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
lemoñadé 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 4½ 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.
