad Carroll was busted on Saturday morning in Atlanta.
Carroll is charged with carrying a
concealed weapon, carrying a pistol without a permit, and possession of ecstasy.
POSTED 8:08
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:32 a.m. EDT, May 5, 2007
BURGESS SAYS HE WASN'T HOLDING
OUT
Raiders defensive end Derrick
Burgess showed up for this weekend's mandatory minicamp. And he says that,
while his agent is trying to improve his current contract, Burgess didn't skip
the last minicamp to protest his pay.
"The reason I didn't show up?"
Burgess said. "Because
it was voluntary."
Sure, it was voluntary. But
guys who are fully on board with the program volunteer to show up. The
reality is that a player's only leverage is to withhold services, and Burgess
was able to do it without consequence in conjunction with the non-mandatory
camp.
SHARPARO LIKES DOGS, TOO
One of the realities of the Mike
Vick dog-fighting investigation is that authorities will now be more skeptical
of any pro athlete who shows an affinity for aggressive breeds of dog.
In poking around the Intergoogle
for evidence connecting Mike Vick and aggressive dogs, our own Taco Bill found
last week the web site for
Sanders Kennels.
Right next to a picture of Mike Vick cradling a dog is former NFL tight end
Shannon Sharpe, with a Presa Canario on a leash. (A Friday night USA
Today item
mentions Sanders Kennels and the Vick photo, but says nothing of Sharpe's
presence in the next frame.)

As our latest addition Michael
David Smith wrote on Friday, the Humane Society has alerted NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell to its belief that there is a "subculture within the NFL of dog
fighting and other forms of violence against animals."
Though we're not saying that any
current or former pro athlete who has one of these canines is involved in dog
fighting, it will definitely raise suspicions moving forward.
And guys like Titans first-rounder
Michael Griffin,
who recently said that he raises pit bulls, might want to be darn sure that
none of their friends or family members are using those dogs for anything other
than fetching the paper and fertilizing the petunias.
SATURDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
Tom Brady's dad says that the Pats
quarterback is "jacked
up" about his new weapons on offense.
The elder Brady, on his son's
recent choice of Yankee headwear: "I
said, 'Things must be pretty slow in Boston if they're making a big deal on the
hats you're wearing.'
It's fun to get things stirred up a little bit."
Lions WR Calvin Johnson is
already drawing praise after only one workout.
G-reg's brother, C-hristian, was
throwing passes to him in rookie camp.
The Redskins are
working out RB Derrick Blaylock.
The Redskins are
$5.1 million under the
salary cap.
Have the Bucs
found their next Sapp?
Sprinter
Justin Gatlin is
trying out in Tampa this weekend.
The Chiefs were
selling Trent Green
jerseys at discount prices -- until someone asked them why they were doing
so.
Coach Chin is auctioning off some
Steelers items, including a
crystal ice bucket bearing the team logo.

Ice bucket or spittoon?
Panthers QB Jake Delhomme says
that the team "didn't
have fun" in 2006. (What is this, little league?)
Nate Salley is
currently starting at
safety for the Panthers, but the team might still try to upgrade through
free agency. (Paul Krause is available, guys.)
There's a
new No. 19 in Carolina.
Panthers DT Kris Jenkins
isn't holding a grudge
about the team's efforts to trade him.
Pat Bowlen isn't worried about any of the potential problem children that
the Broncos drafted last week. (Should we expect anything else from the
team that drafted Maurice Clarett?)
POSTED 7:40
a.m. EDT, May 5, 2007
BRADY THROWS SOME "WOUNDED
DUCKS"
Tony Grossi of the Cleveland
Plain Dealer reports that quarterback Brady Quinn's first practice with the
Browns featured some of the accuracy problems that kept him on the board for 21
picks last Saturday.
Writes Grossi: "It did not
go unnoticed by the inflated media throng on hand that Quinn threw consecutive
balls into a brisk wind that
could be described charitably as wounded ducks. Each ball looked to
hit a brick wall in midair and plummet, one far short of the intended and
uncovered receiver."
Per Grossi, Quinn compensated for
the wind on the next try . . . by overthrowing the receiver.
QUINN APOLOGIZES (BUT SHOULDN'T
HAVE)
We were talking with one of our
friends in the "real" media this week about the possibility that Eagles
quarterback Donovan McNabb is afflicted with the same "everyone must like me"
complex from which George Costanza suffers.
It looks like there's another NFL
quarterback who also is obsessed with being loved but everyone, and disliked by
none.
Why else would Quinn even
address that goofy criticism from ESPN's Joe Theismann, who was demoted to
the minor leagues earlier this year and is too greedy to quit? Joey
Sunshine took issue with Quinn's appearance after languishing on the draft
board, saying that Brady's hair and tie and chewing gum at the draft were a
window to his overall abilities.
"I apologize,
obviously, to anybody who's a Notre Dame alum or to those
fans who thought I wasn't being very businesslike," Quinn
said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
"I think I was there for a while and at that moment when
you're finally picked after waiting for 4― hours, I guess
the last thought in my head was 'spit out your gum, fix your
hair or make sure your shirt looks good.' I was just
trying to get out on that stage as soon as possible and get
that Browns jersey in my hand and that hat in my hand."
Quinn said
that he took Theismann's words to heart (Brady is
officially the first person ever to do so), and said, "I'm a big
fan of his. He must not be a big fan of me."
Most people ignored Theismann's
comments as the rant of a wounded ego desperate to regain relevance. By
addressing Theismann's remarks, Quinn gave Little Mr. Sunshine some much-needed
credibility.
Though we had no concerns about
Quinn's appearance, we now believe that he is an insecure little boy who pumps
all those weights to compensate for his inner fears that he's otherwise not good
enough. (Yeah, we watched Dr. Phil once.)
And if Quinn can get rattled by
Theismann griping about stupid things like hair and neckties, what will happen
when Steelers fans show up for games with posters featuring this picture on it?

POSTED 9:46
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
FROSTEE COPS A PLEA
Bengals defensive end Frostee
Rucker pleaded guilty on Thursday to two charges arising from allegations made
by an ex-girlfriend.
Rucker pleaded guilty to
misdemeanor charges of vandalism and false imprisonment. In exchange, a
charge of spousal battery was dropped.
He'll get no jail time, if he
adheres to the terms of the plea bargain. Rucker will be on probation for
36 months. He must undergo one year of domestic violence counseling, and
perform 750 hours of community service.
Next up for Rucker could be a trip
to the Commissioner's office, where he would face punishment under the Personal
Conduct Policy. However, because the conduct occurred before he joined the
NFL, Rucker probably is exempt from punishment. We're in the process of
confirming this.
POSTED 8:47
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
OCHO CHEAPO STRIKES AGAIN?
The Cincinnati Enquirer
reports that Bengals receiver
Chad Johnson has been sued for failing to honor a promise to give away a
Lexus he had received from a Florida dealer, and that he didn't come through on
promises to provide trips to two different people.
Specifically, Johnson has been
added to an existing lawsuit against the Funny Bone Comedy Club (where the motto
is, "Anytime you used the word 'bone,' it's automatically funny") arising from
the failure to deliver on the promised prizes. Johnson was the host last
season of a Tuesday night comedy showcase, and the crowds allegedly grew based
on the giveaways from the Bengals star.
Last year, Johnson finagled
tickets to his team's game in New Orleans from Saints coach Sean Payton, whom
Johnson did not previously know. Johnson stiffed Payton for a couple of
weeks, prompting our twist on his self-given "Ocho Cinco" moniker -- and
spawning one of Taco Bill's better Pics of the Day.

POSTED 8:25
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
GREEN SAYS HE'S MIAMI BOUND
Alex Marvez of the South
Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Chiefs quarterback Trent Green has no
plans of playing again for the Chiefs, and
intends to soon be a member of the Miami Dolphins.
Green told ESPN Radio in Kansas
City that trade talks between the two teams have resumed, at the urging of Green
and his agent, Jim Steiner.
"We told [G.M.] Carl [Peterson],
'Is there any way to get this going again because this isn't going to happen
here in Kansas City and where it's going to happen is Miami for me,'" Green
said.
"When they made their decision
that they wanted to go younger at quarterback, we said, 'Fine. We're going
to find a team and we'll get something done. But just so you know, we're
not coming back,'" Green added. "I don't want to go into training camp or
into a season where I feel like I'm insurance, that if something does happens,
'Oh, well here's Trent. We'll lean on him.'
"If not, all of a sudden, you get to August and then they give you that call in
training camp: 'Hey, come on in. I want to talk to you a minute.
We're going to need you to take a pay cut in order to keep you.' And then all of
a sudden, you're released. Then you're stuck and you have no place to
play."
On Sunday, Peterson told ESPN's
Trey Wingo (whom Peterson twice called "Zach") that Green would be the Chiefs'
starter if the season were to start tomorrow, and that the Chiefs had every
intention of keeping him. But Wingo never asked, so Peterson never told,
whether this meant that the Chiefs were ready to pay to Green his full $7.2
million salary.
Surely, they aren't.
The problem is that, after
demanding a second-round pick for weeks, the Chiefs now want a fourth-round pick
and the Fins are stuck on a six. We believe that a fourth-round pick is
fair, given that the Titans got a fourth-rounder last year from the Ravens for
Steve McNair.
Also, given that the Fins have
given up a second-rounder for guys like Daunte Culpepper and A.J. Feeley and a
fifth-rounder for Joey Harrington, a fourth-rounder seems fair.
So get it done, guys.
POSTED 7:17
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
QUINN SAYS HE'S NOT FIRING
CONDON
Browns quarterback Brady Quinn
told an assembled throng of Cleveland media on Friday that he will not be
parting ways with agent Tom Condon, despite a draft-day plunge all the way down
to No. 22.
"No, not even
thinking about it," Quinn said, according to an industry source. "I've got
the best guy as far as I'm concerned and I'm sticking with him until the end."
There has been much speculation
and rumor in recent days that Quinn might dump Condon.
Meanwhile, Quinn has gotten a
haircut. He now looks a lot more like the guy
who is in the those troubling photos that are making the rounds on the
Intergoogle.
POSTED 6:16
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
DRAFT EXPANDING TO THREE-DAY
AFFAIR?
Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis
Star Tribune reports that the NFL is
considering moving
round one of the draft to Friday night, and conducting the remaining rounds
on Saturday and Sunday.
The move would ensnare more
viewers, with the prime picks being made in prime time. It also would give
teams a chance to refine their draft boards after the first 32 names are gone.
But time would be a huge issue.
On Saturday, round one consumed more than six hours. Unless teams are
willing to reduce their clock allowances from 15 minutes, the festivities could
extend deep into the evening for folks east of the Mississippi.
Here's an idea -- call out the
first 16 picks on Friday night, and kick the thing off at 8:30 p.m. EDT.
It'd be finished by midnight in the Eastern time zone. Then, at noon on
Saturday, the process would resume with the balance of round one, and all of
rounds two and three.
Splitting round one in half would
add a "to be continued" feel to the Friday night edition, and the fact that 16
first-round picks would still be made the next day would keep the second session
from feeling stale.
POSTED 4:26
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
VICK STORY TO
GET "EVEN BIGGER"
In a Friday
morning interview on 790 The Zone in Atlanta, reporter Mary Kay Mallonee of
WAVY-TV said that investigators looking into the dog-fighting operation on Mike
Vick's property in Virginia have privately said that the story is going to get
"even
bigger" as it continues to unfold.
Mallonee explained
that a regional drug task force investigating Vick's cousin last week heard
"all these dogs barking" while executing a search warrant. The
investigators investigated (duh) and saw roughly 70 dogs, blood-soaked
carpeting, and training equipment at an apparent "dog-fighting
compound" behind the house. It was, as Mallonee described, a
"huge operation."
At one point, she
described it as a "major operation that needs lots of money to be
supported." Given that the persons living in the house (as she noted)
are not employed, where was the cash coming from, if not from Vick?
Also, Vick's claim
that he never goes to the property seems to be getting shakier and shakier.
Neighbors told
Mallonee that Vick is in town "all the time," and clerks at a nearby
store said that Vick comes in to buy "lots of supplies" for the dogs,
including syringes.
"I think
they're gathering more and more evidence that he was very well aware [of the dog
fighting]," Mallonee said, adding that she believes that the police have
evidence more concrete than word of mouth from witnesses who say that they have
seem him.
And Vick's
potential culpability goes beyond knowledge and financial support of the
operation. Mallonee said that the investigators are following leads which
could show that Vick was actually present for some of the fights.
Vick has not yet
been interviewed by investigators. Mallonee said that police are focused
on getting all their ducks in a row before talking to Vick.
Memo to
Mike: The next time you're at that store where you (allegedly) bought
those syringes, it might be a good idea to by some soap. On a rope.
POSTED 3:57
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
HUMANE SOCIETY CALLS FOR
COMMISH TO ACT by
Michael David Smith
Now that the "real"
media has picked up on the story of an apparent dog-fighting operation being run
at a property owned by Michael Vick, it's clear that this issue isn't going
away.
And now the Humane Society of the
United States has turned its attention to Commissioner Roger Goodell, publicly
urging him to kick players involved in dog fighting out of the league.
Yes, that's "players", as in more than one.
According to the Humane Society,
Vick isn't the only NFL player who has been involved in dog fighting.
"We believe that the current
situation involving Michael Vick is indicative of a larger subculture within the
NFL of dog fighting and other forms of violence against animals," Humane
Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle wrote in a letter to Goodell.
Among other incidents, the Humane
Society notes that former NFL player LeShon
Johnson has been accused of being involved in dog fighting, and Falcons
defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux has been accused of killing his girlfriend's
dog.
The Humane Society isn't the type
of organization to go away quietly, and Goodell isn't the type of sports
commissioner to ignore a story like this. If there really is a larger
subculture within the NFL of dog fighting and violence against animals, we
expect (not as in "we want him to" but as in "we think he
will") Goodell to deal harshly with the players involved.
POSTED 3:07
p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
PACMAN'S APPEAL WILL BE HEARD
ON MAY 11
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the appeal of the one-year suspension imposed on Titans cornerback
Pacman Jones will be heard on May 11.
Under the Collective Bargaining
Agreement between the league and the union, Commissioner Roger Goodell has
broad authority to discipline players -- and the CBA states that any appeal will
also be heard by the Commissioner.
Thus, because the appeal is going
to be considered by the same guy who made the decision to boot Jones out of the
league for a full season less than a month ago, Jones shouldn't get his hopes
up.
Many league insiders are
continuing to scratch their scalps regarding the union's agreement to such a
procedure. The thinking is that the union should have insisted on an
appeal to an outside party, such as an arbitrator.
As we've previously explained, it
would have been wiser for Jones to accept the punishment, since there's a chance
that his suspension will be lifted after only 10 games. We believe that
Jones told Goodell at the pre-discipline hearing that Jones planned to accept
whatever punishment might be imposed, in the hopes of catching a
break.
Under Article XI, Section 1(c) of
the CBA, the Commissioner's decision on appeal will constitute "full, final
and complete disposition of the dispute." There is no specific
deadline for a ruling; the CBA requires only that it be issued "as soon as
practicable."
POSTED 1:04
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:26 p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
HERALD HINTS AT MOSS
TAMPERING
John Tomase of the Boston
Herald has penned a couple of compelling pieces regarding the Patriots'
latest acquisition, receiver Randy Moss.
In one item, Tomase talks about the
high school incident that might have directly contributed to the cautious,
mistrusting demeanor that Moss has projected for more than a decade.
In the other, Tomase suggests that
the Patriots
might have tampered with Moss while he was a Raider.
Tomase mentions the "T"
word in connection with a report from ESPN that Pats coach Bill Belichick worked
Moss out during the offseason and came away convinced that Moss still has
it. But if the workout occurred after Moss received permission from the
Raiders to seek a trade partner, it's not tampering.
The potentially stronger evidence
of tampering is the revelation in Tomase's article that Moss reached out to
Belichick through an intermediary during the 2006 season. If the Raiders
had not given Moss permission to shop himself at the time, and if the New
England response was anything more than "by rule, we cannot speak with you
or anyone on your behalf," then that could constitute tampering.
But none of it matters. The
NFL won't do anything about it, even if the Raiders were to complain. The
anti-tampering provision does not stop tampering, because violations of it are
never penalized; we're starting to think that the rule remains on the books
simply to keep the tampering from being more blatant.
RAIDERS MADE RUN AT MAYOCK A
YEAR AGO
As a follow-up to the report from
Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com regarding the possibility that the Raiders
will hire NFLN draft guru Mike Mayock as a personnel executive, sources tell us
that the Raiders considered hiring Mayock a year ago.
Mayock, we're told, didn't get an
offer at the time. It could be that owner Al Davis was thinking about
dumping Mike Lombardi, but in the end decided not to do so.
Lombardi is widely expected to
leave the organization, either voluntarily or otherwise. Several league
sources told us that the veteran personnel guy was frozen out of the team's
draft preparation, which is essentially the kiss of death.
A reader has suggested that the
Raiders stand pat. Reasoned the reader, "He's the only thing named
Lombardi that the Raiders will come close to acquiring for the foreseeable
future."
POSTED 12:34
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 3:14 p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
WALTER THOMAS APOLOGIZES FOR
MYSPACE PAGE
On Wednesday, we posted a link to
the MySpace page of Saints defensive tackle Walter Thomas, an undrafted rookie
who weighs 370 pounds, and who can do a backflip. He also faces felony
charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery in Mississippi. It was that
arrest that got him booted from a junior college team for which he was playing
after flunking out of Oklahoma State.
The page included various photos
of Thomas with profane (and somewhat amusing) captions. In one picture
that we copied and posted on Thursday, Thomas is shown chasing former Ohio State
receiver Ted Ginn. The caption from Thomas was "that n--a to[o] f--king
fast."
Also, the messages on the page
contained a posting from someone who reminisced about "getting high" and eating
cheeseburgers with Thomas on Wednesdays.
Big Walter's first reaction was to
restrict access to the page to "friends." But now
the page is again unrestricted, and the following message appears:
To whom it may concern:
I would like to apologize for any false respresentations [sic] that may have
occured [sic] due to the content of my MySpace profile. The comments on my
profile were previously unrestricted, I have since adjusted the settings so that
I may regulate the material that is being posted. I would also like to apologize
directly to the organizations which I represent. Most importantly, I would like
to apologize to the fans of the New Orleans Saints. I vow to represent this
prestigous [sic] team in an eloquent manner both on and off the field of play. I
am 100% hard work and dedication. My true integrity shall be represented from
this point on. Thank you, to everyone who has supported me on my journey to the
NFL. I will not let you down. I look foward [sic] to a proficient 2007 season.
Sincerly [sic],
Walter Thomas
P.S. Doh.
UPDATE: Thomas
apparently has
a separate MySpace page. This one features a rap song from
"Walt-T" and "Flea" containing various "f" bombs
and "n" bombs. We figure that this one will be dismantled before
too long as well.
POSTED 9:15
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 12:05 p.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
"REAL" MEDIA FINALLY
WAKES UP TO VICK STORY, SORT OF
A week ago, Falcons quarterback
Mike Vick denied any knowledge of a dog-fighting operation on property he owns
in Virginia, blaming the whole thing on his family members who reside there.
That same
day, we posted a link to Vick's dog-breeding web site, which had been found
on the Intergoogle by our own Taco Bill.
Six days later, the
"real" media has done the same.
On Thursday, the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution published
an item about the Vick's K-9 Kennels web site.
The Associated
Press then grabbed the baton from the AJC, which means that the
item will land in pretty much every paper in the nation.
But there's something weird about
both of these stories. They ignore the reports from WVEC and WAVY in
Virginia, which directly rebut Vick's proclamation that he never goes to the
site where the dog-fighting evidence was found. The prosecutor in Surry
County, Virginia has called Vick's contention "totally bogus," and a
worker who helped build the house said that Vick routinely was present during
construction, and that the workers saw 40 dogs and evidence of dog fighting
equipment.
Also, the AJC item
describes the web site as being "associated with a Michael Vick
company," overlooking the reality that, on at least one of the pages, the
name "Mike Vick" appears in multiple places.
Of course, it's now impossible to
confirm any of this, since the VicksK9Kennels.com site is down. Imagine
that.
So while it's good that the folks
who get paid for a living to cover this kind of stuff have finally begun to
realize that this thing could end up being a pretty big deal, the effort still
seems a bit halfhearted to us.
With that said, kudos to Seth
Wickersham of ESPN: The Large Awkwardly-Sized Booklet, who
addressed the issue in a recent
blog entry on ESPN.com -- and who gave the matter far more consideration
than any national media figure has afforded it.
PFT GOES OLD SCHOOL
Apparently, the hamster in the
wheel that powers the local Time Warner high-speed service has died. As a
result, PFT headquarters is without Internet access.
But fear not. We've dusted
off the modem and are using dial-up for the first time since . . . since . . .
hell, we can't remember the last time we used dial up.
Bear with us.
DON'T THANK US, THANK SPRINT
We've gotten a flood of e-mails
over the past several days thanking us for our comprehensive coverage of the
2007 NFL Draft.
But, as the title to this item
reads, don't thank us -- thank Sprint.
Because of Sprint's sponsorship of
the site, we were able to devote more time and effort than ever to the draft.
And so we hope that all of you will show your appreciation by choosing Sprint
or Nextel for all of your wireless needs.
Sprint specifically sponsored the
team-by-team draft needs analyses, the seven mock drafts we posted, and the
two-day Live Blog that pushed us to a one-day record of 1.1 million page views
last Saturday. Sprint generally is the official telecommunications sponsor
of the site, and we therefore hope that all true members of PFT Planet are
proudly carrying their Sprint and/or Nextel phones.
LIVE BLOG HIGHLIGHTS
As the 2007 NFL draft fades
farther into the rear-view mirror, we wanted to take this time to review some of
our favorite moments from the Live Blog of the draft. Most come from
reader comments far funnier than anything we could have come up with.
Here they are, in chronological
order:
Many readers think that Steve Young has had some
plastic surgery. He's definitely had an ear-lengthening.
Michael Vick has just denied being at the draft.
Word is that Jaws called Suzy Kolber last night to make sure they weren't wearing the same suit today.
The Raiders have offered the No. 1
pick and 66 cans of Alpo for Mike Vick.
Steve Young just said, "Live long and prosper."
NEW ALERT: Sean Salisbury
has lost his radio gig in Chicago. (Apparently, he said "happy headed
nose" on the air.)
I hope Brady Quinn isn't paying his "girlfriend" by the hour. It's gonna be a long day.
Quinn looked like he just got the
news that his sister is pregnant with a conehead.
Adrian Peterson falls out of the
top five, and re-injures his collarbone in the process.
Rachel Nichols looks like someone knocked out a
couple of her teeth. I didn't know she was dating Pacman.
Brady's girlfriend is watching her future alimony
payments drop with each selection.
We missed it, but apparently Steve Young made an
American Idol reference. (He'd better be careful with that or
people will think he is gay.)
Brady's girlfriend is trying to find John Beck's
phone number.
We're getting plenty of e-mails suggesting that
Steve Young wants to pluck Brady's eyebrows. In a bathtub.
I think the Botox in Steve Young's forehead is
seeping into his brain.
What will the Bengals do? All of the pot
smokers have been picked.
If Brady Quinn falls much farther, he'll be the
next Bachelor.
Tom Condon is calculating his fee
-- it's three-percent of "you're fired."
I see that Brady Quinn is still at the draft, but
where did his date Edgar Winter go?
Did Jerry Jones borrow one of Michael Vick's rape
stands to get that trade done with the Browns?
When did John Mark Karr become the Browns' G.M.?
Good pick by the Pats. Rodney Harrison can
chop 'em at the knees, and Brandon Meriweather can stomp 'em when
they're down. It'll be like a WWE tag team.
Sean Salisbury apparently said regarding
Meriweather's troubles that it was a "one-time incident in both cases."
(And, after all, it's not like Meriweather has done something truly despicable
like taking pictures of his penis with a cell phone and showing it to
co-workers.)
An Eagles-Cowboys trade? What's next?
The PFT 'days without an arrest' counter hits 10?
Eagles and Cowboys trade is like Rosie asking
the Donald to pass the tub of gravy at the dinner table.


Before . . . . After.
Keyshawn Johnson says he ran in the 4.4s?
Yeah -- in the 30-yard dash.
Greg Olsen won't be seeing many passes from Rex
Grossman in Chicago because defenses won't triple-cover him.
The Colts are taking the kid from the SNL United
Way commercial. Peyton making him wait in the port-a-let was just a
pre-draft smokescreen.
I just saw some footage that had newly-reunited
Alan Branch and Gabe Watson lounging around lazily in a lake. Then I
realized I was on Discovery Channel and watching a documentary about hippos.
Oops.
Jamie Dukes is back on. We actually kind of like
the guy. But there's enough material in that suit jacket he's wearing to
clothe all of Somalia.
Is it just us, or has Marv Levy become one of
those guys in the balcony from The Muppet Show?
Did the Pats trade down in the hopes of getting
Diet Pepsi machine?
Larry David repotedly has some sort of a pipeline
to the Jets' front office. Our guess? He has recommended that they
switch to cotton uniforms.
Sabby Piscitelli? I had that last night at
The Olive Garden.
Reche Caldwell is so surprised about the Randy
Moss trade that his eyes are about to pop out of his head. Oh, wait. Caldwell
doesn't know about the trade yet.
So much for Favre being '100% certain' that Randy
Moss was going to end up in Green Bay. Must be that new math all the kids
are talking about.
We love how the Ball Coach says "click-clack" in
the UnderArmour with a tone projecting "it's a good thing they're paying me
so much damn money to do this -- now where are my golf clubs?"
Cam Cameron is on NFLN.
He is using his kid as a human shield from Dolphins fans.
I'm
off to watch my lawn grow, visit my mother-in-law, and watch the latest Jeremy
Irons movie. . . . All less boring that the 5th round of the draft.
That's all folks. End of
round five. We're packing it in. We can no longer be a party to
this two-network cure for insomnia. We'd rather watch the Raiders and
Seahawks on a rainy Monday night. At least someone got kicked in the
nuts.
POSTED 6:59
a.m. EDT, May 4, 2007
COACH CHIN NOT HAPPY WITH BIG
BEN
Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger recently said that his relationship with coach Bill Cowher
"wasn't great."
Cowher's reaction to the comment
"wasn't great," either.
Talk in league circles is that
Cowher is very unhappy with Roethlisberger's comment. Cowher supported and
nurtured the young quarterback during their three years together, and Cowher
never spoke out negatively about Roethlisberger after he nearly died as a result
of a motorcycle accident in June 2006.
Said Roethlisberger last month:
"It's going to be definitely different, because coach Cowher was, obviously,
here before I got here, so our relationship wasn't great just for the fact that
he was here so long before I got here, and I was just a young kid, a rookie,
when he got here. Coach Tomlin and I are both, in a sense, rookies
together. So, I think we might have a little bit better relationship."
The fact that the statement from
Roethlisberger was plastered onto the team's official web site not long after
the comments were made also is a slap, we believe, at the former coach, whose
wishy-washiness in 2006 regarding his future with the team chafed some within
the organization.
CAA WINS FIRST PFT AGENT
RANKINGS
ESPN.com usually posts not long
after the draft an "agent derby," which ranks the agencies based on the number
of drafted players represented by each shop.
We've prepared a ranking system of
our own, with a scoring system that better reflects the differences between the
top of a round and the bottom of a round.
Under our point system, which
gives the agency representing the No. 1 pick 255 points and the agency
representing the No. 255 pick one point, the agency with the most points is CAA.
CAA won the thing by more than 800
points -- more than enough to give them the title even if quarterback Brady
Quinn would dump them.
Second place goes to SportsStars,
third place to All Pro Sports & Entertainment, fourth place to Priority Sports,
and fifth place to Lock, Metz, and Malinovic.
A deeper list, with point totals,
is available right here.
POSTED 10:13
p.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
MAYOCK TO RAIDERS?
Jerry McDonald of
InsideBayArea.com reports that NFL Network's Mike Mayock is a "serious
candidate" to become a personnel executive with the Oakland Raiders.
Mayock would replace Mike
Lombardi, who is expected to be fired (or forced to quit) in the near future.
On NFL Network, Mayock is the
in-house draft guru -- a Mel Kiper type who throws out all sort of shop talk
jargon that is likely intended to make most of the viewers feel hopelessly
inadequate and uninformed.
But a narrow segment of the
audience, in the Bay Area, apparently thinks Mayock knows what he's talking
about.
Then again, maybe Al Davis and
company were impressed by Mayock's effort to verbally smack around Adam Schefter
when Schefter was talking on Sunday about the trade that sent Randy Moss to New
England. Schefter is identified with the Broncos because of his days with
the Denver Post, and the Raiders called him out in December for reporting
that then-coach Art Shell would soon be fired. (By the way, Schefter was
right.)
If Mayock is offered the job, NFLN
would then have to hire a new draft guru. Mel, are you paying attention?
McDonald reports that another
possibility for the job is former Jets executive Pat Kirwan.
POSTED 9:09
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:42 p.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
REDDING DIGGING IN
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that Lions defensive tackle Cory Redding, a free agent who currently is
limited by the franchise tag, does not plan to attend any drills until he has a
long-term contract.
And, technically, Redding can't
participate in any offseason or preseason practices until he signs the one-year
tender offer worth $6.7 million. The payment becomes fully guaranteed once
Redding signs the tender; but he likewise is then required to attend all
mandatory offseason minicamps, training camp, and preseason games and practices.
In the past, several franchise
players have stayed away from his team until the eve of the regular season, at
which time they signed the tender -- and got the full amount of their guaranteed
salary.
The only risk for the player is
that, until the franchise tender is signed, it can be withdrawn.
WILL SMITH NOT HAPPY
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that Saints defensive end Will Smith is unhappy with his contract.
The development comes not long
after the team's other starting defensive end, Charles Grant, received a
seven-year, $63 million deal while limited by the franchise tag.
The difference? Grant played
out his rookie contract before getting paid. Smith has two years remaining
on his rookie deal, and he's due to make $695,000 in 2007 and $850,000 in 2008.
But he also has received bonus
money intended to represent advance compensation for his services over the life of
the deal.
With that said, this is one of the
consequences of the explosion of the salary cap, and the resulting rise in
player salaries. The question for the Saints is whether they will insist
that Smith honor his deal, with the understanding that he'll be paid once his
current contract expires.
POSTED 4:52
p.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
HANSON SIGNS WITH SAINTS
Not long after getting dumped by
the team for which he took an axe in the leg, punter Chris Hanson has agreed to
terms with the Saints.
Per a league source, the contract
is a one-year deal, worth $630,000.
The other punter on the Saints
roster is Steve Weatherford, who handled the job in 2006. He had a gross
average of 43.8 yards and a net of 37.5.
Hanson, an eight-year veteran,
spent six seasons with the Jaguars. In 2006, he averaged 40.6 yards per
punt, with a net of 33.4 yards. He was cut this week after the Jaguars
actually burned a draft pick on the position.
A couple of years ago, coach Jack
Del Rio put a tree stump and an axe in the locker room, inviting players to
periodically take a few cuts at the lumber as part of the team's "keep chopping
wood" motto. Hanson swung the thing right into his leg.
POSTED 3:59
p.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
FOLEY PLEADS GUILTY TO DUI
Former Chargers linebacker Steve
Foley has
pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge arising from the
incident that resulted in an off-duty police officer putting multiple bullets
into Foley's leg.
Foley was placed on five years
probation and fined $1,756.
A blood test revealed that Foley's
blood alcohol concentration was 0.16 percent. The legal limit in
California is 0.08 percent.
Last week, Foley's agent said that
Foley will never play football again. Foley is suing the officer who shot
him, and the City of Coronado.
Also, the woman who was with Foley
during the arrest was convicted last week on charges of assault with a deadly
weapon for driving a car at the officer.
POSTED 3:47
p.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
EAGLES SIGN SCOTT
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with former Bears
defensive tackle Ian Scott.
Scott, per Schefter, will receive
a one-year, $1 million contract.
The four-year veteran started in
seven regular-season games in 2006 for the NFC champions and in all postseason
contests, including the Super Bowl.
The Bears have also lost defensive
tackle Alphonso Boone to free agency. It's suddenly a position of need for
the Bears; Tommie Harris missed much of the season with a leg injury, and Tank
Johnson currently is in the clink.
POSTED 3:39
p.m. EDT May 3, 2007
MARCUS HEADING TO CFL?
With the only NFL team that ever
showed any interest in him cutting him loose, there is talk north of the border
that Marcus Vick could give Canadian football a shot.
Per a CFL source, the talk north
of the border is that Vick will try to become a slash-type player in Canada,
where he could play as a quarterback and a receiver.
Vick showed potential as a
quarterback at Virginia Tech, arguably demonstrating a greater ability and
willingness to stay in the pocket than his big brother, Mike. With the
Fins, Marcus was switched to receiver.
POSTED 3:34
p.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
THOMAS MYSPACE PROFILE GOES
PRIVATE
Earlier today, we posted a link to
the
MySpace profile of new Saints defensive tackle Walter Thomas.
During the seven hours or so since
we ran the link, the profile has been switched to private. Thus, only
MySpace users added as a "friend" may see it.
A reader tells us that, before the
profile was changed, a series of pictures (with colorful captions) was removed
from the page. Here's one of them, which shows Thomas in futile pursuit of
former Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn. We blocked out some of the letters of
the caption that Thomas had inserted.

So take heart, Fins fans.
Walter Thomas apparently thinks that your team made a great choice at No. 9 in
the draft.
POSTED 11:32
a.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
PENNINGTON WANTED MOSS
Jets quarterback Chad Pennington
says that he lobbied the powers-that-be to
make a play for receiver Randy Moss.
Pennington says that he
"talked to [G.M.] Mike [Tannenbaum] about some of the positive attributes
about Randy."
"I've always been a fan of
Randy," Pennington said. "I always felt like, in the right
situation, he's going to excel and help your team win. He's just a
phenomenal player."
Pennington and Moss played
together at Marshall, and Moss has in the past expressed a desire to reunite
with Pennington.
"With [Moss] being the type
of player he is, knowing his attributes . . . any time you can get a player like
that, you're pretty excited," Pennington said. "I had a great
experience with him at Marshall, so I'm biased. It's one of those things;
it's part of the business. Sometimes those things work out, sometimes they
don't."
Instead, Pennington and his Jets
will now be competing with Moss and his Patriots in the same division.
Pennington described his reaction
after hearing the news: "I was like, 'We'd better find out some ways
to stop him.' Knowing Randy, he's going to be ready to play.
I'm sure he looks at this as not only a great opportunity, but a challenge to
prove people wrong."
MOSS IS A MAN WITHOUT A NUMBER
Meanwhile (and for all 15 of you
who care about stuff like this), it has not yet been decided which jersey number
Moss will wear in New England. He wore 84 in Minnesota and 18 in
Oakland. But both of those numbers are already claimed, by Ben Watson and
Donte' Stallworth, respectively. Moss wore 88 while at Marshall, but that
number has been assigned to Kyle Brady.
We're told that Moss has been
offered 82. Other currently available numbers for his position are 11, 14,
and 89.
Number 80 is also available, but
that likely is being reserved for Troy Brown.
POSTED 8:55
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:42 a.m. EDT, May 3, 2007
RUMORS FLY OF QUINN, CONDON
SPLIT
There was a hot rumor (and for now
it's a rumor only) making the rounds on Wednesday that quarterback Brady Quinn,
who fell all the way to No. 22 in the 2007 NFL draft, was parting ways with
agent Tom Condon.
The rumor made it to our ears from
several different league insiders, but efforts to confirm it have been
unsuccessful. We're told that Condon and the agency for which he works --
CAA -- is affirmatively denying talk of a split.
It could be that Quinn is merely
in the process of terminating the relationship, and that Condon and CAA are
doing their best to try to save it. For example, we first caught wind of
Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart dumping CAA for marketing purposes several
weeks before the separation was officially reported; in the interim, CAA surely
did everything it could to try to get him to change his mind.
If that's what's happening here,
we don't see Quinn (or his family) reversing course. During one of Quinn's
Saturday interviews from the super-secret Commissioner green room, Quinn said
that his family was taking the slide a lot harder than he was. Now that
the dust has settled, the blame game surely has begun. It's the American
way for every sports family; when things don't go Junior's way, it's always
because of someone other than Junior.
In this case, the only other
someone to blame is Condon.
The fact that there were talks
with the Raiders for the No. 1 overall selection in the draft surely doesn't
help Condon's cause. As we've previously explained, it was not in Condon's
best interests to do a lowball deal at the top spot, since it would have created
a P.R. nightmare for him within the agent business. But it was in
Quinn's best interests to get a deal done at No. 1, especially after the Browns
told Quinn and/or Condon on Friday that Brady wasn't their guy at No. 3.
Though it might have been
challenging for Condon to extract a similar commitment from the Fins at No. 9,
Condon should have at least tried. And if he had gotten word that the Fins
weren't going to pick Quinn at No. 9, then Condon should have done a fire sale
deal with the Raiders to get his guy signed before the draft started.
If the Quinns have connected these
dots, it could be trouble for Condon. And given that Quinn's sister,
Laura, is married to a guy who is represented by a rival agent, we've got a
feeling that the entire dynamic has been thoroughly explained to them.
COULD THE RAIDERS HAVE GOTTEN
THE TWO-FER?
The Cleveland Browns have been
praised over much of the past week for passing on Brady Quinn with the No. 3
overall pick in the draft, and then trading back into round one to get
him.
A reader has raised a great
point. If the Raiders had any inkling that Quinn was poised to slide,
would they have drafted receiver Calvin Johnson at No. 1, and then attempted to
spring back into the first round to nab Quinn?
If Johnson had been the No. 1
overall selection, the top of the draft board wouldn't have been all that
different. The Lions would have taken Gaines Adams or, more likely, Joe
Thomas. The Browns would have been all over JaMarcus Russell. The
Bucs would have taken Adams or Thomas.
So the same four players would
have been selected in the first four picks.
And with Russell on the Browns, it
would have been the Raiders looking to get back into the first round.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones drove a hard bargain with Cleveland, getting next
year's first round pick. We think Jones would have sought even more from
the Raiders, since the next team up was their AFC West rivals in Kansas
City.
So there's no guarantee that the
Raiders would have landed both guys. But they still could have had Kevin
Kolb or John Beck at the top of the second round, and for a team with multiple
holes we think that would have been the better approach.
One last point: If the
Cowboys hadn't traded out of round one, they wouldn't have been in position to
trade back into round one with the Eagles. And this would have potentially
required the Eagles to use their pick at the bottom of the round. And if
they'd used a first-round pick on quarterback Kevin Kolb, we believe that
Donovan McNabb's head would have exploded.
WALTER THOMAS TREADS TOWARD
TURD TERRITORY
Much has been written over the
past week or so about Walter Thomas, a 370-pound defensive tackle who can run
the 40 in 4.9 seconds and do a backflip. (But not while running the 40 in
4.9 seasons.)
But much has also been ignored
(or, more accurately, glossed over), especially in the post-Pacman era.
Thomas has a pending charge of
conspiracy to commit robbery. In Mississippi, that's a felony. Per
the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the
indictment is still on file but no court date has been set.
The incident, which a league
source tells us involved ski masks in the parking lot of a Sonic restaurant, got
him kicked off of a junior college team for which he was playing because he had
flunked out of Oklahoma State.
By the way, flunking out of
Oklahoma State is pretty hard to do, given that Dexter Manley maintained
academic eligibility there -- and
couldn't read.
Then there's the apparent Walter
Thomas MySpace
page, which is troubling to the point of amusing. As a couple of
readers have pointed out to us, one of the messages posted on the page reads as
follows: "I heard you entered the draft. Is that right?
Well its a good thing I got you to sign a whole bunch of sh-t so I can say 'yea,
I used to get high with him and eat 5 cheeseburgers every wednesday!'"
So what the hell are the Saints
thinking?
"It's a look-see,"
Saints coach Sean Payton told the T-P. "Normally, a player
who's only played in two junior college football games would never come close to
having an opportunity. To say he's got an uphill battle would be
correct. Because of some of those characteristics, though, you take a look
at him in a rookie camp and see where he's at."
As to the pending criminal
charges, G.M. Mickey Loomis said: "We're aware of the incident and
talked to a lot of people about it. What we understand is that it's going
to get resolved. We're just going to give him a look and see for
ourselves."
The message, then, is that
character only counts when a team doesn't want a guy, and when the team
is looking for a reason not to take him. If the team is intrigued, the
team is more inclined to look the other way.
And that's the attitude that most
teams seem to be applying. If the organization decides that they like the
guy as a player, the team will talk its way around the character issues.
If the organization decides that it doesn't like the guy as a player, then it's
easy to point to the character issues as one of the reasons for taking a pass.
We predict that NFL franchises
will continue to approach character issues in this manner until the Commish
smacks one of them hard for harboring a guy whom they should have known had the
potential to cause embarrassment to the team and the league by getting
busted. Only then will teams attempt to make real assessments about
whether a guy is going to be a problem, and not come up with lame-ass excuses
like Sean Salisbury's explanation of safety Brandon
Meriweather's history of head stomping and gun shooting. On Saturday,
Salisbury called the Meriweather events "both one-time incidents."
Finally, the fact that the Saints
signed Thomas while a felony charge was pending against him earns the franchise
six points in the Turd Watch game.
POSTED 11:00
p.m. EDT, May 2, 2007
THE TRADE THAT CHANGED THE
DRAFT?
As the Miami Dolphins try their
darnedest to get the media (and, thus, the fans) to forgive the franchise for
its failure to draft Brady Quinn, one of the more common themes is the notion
that taking Ted Ginn at No. 9 was not a reach, notwithstanding his still-busted
wheel.
In support of this claim, the Fins
claim that, if they had not taken Ginn at No. 9, the Texans would have pounced
on him at No. 10. Adam Schefter of NFL Network
says the same thing.
If that's true, we wonder what
would have happened if the Texans had not moved from No. 8 to No. 10 as part of
the trade for quarterback Matt Schaub.
If the Texans had stayed put,
maybe they would have taken Ginn. If so, who would the Fins have selected
at No. 9? Apparently,
not Quinn. But they also likely would not have drafted defensive end
Jamaal Anderson, which means that the Falcons still would have gotten the same
guy at No. 10 that they got at No. 8.
So, as far as round one goes, the
Schaub trade helped the Fins nail Ginn, kept the Texans from getting him, and
left the Falcons will the same player they would have taken anyway -- but they
will now pay him more money at the higher slot.
Unless the Fins would have taken
defensive tackle Amobi Okoye in round one, Okoye would have been the biggest
loser if the trade hadn't happened, since he would have been picked at a spot
lower than No. 10, where he was selected by the Texans.
And the fact that the Falcons
passed on Okoye is ironic. First, it turns out that they could use Okoye,
given the "boating accident" in which starter Rod Coleman was recently involved
and the fractured relationship between the Falcons and Grady Jackson, who sued
the team earlier this year for invasion of privacy and defamation. Then
there's Coleman's likely replacement, Jonathan Babineaux. In the story
regarding Babineaux's likely elevation on the depth chart, Len Pasquarelli of
ESPN.com fails to
mention that Babineaux is facing felony animal abuse charges.
Second, Okoye played for new
Falcons coach Bobby Petrino at Louisville. The fact that Atlanta passed on
Okoye is telling, in our view. Petrino knows Okoye better than any other
NFL coach, and Petrino didn't take him.
PART TWO OF THE TEN-PACK IS UP
Posted for your perusal is the
second half of our ten takes regarding the NFL draft. We look at how the
so-called "Pacman Effect" affected the draft (or, as the case may be, didn't)
and other items of possible interest.
The whole thing can be accessed
right here.
Enjoy.
POSTED 7:40
p.m. EDT, May 2, 2007
TAYLOR PLEADS GUILTY
Former Vikings receiver Travis
Taylor pleaded guilty on Wednesday
to one count of disorderly
conduct resulting from a New Year's Day arrest. Taylor was Tasered as
part of the incident.
Taylor was sentenced to 90 days in
jail, but won't have to serve any of them if he stays on the right side of the
law for the next year.
Two other misdemeanor charges were
dismissed, and Taylor paid a $1,000 fine. He also must perform 48 hours of
community service.
The seven-year NFL player, a
first-round pick of the Ravens in 2000, is an unrestricted free agent. He
led the Vikings in receiving last season with 57.
Under the league's Personal
Conduct Policy, Taylor is subject to discipline. He likely will be fined,
if he ever is signed by another team
Because Taylor is currently
unaffiliated, there will be no Turd Watch points.
POSTED 5:24
p.m. EDT, May 2, 2007
TURNER SEES GLASS AS $2.35
MILLION FULL
After efforts to trade him went
nowhere, Chargers running back Michael Turner will play for the team in 2007,
and will hit the free-agent market in 2008.
Though this means that he won't
get an eight-figure bonus as part of a new deal as the starter with a new team,
Turner is okay with it.
"Who
can complain about making seven figures?" Turner said, according to the
San Diego Union-Tribune.
On Monday, tough-guy G.M. A.J.
Smith declared that trade talks for Turner had ended, and that L.T.'s backup
will be with the team in 2007. "That's
it,” Smith said. "It's over . . .
I didn't want to be fooling around with this until October."
Yeah, it's a real burden, A.J.
On par with shaking up a bottle of Snapple.
But he apparently means it.
"Even if you have a guy
blow out a knee in training camp, don't call," Smith said.
Oooooooo.
If that's the case -- if Smith
wouldn't consider giving up Turner under any set of circumstances -- will
he really be able to let Turner walk away next March and get nothing in return?
When Drew Brees' rookie contract
expired, Smith suggested that the team would slap the franchise tag on him
simply because they couldn't justify getting nothing in return for his rights.
And this makes us wonder whether Smith might be plotting an eventual franchising
of Turner, if for no reason other than to get a draft pick or two for him next
year.
Technically, teams aren't allowed
to use the franchise tag simply as a way to facilitate a trade. And using
the tag would require the Chargers to offer Turner a one-year salary in excess
of $7 million. And if Turner signs the tender the salary becomes fully
guaranteed.
But if the Chargers are serious
about not trading Turner in 2007, we wouldn't be surprised to see the team try
to find a way to trade him in 2008 in lieu of letting him walk away.
POSTED 4:37
p.m. EDT, May 2, 2007
GOODELL MAKES CONCUSSION
MEETING MANDATORY by Michael David Smith
Last week we noted that
concussions have become a major issue facing the NFL, and that retired players
suffering from drain bamage [Editor's note: MDS is probably
getting pissed that we keep doing that] have the potential to seriously harm the
public perception of the league.
So we should note that
Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken a positive step: NFL spokesman Joe
Browne said Tuesday that
Goodell has ordered all 32 teams to send its doctors and trainers to a June
19 meeting in Chicago for the first league-wide concussion summit.
As Peter Keating noted in ESPN
the Magazine,
the league seems genuinely interested in a detailed look at concussions.
It has invited both the league's own committee on concussions and some medical
experts who have harshly criticized that committee, and will present opposing
points of view.
"The reason for it is for teams to
hear from the committee and outside experts and directly review the work of the
committee, ask questions and consider new initiatives as we move toward the 2007
season," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
Goodell also announced a new
policy making it mandatory for every player in the league to undergo a
neuropsychological test before the 2007 season begins. Having that baseline
information on file will assist team doctors in determining the extent to which
concussions have damaged players' brains.
"At no time should competitive
issues override medical issues," Goodell said last week. "Safety comes first."
Realistically, competitive issues
will always override medical issues in professional football: Many NFL
players are more than happy to ignore doctors' orders and risk their own health
to get back on the field. But it sounds like Goodell is moving in the
right direction on this serious issue.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith
The Giants will
consider offering WR Keyshawn Johnson a free-agent contract.
A month before the draft,
Denver offered Detroit two first-round picks, a second-rounder, two third-rounders,
and Al Wilson for the No. 2 overall pick. (The Lions can still get Al
Wilson for a 2008 sixth-rounder.)
The Lions say they had
Drew Stanton graded very close to Brady Quinn.
Former Heisman winner and Rams
draft pick Eric Crouch has his sights set on
winning the starting quarterback job for the Toronto Argonauts.
Maybe Green Bay is talking to the
Argonauts about trading for Crouch: How else can Packers GM Ted Thompson
say he talked to
50 different teams about trades?
ESPN's coverage of the NFL draft
had
more than twice as many viewers as MSNBC's coverage of the Democratic
presidential debate.
The Saints signed an undrafted
free agent who
weighs 375 pounds and can run a 4.9-second 40-yard dash.
Cris Collinsworth
won two Emmys, one for his studio work on NBC and HBO, and the other for
putting up with Bryant Gumbel's belching on NFL Network.
The Jets have
signed 11
undrafted free agents, with Hawaii S Leonard Peters looking to be the most
likely to make the team.
A preliminary autopsy shows that
former NFL linebacker Kevin Mitchell
died of a massive heart attack.
POSTED 9:07
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:26 a.m. EDT, May 2, 2007
McNABB, REID
GET TOGETHER
Sal Paolantonio of
ESPN reported on Tuesday night that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and coach
Andy Reid had an extended "heart-to-heart" discussion on Tuesday
regarding the team's decision to select quarterback Kevin Kolb in the second
round of the 2007 draft, and what the move means.
It was the first
time they had talked since Reid left McNabb a voice message on Saturday telling
the veteran quarterback "not to worry."
Apparently, McNabb
wasn't worried -- he was pissed off.
Paolantonio says
that the specific content of the discussion is unknown, but that it was
described as "frank and open" by someone who was not in the room for
the meeting.
Reid is expected
to speak to the media on May 12. McNabb could talk to reporters then, or
he might choose to wait until training camp.
Now, for our take
on this whole ordeal.
Can someone tell
us when Donovan McNabb became the coach, G.M., president, or owner of this
team? Because we missed the news release.
Why does McNabb
have this organization clutched by the short and curlies? The mere fact
that the organization feels compelled to walk on eggshells around him makes us
think that the time has come for a change.
And why should
McNabb get a double-extra helping of deference from the team, the media, or
anyone? Because of the Super Bowls he has won? Because of the MVP
awards on his mantle?
In our view,
McNabb is a good quarterback with periodic flashes of greatnesses but who has
yet to deliver when it counts the most, and whose body gives out on him too
frequently for him to be the long-term solution for a team that is securing its
young talent well into the next decade.
The fans simply
want a winning team, and an NFL championship would be nice. McNabb is
becoming too much of a distraction, both due to his quiet-but-obvious
selfishness and his proneness to injury.
Think about the
comments that periodically come from his parents. Surely, McNabb has the
ability to get them to put a sock in it, if he so chooses. By not telling
them to mind their business, McNabb is creating the impression that they are his
messengers as to subjects on which he's not ready to get his hands dirty.
The mere fact that
the team drafted Kolb tells us that the organization has at least had the
internal conversation as to whether McNabb is the long-term solution. The
manner in which McNabb reacts to this latest development could go a long way
toward helping the powers-that-be make their decision.
JOEY SUNSHINE DOESN'T LIKE
BRADY
There has been a Joe Theismann
sighting.
After a weekend marathon of draft
coverage that did not involve in any way the presence on the air of the fallen MNF
analyst, the ESPN employee-without-an-assignment offered up his opinions
regarding quarterback Brady Quinn, who plunged to pick No. 22 in the draft.
In a Tuesday appearance on ESPN
Radio's Man-Girl & Meatball in the Morning, Theismann said that Quinn
came off as unprofessional at the draft, based on his intentionally unkempt
hair, his askew tie, and his chewing gum.
Theismann thinks that, when a
player is in a leadership position, everything should be evaluated.
To a certain extent, we
agree. But his hair? His tie? After four hours in which he saw
millions of dollars disappear before his eyes?
How about the fact that Quinn
handled himself with grace and dignity even when the special green room provided
to him by the Commish (drawing high praise from ESPN) was invaded by ESPN's Suzy
Kolber, who asked him asinine questions like "What's your game plan?"
Brady should have said, "Um,
if I score in here, I might go for two."
Back to Theismann, we get the
impression that he has tried to temper his reputation of always being blindly
positive by periodically going negative on someone -- without regard to whether
he is being consistent with his criticism.
A year ago, for example, Theismann
mercilessly ripped Ricky Williams after he was booted out of the league for a
year for multiple violations of the substance abuse policy. In August,
however, Theismann had his nose in Koren Robinson's rear end only a day or so
before a lubricated K-Rob led the C-ops on a three-digit car chase through rural
Minnesota roads.
After Robinson got his own
one-year pass, Joey said nothing.
All of this further confirms our
belief that the guy simply spouts off aimlessly based on how he feels at a given
moment, with no regard to his core beliefs (if he has any) and no memory of the
things he has said before.
So we're not surprised that ESPN
is phasing him out. The only thing that confuses us is why it took them so
long to realize that need for it.
UPDATE: Brady
Quinn apparently would be wise to take his pointers regarding hair care from a
young Joey Sunshine, who at the same time he changed the pronunciation of his
last name to rhyme with "Heisman" should have changed the pronunciation of his
first name to rhyme with "Elvis."

NFL, NCAA SHOULD HELP PROSPECTS
MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS by Michael David Smith
For players like JaMarcus Russell
and Calvin Johnson, the decision to leave college early and enter the NFL draft
is easy: Russell and Johnson didn't know for sure at the time they declared that
they'd be the first two players off the board, but they knew they would be
drafted high enough that their first signing bonus would make them financially
secure for life.
But it's not such a lucrative
decision for every player who enters the draft early. In fact, eleven of
the early entries weren't
drafted at all. Take Notre Dame running back Darius Walker, for example.
If you thought Brady Quinn felt bad on Saturday, imagine how his former teammate
Walker felt on Sunday: He left Notre Dame early to enter the draft, and
his name was never called.
Walker and the other 10 undrafted
juniors grossly overestimated their attractiveness to NFL scouts. To stop
players from making the wrong decisions, the NFL has a draft advisory board of
personnel people who will tell juniors considering turning pro where they're
likely to go in the draft. The existence of that board is a good thing,
but both the NFL and the NCAA could help players make better decisions with a
simple step: Let eligible juniors (or third-year sophomores) attend the
scouting combine before their decision to leave college for the NFL is
final. After the combine, the league should tell the players where they're
likely to be drafted, and if the players don't like what they hear, the NCAA
should let them play another year of college football, as long as they haven't
hired an agent.
That would make the process more
like basketball, where prospects have more freedom to change their minds if they
realize that declaring for the draft was a mistake. College football
coaches are reluctant to go that route, though, because they want a firm
decision from their players in January so they'll know how many scholarships
they will have available for the following season.
Such a policy might not have
helped Walker. When he left Notre Dame, Walker said, "The
Lord just really helped get me to this decision that it's time for me to
make that next step, and it's time for me to do it now.'' If Walker
thought God was telling him to turn pro, a G.M. telling him it was a bad idea
probably wouldn't have changed his mind.
No disrespect intended to the
Lord, but He's probably not as good of a guide as to whether a player should turn pro
as the NFL's draft advisory board is. And that board would give players
better advice after the combine.
THE KEVIN SHAFFER MISTAKE by
Michael David Smith
We noted yesterday that left
tackle Kevin
Shaffer wants out of Cleveland, even though it was just last year that he
signed a seven-year, $36 million contract with $12 million in signing and option
bonuses. By drafting Joe Thomas with the third overall pick, the Browns
basically conceded that signing Shaffer last year was a mistake.
But we should also note that every
team in the league could learn a valuable lesson from the Browns' mistake in
signing Shaffer. That lesson, which all 32 teams probably know but
sometimes forget, is that just because a guy plays well on another team doesn't
mean he's a good fit on your team.
When the Browns gave Shaffer that
big contract, he was coming off a very good 2005 season in Atlanta. He
started all 16 games for the Falcons and was one of the major reasons that
Atlanta led the league in rushing. (Yes, Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick
were big reasons for that, too.)
That's what made him so attractive
to the Browns' front office, but they apparently never considered just how
different their own offensive approach was from the Falcons'. Shaffer
thrived in 2005 because the Atlanta offensive line was using the zone blocking
schemes coached by Alex Gibbs. In that system, linemen need to be quick,
but they don't need to be particularly strong -- and that meant Shaffer was a
good fit. Unfortunately, the Browns' offense didn't use Gibbs' blocking
scheme, and Shaffer was a bad fit, which is why the Browns drafted his
replacement.
Asking Shaffer to move seamlessly
from the Falcons' offense to the Browns' would be like asking Vick to join the
Colts and run their offense the same way Peyton Manning does. But that's
what the Browns did, and a year later they are regretting it.
WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS by
Michael David Smith
The lead, front-page story in the Chicago
Sun-Times on Tuesday was about the lewd
rap lyrics of Bears first-round pick Greg Olsen. (It's a good thing
there's not a war going on, or newspapers might have to devote their front pages
to more important things.)
Johnny Perkins, who spent seven
years playing for the Giants, has died
at the age of 54.
Jon Gruden is cautiously
optimistic that David
Boston will contribute to the Bucs' offense in 2007. (Does carrying
out the water for time outs count?)
Safeties chosen in the first round
make
the Pro Bowl more frequently than first-round picks at any other position.
Raider fans are posting
nasty messages to Randy Moss's MySpace page.
Peyton Manning has landed
yet another endorsement deal.
Matt Millen says he never
got a trade offer from Tampa Bay for the second pick in the draft, and he
talked to Rich McKay of the Falcons but McKay never called him back.
Former Ravens defensive end
Michael McCrary is living
a life of pain at the age of 36 thanks to football injuries.
Marshawn Lynch's mom says people shouldn't
judge her son by his appearance: "When you see this black guy
with dreadlocks and gold in his mouth, don't put him down as some thug."
Ryan Sims, the No. 6 overall pick
of the Chiefs in the 2002 draft, has been traded
to the Bucs for an undisclosed future draft choice -- in Carl Peterson's
fantasy league.
POSTED 9:20
p.m. EDT, May 1, 2007
PROSECUTOR TAKES SWIPE AT VICK
Though the national media has
moved on (and moved out) to other stories, certain true
journalists in the Commonwealth of Virginia are giving one of the biggest
potential examples of pro athlete wrongdoing proper attention and treatment.
On Tuesday, WVEC-TV advanced the
ball on the Michael Vick dog-fighting fiasco, reporting that the feds are now on
the case, and that neighbors of Vick's Surry County, Virginia property dispute
his contention that he never visits the house.
WAVY-TV possibly has taken the
ball and slammed it through the hoop; Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter
told the station that Vick's claim is "totally bogus."
"There's
no question Michael Vick comes here," Poindexter said.
As to the notion that Vick knows
nothing of the dog-related activities at the property, Poindexter observed, "The
man is a registered breeder of pit bulls. Obviously he's in the dog
business."
WAVY also reports that neighbors
complained of suspicious dog-related activity as early as 2003. In file
footage taken when the house was being built, the buildings that housed the dogs
can be seen, along with what appears to be dog-training equipment and signs
warning of the presence of dogs.
Here's the kicker. One of
the men who helped build the house told WAVY that, during construction of the
4,700-square-foot residence, Vick routinely was at the property. The
workers saw at least 40 dogs and equipment commonly used to train fighting dogs.
Several readers have asked why we
keep writing about this story. First, there continue to be new
developments, which call into question Vick's apparent "I don't know nothing"
defense. Second, we're talking about the possibility that one of the
biggest stars in the NFL has been financing and operating a side business that
is premised upon the gruesome mutilation and death of animals for amusement.
Third, dog fighting isn't just a spectator sport for the sick and twisted; it's
a conduit for gambling. In the event that Vick is hooked on wagering
related to dog fighting, what other illegal gambling activities might he be
engaged in?
And yet the national media
continues to ignore these reports. Three weeks ago, we beat a
60-something-year-old man to death for calling a bunch of women's basketball
players an off-color name. Where are all of the voices who crammed
coverage of the Imus imbroglio down our throats?
If Vick is ever indicted, this
will become a much bigger story. But Don Imus got a nationwide blanket
party and he didn't come remotely close to breaking a law. How is it that
one of the primary faces of professional sports is getting a pass from the
press, especially when the evidence already indicates that the man is lying
about what he knew and when he knew it?
POSTED 6:54
p.m. EDT, May 1, 2007
NEIGHBORS SAY VICK IS AT
VIRGINIA HOME "ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS"
Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV
reports that neighbors of Michael Vick's Surry County, Virginia home where
evidence of dog fighting was found last week claim that the Falcons quarterback
is at the property "once every few months."
Last week, Vick (the undisputed
owner of the property) said that he never goes there, and he blamed family
members for the apparent dog-fighting operation.
Terpstra also has discovered the
web site for Vick's K-9 Kennels, to which we linked on Friday night.
(Scroll down.) The listed address of the site is Moonlight Road in
Suffolk, Virginia. But Terpstra explains that there is no Moonlight Road
in Suffolk. There is, however, a Moonlight Road in Smithfield -- and
Vick's property is on it.
Terpstra also reports that
complaints of dog fighting at the property were made as early as 2005. It
remains to be seen whether the complaints were investigated, or whether the
situation was brushed under the rug because of the fame and celebrity of the
owner of the land.
The WVEC news video can be seen
on this page.
POSTED 6:26
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 6:37 p.m. EDT, May 1, 2007
FINS FLUSH MARCUS, MANNY
The Dolphins have released
defensive tackle Manny Wright and receiver Marcus Vick, pulling the plug on
two of former coach Nick Saban's pet projects.
Wright, obtained in the 2005
supplemental draft, missed all of the 2006 season with depression. He is
best known for crying on the practice field while being berated by the Nicktator.
Vick is the younger brother of
Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Marcus was undrafted in 2006, and
eventually signed with the Fins to play receiver after participating in a
tryout-style camp.
In light of Marcus Vick's history
of off-field incidents, his brother's current dog-fighting fiasco, and the
league's effort to clamp down on misconduct, we doubt that anyone will be
interested in giving Marcus another shot.
Except perhaps the Broncos, a team
which continues to be the NFL's Island of Misfit Toys.
MESHAWN DID NOT RECEIVE A $3
MILLION BONUS
We've been trying to figure out
why the Panthers would release receiver Keyshawn Johnson only a month after
paying him a $3 million roster bonus. We finally know the reason.
They never paid it to him.
Pat Yasinskas of the Charlotte
Observer reports that the Panthers did not -- contrary to a report from ABC
12 and possibly -- pay Johnson a
$3 millon roster bonus on April 1.
As to the reason for the move,
Yasinskas writes: "Some very important people in the organization weren't
happy when Johnson failed to stand up and take blame from quarterback Jake
Delhomme after some critical passes intended for Johnson were intercepted.
At least one very important person in the organization urged Johnson to do that
and he didn't."
Yasinskas also says that the
decision was made a couple of weeks ago, and that the team waited until after
the draft to make the move.
POSTED 4:00
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:30 p.m. EDT, May 1, 2007
BAD NEWS FOR
VICK: FEDS ARE ON THE CASE
It's one thing for
local hero Mike Vick to be the subject of a county-level investigation in the
state where he first rose to superstardom. In such locales, the sheriff
and the prosecuting attorney (both of whom typically are elected) have extremely
broad discretion to prosecute (or not to prosecute) potential crimes.
So it was with
some alarm that we read on Monday that authorities said they are not expected to
charge Vick in connection with an apparent dog-fighting operation housed on
property he owns.
As we see it, it's
way too early to make a decision either way. All
we know at this point is that Vick claims he never goes to the property, and the
objective evidence already available suggests that this might not be
accurate. Common sense suggests that, if Vick isn't being truthful about
his visits to the property, he also isn't being truthful about his insistence
that he knows nothing about what apparently has been going on there.
It now appears
that there will not be a quick exoneration of Vick. Patrick Terpstra of
WVEC-TV reports that federal
investigators have joined in the effort. And if this thing has caught
the attention of the feds, it means that (at a minimum) Vick will be required to
answer tough questions from men and women who have been BSed enough to know when
they're being BSed.
As we've seen
through the prosecutions of Martha Stewart and Scooter Libby, the feds like to
send messages to the rest of us by nailing folks with name recognition.
And Vick would be wise to realize that both Stewart and Libby were convicted not
for the underlying matters that were being investigated, but for not telling the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth when the feds tried to sort it
all out.
Here's some free
legal advice for Mr. Vick: Get your butt into the office of a lawyer who
can speak to you candidly and bluntly. Listen carefully. Heed the
instructions you are given.
Including, most
importantly, tell the truth -- because "I don't know nothing" ain't
gonna get you nowhere on this one.
KEYSHAWN'S SEVERANCE
PACKAGE? $3 MILLION
As it turns out, the decision of
the Carolina Panthers to cut receiver Keyshawn Johnson came roughly a month
after the team paid to the veteran receiver
a
$3 million roster bonus.
So what happened between the day
the money came due and now?
It's possible that nothing at all
happened, and that the money was paid as part of a smokescreen aimed at duping
other teams into thinking that the Panthers would not use a first-day pick on a
pass-catcher. If that's the case, however, that's a pretty elaborate (and
expensive) draft ruse.
So we have a feeling there's more
to this story. With G.M. Marty Hurney already on thin ice, it's hard to
fathom Hurney doing an about-face on Keyshawn just a few weeks after giving him
$3 million of owner Jerry Richardson's money that, unlike the $3 million
accidentally paid by the Eagles to running back Brian Westbrook, can't be
recovered.
Speaking of the Eagles, a member
of PFT Planet points out that Philly could be one of the possible destinations
for Johnson. During Saturday's coverage of the draft on ESPN, Eagles coach
Andy Reid began to say something about Johnson playing for the Eagles, before
Reid realized that he was on the brink of committing one of the most blatant
tampering violations in league history.
POSTED 3:20
p.m. EDT, May 1, 2007
PANTHERS PUNT
KEYSHAWN
On Saturday,
Panthers receiver Keyshawn Johnson had a verbal makeout session on national
television with receiver Dwayne Jarrett moments after the Panthers made Jarrett,
who like Johnson attended USC, the team's second-round draft pick.
Johnson was
pleased with the move. "This guy is gonna be great, he's just like
me," Johnson said.
Apparently,
"Wayne" (as Gene Washington called him when announcing the pick) is
already just like Keyshawn. So much like Keyshawn that Keyshawn's services
are no longer required.
The Panthers on
Tuesday cut Keyshawn
Johnson.
For a change, we actually ended up
looking like we know what we're talking about. Our immediate reaction
after Jarrett was picked, as documented in the Part Three of the Live Blog:
"That's three former USC receivers on the Panthers' roster. Soon to
be two. (We're
talking about you, Key.)"
And this: "Keyshawn is
talking about the selection of Jarrett as if Keyshawn will still be on the
team."
He's not. Jarrett is.
Them's the breaks.
Johnson was signed through 2009,
at salaries of $1 million, $2 million, and $2 million in each of the next three
seasons. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft, and he has
played for the Jets, Bucs, Cowboys, and Panthers.
He'll contemplate retirement, we
predict, before flirting with the Giants. Or maybe the Raiders will come
calling. He might even try to join the wideout merry-go-round in New
England, since it could give him a chance to retire with another
ring.
Our advice? Call up the
networks, Key. You were very good on Saturday.
Except for the part where you were
talking as if you'd still have a job in Charlotte.
POSTED 11:33
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:50 a.m. EDT, May 1, 2007
CHIEFS CHOP HICKS
The Kansas City Chiefs have
announced that defensive end Eric Hicks has been released after nearly a decade
with the team. He has spent his entire NFL career in Kansas City.
"Eric
has been an excellent football player for the Kansas City Chiefs and a superb
representative of this organization in the community these past nine years,"
team president Carl Peterson said in a release. "Eric is one of the
best college free agents that we have signed since ’89. We congratulate
he and wife, Erica, for undertaking so many charity endeavors in
Kansas City
. We will always consider them a part of the Chiefs family."
Translation
-- we love ya, and we always will. Now get the hell out of here.
Hicks
was under contract through 2009 at salaries over the next three years of $2.9
million, $2.5 million, and $2.5 million. He appeared in 16 games last
season, but started none. He has 44 career sacks; zero in 2006.
TEAMS SHOULDN'T HESITATE TO
TRADE WITH DIVISION RIVALS by Michael David Smith
When the Philadelphia Eagles
traded their first-round pick to the Cowboys Saturday, most Eagles fans were
unhappy. The thought among the Philly faithful was that the Eagles had
just helped a division rival. As one PFT reader said during the live
blog, "Eagles and Cowboys trade is like Rosie asking the Donald to
pass the tub of gravy at the dinner table."
Similarly, Peter King of SI.com
reported that, when Browns general manager Phil Savage was looking for trading
partners to get back into the first round and draft Brady Quinn, he
didn't even bother trying to talk to the Bengals, who owned the eighteenth
overall pick. "'You think they'd ever trade with us?' he said, chuckling.
'I don't think so.'''
There's a widespread perception --
among fans and, as Savage revealed, among General Managers -- that trading with
division partners is a mistake. But if a G.M. thinks he's getting the
better end of the trade, why not do it? If the Browns propose a trade to
the Bengals, and the Bengals think they would benefit from that trade, why
shouldn't they pull the trigger?
Of the 26
trades during draft weekend, two involved division rivals. One was the
Cowboys-Eagles trade, and the other was the Seahawks shipping Darrell Jackson to
the 49ers for a fourth-round pick. Two-for-26 creates the impression that
such trades are rare, but keep in mind that when you're looking to trade, you've
got 31 potential partners and only three are in your division.
In both of those intra-division
trades, the front offices involved surely asked themselves the question,
"Are we giving this team a player who could beat us twice a year?"
But, in both situations, the teams wisely concluded that helping their own teams
was more important than depriving a divisional opponent.
Bottom line: If a G.M.
thinks a trade will make his team better, he should make the trade.
[Editor's note: I
might have to cobble together a rebuttal to this one. But I won't be
calling MDS an ignorant slut.]
TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS by
Michael David Smith
Jerry Jones says if the Cowboys
and Browns hadn't worked out the trade that let Cleveland nab Brady Quinn, the
Cowboys were going to take Purdue defensive end Anthony Spencer, whom they
ended up getting anyway. (What the hell else would he say?)
Jimmy Johnson got out of jury duty
by saying he was going
fishing with Bill Parcells.
The Bengals' 2005 draft looked
promising at the time but now
looks cursed.
Mr. Irrelevant, Ramzee Robinson, used
to be a rapper.
Rams coach Scott Linehan says the
much-discussed trade for Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was "a
non-issue."
The Bears signed Florida's
Chris Leak and Notre Dame's Darius Walker as undrafted free agents.
Boise State's Fiesta Bowl hero,
quarterback Jared Zabransky, signed
with the Texans.
Boise State actually had more
players drafted than Oklahoma. (No, we're not saying that this means
Boise State had more talent overall than Oklahoma. The final score of the
Fiesta Bowl took care of that issue.)
POSTED 8:38
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:35 a.m. EDT, May 1, 2007
VIKES WON'T OPERATE ON PETERSON
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Minnesota Vikings have decided that running back Adrian
Peterson, the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, will not need surgery on the
fractured collarbone that he re-injured during the Fiesta Bowl.
Per Schefter, the situation will
be monitored and re-evaluated soon.
Last week, agent Ben Dogra said
that the decision as to whether surgery will be needed would be made by the team
that picks Peterson.
It's still unclear whether
Peterson will be available for offseason workouts without surgery.
Meanwhile, a reader has pointed
out to us that the Vikings' official web site lists seventh-round quarterback
Tyler Thigpen of Coastal Carolina as a wide receiver. If the team
moves him to wideout, it means that four of the Vikings' eight draft picks were
used to address this position.
Given that Peterson spent much of
his Pro Day workout catching passes from a receiver position in the slot and
split wide, the Vikes have picked up five players in the draft who could
help address the most glaring weakness on a team that not all that long ago had
the best pass-catching tandem in the league.
MOSS PAY CUT NO SACRIFICE
Our own Taco Bill pointed out an
item from ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli regarding the acquisition of Randy Moss by
the Patriots. Len characterizes the decision of Moss to give up his two
remaining years of salary at a total $21 million as a "sacrifice."
Under his new contract, Moss will be paid (as we've finally confirmed) a $3
million salary and incentives worth up to $2 million more.
But this was no sacrifice.
Instead, it was the latest example of the operation of the NFL marketplace.
To say that Moss gave up anywhere
from $16 million to $18 million is to presume that the Raiders would have
otherwise paid him another penny. It wasn't going to happen. Oakland
was ready to move on. (Or move out.) If a
trade didn't occur, Moss would have been cut. Probably sooner rather than
later.
If he'd been released, the $21
million would have disappeared and Moss would have been forced to troll the NFL
waters for a new team.
And, as suggested by the statement
contained on Randy's official web site, Moss and his agent, Tim DiPiero, dropped
their lines "[s]everal
weeks ago," after receiving permission from the Raiders to shop for a
trade.
So the real question isn't whether
Moss gave up $21 million in Oakland to make up to $5 million in New England;
it's whether another team was willing to give him a better deal than the one he
signed with the Pats. If so, then the difference between the offer that
was rejected elsewhere and his new deal is the real basis for determining the
financial sacrifice, if any, that he took to play for the Pats.
Also, don't forget the real prize
here. If Moss can "rip up" the NFL in 2007, as he did back in
1998, the money will come in 2008. Especially if Moss caps the season with
10 catches for 165 yards and a couple of touchdowns in the Super Bowl.
If that happens, someone will give
him $21 million (or more) with the single stroke of a pen.
BRADY RESTRUCTURED DEAL
Although the contract that Randy
Moss has signed with the Patriots will cost a maximum of $5 million in 2007
(which is less than five percent of the team's total cap space), a potential
hiccup in the transaction was the requirement that the Pats be able to absorb
Randy's $9.75 million cap figure after the trade and before the signing of the
new deal.
To make the Moss cap number fit,
quarterback Tom Brady restructured his contract.
"Tom
does what he can to win," agent Don Yee told Mike Reiss of the Boston
Globe.
Before we give Brady yet another
"Swell Guy of the Year" plaque, it's important to remember that a
restructuring doesn't necessarily mean a pay cut. It could simply be that
Brady took a big chunk of his current year's base salary or roster bonus as a
signing bonus, which in turn would reduce the current year's cap number and push
cap money into future seasons.
For example, taking $5 million in
base salary as a signing bonus on a contract with five more seasons on it clears
$4 million in current cap space -- and increases the cap number by $1 million in
the subsequent four years of the deal.
So, while we don't doubt Yee's
proclamation that Tom does what he can to win, Brady's only sacrifice in this
case might have been to take more money from the Krafts sooner than he otherwise
would have.
It's a burden we'd all love to
have.
SHAFFER WANTS OUT OF CLEVELAND
Tony Grossi of the Cleveland
Plain Dealer reports that Browns left tackle Kevin Shaffer has sought
permission to seek a trade in the wake of the team's acquisition of Joe Thomas
with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.
An effort on Sunday to trade
Shaffer to the Giants fell through, according to Grossi. And it doesn't
sound like the Browns plan to resume attempts to move Shaffer at any point in
the near future.
"At this time, we
are going to maintain our depth at the position," Browns G.M. Phil
"Sling Blade" Savage said.
Little more than a year ago,
Shaffer signed a seven-year, $36 million contract with the Browns as an
unrestricted free agent from Atlanta. The deal included $12 million in
signing and option bonuses. Grossi explains that trading Shaffer would
result in a cap hit of roughly $8 million.
Under the new CBA, however, a
trade after June 1 would defer the bulk of the cap charge into 2008. For
2007, the Browns would still carry the allocation for signing and option bonuses
that would show up on the books if Shaffer remains with the team.
His contract pays out base
salaries of $815,000 in 2007, $2.9 million in 2008, $2.65 million in 2009, $2.9
million in 2010, $3.4 million in 2011, and $3.4 million in 2012.
Lost in all of this talk is the
reality that Shaffer was a bust of a free-agent signing. If, after all, he
was worth all of that money, the Browns wouldn't have taken Thomas at No.
3.