POSTED 11:25 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2006

COLTS REACH DEAL WITH ADDAI

A league source tells us that the Indianapolis Colts have reached agreement on a contract with the team's first-round draft pick, running back Joseph Addai.

The deal pays $4.7 million in guaranteed money and has a total value of $11.165 million.

Addai is expected to compete with Dominic Rhodes to become the primary replacement for Edgerrin James, the team's first-round pick in 1999 who signed with the Cardinals after seven seasons in Indy.

POSTED 11:15 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2006

BUSH, SAINTS STRIKE A DEAL

ESPN.com reports that the Saints and running back Reggie Bush have reached an agreement on a six-year deal.

The contract is expected to be signed on Sunday.

The agreement will end a short holdout by the No. 2 overall pick.  The fact that quarterback Vince Young, the No. 3 selection, signed early made it easier for Bush's people to get a deal done.

The real question is the actual value of the contract.  As one league insider told us after news broke that the Bush contract would be sandwiched between the value of the package given to Young and No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams, "We'll soon see how much money [Joel] Segal cost Bush by not taking the money the Texans were willing to pay to the top pick."

POSTED 10:55 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2006

WHERE'S LENDALE?

As the coaching staff is projecting a "no big deal" demeanor regarding the failure of running back LenDale White to report to training camp despite coming to terms more than two days ago, there is plenty of speculation among his teammates as to White's whereabouts.

The prevailing theory is that he's fat and out of shape.  There's also speculation (we repeat, speculation) that White has been hanging with Snoop Dogg, and that LenDale consequently needs to let some things work out of his system before being subjected to a visit from the piss man.  (Again, that's speculation only.)

Regardless, it's a bizarre situation.  And the Titans REALLY aren't in a position to complain about White's absence, since doing so could be viewed as an implicit admission that they were stoopid for interrupting his draft-day free fall.

White was at one time considered to be a first-round prospect, but his inability to run the 40-yard dash prior to the draft and the arguably poor manner in which he handled the situation caused him to fall to the Titans in round two.

Stay tuned.

WHERE'S SIMMONS?

The Saints also have a guy who is under contract but who, for reasons still unknown, opted not to show up for training camp.

Linebacker Anthony Simmons joined New Orleans in the offseason after a bad wrist kept him from playing in 2005 with the Seahawks.  He signed with the Saints on March 20.

The contract was reported at the time as a two-year arrangement, but NFLPA records reveal only that Simmons is under contract for 2006, at a salary of $1.5 million.

POSTED 9:54 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2006

CUTLER DEAL FULL OF FLUFF

A league source who has eyeballed the relevant provisions of the contract signed by Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, the eleventh overall pick in the 2006 draft, has opined that the reported maximum value of $48 million over six years is an exaggeration, and that the true maximum value of the deal is $38 million.

The source also tells us that the reported maximum value of the deal includes some incentives that, as a practical matter, will be hard to obtain, such as an annual incentive based on winning the Super Bowl and an annual incentive triggered by Cutler finishing in the top five in passer rating.

We're also told that $14 million of the contract is buried in the sixth year, via a $4 million roster bonus and incentives based on minimum playing time.  But none of the money is guaranteed, so if Cutler isn't a star by then the team can merely cut him loose.  Alternatively, if Cutler ends up being a premier player in the NFL, the $14 million salary by 2011 likely will be less than the value of the franchise tag for quarterbacks.

SAINTS, BUSH CLOSE TO DEAL

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Saints and tailback Reggie Bush, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, are close to a contract agreement.  Per Glazer, the value would be sandwiched between the contracts signed by No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams and No. 3 selection Vince Young.

Williams received $26.5 million in guaranteed money, and Young gets $25.74 million.  The maximum value of Young's contract is $58 million, and the maximum value of Williams' is $62 million.

Our guess?  Bush will get $26.2 million in guaranteed money and a maximum value of $60 million.

Bush's marketing agent, Mike Ornstein, recently said that the Saints had promised to pay Bush like the No. 1 overall pick.  If Glazer's report is accurate, it would mean that Team Bush has abandoned that tactic, likely at the express direction of Bush himself, who strikes us as being smart enough (even if just barely) to realize that he's set for life regardless of whether the deal matches Williams' package or falls within a million bucks or so of it.

Once Bush's deal is done and we get a look at the numbers, we'll prepare a comprehensive analysis of the top five or six deals.

THREE FINALISTS FOR ART SHELL'S OLD JOB

A league source tells us that the list of potential candidates to replace Art Shell as the league's senior V.P. of football operations has been narrowed to three:  Charley Casserly, Ray Anderson, and Pat Kirwan.

Casserly is the former G.M. of the Texans, who supposedly resigned in order to pursue Shell's old job.  (We still don't buy that one.)  Anderson is the executive vice president-chief administrative officer of the Falcons.  His interest in leaving the team that he joined several years ago after spending years as a successful agent is raising some eyebrows in league circles, and prompting speculation as to the reasons for his desire to exit the front office in Atlanta. 

Kirwan works for NFL.com and Sirius NFL Radio.  He is regarded as an old-school NFL insider, but nevertheless a long shot for the job.

The thinking is that the position will come down to Casserly and Anderson, and it's possible that a decision will be made even before the owners get together and elect a new Commissioner.

PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS TO RESUME

Thanks to our readers for their patience during the recent interruption in the flow of the PFT Preseason Power Rankings.  We originally thought that the Poobah would be able to bang out one entry a day even while vacationing with his family, but that proved to be too tall of a task, especially with all of the other activity around the league over the past few days.

Here's our promise -- we will get the list finished before the first preseason game kicks off on August 6.

The ten franchises that have yet to be identified in our 32-team worst-to-first ranking are, in no particular order, the Steelers, Pats, Dolphins, Colts, Broncos, Redskins, Bears, Bucs, Panthers, and Seahawks.

POSTED 3:45 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2006

PFT TEN-PACK:  RAVENS CAMP

The ongoing vacation for PFT Grand Poobah and family included a short detour to Ravens training camp, where we somehow finagled the kind of genuine access usually reserved for the "real" media (you know, guys whose sources know the difference between Brodrick Bunkley and Jabar Gaffney).  So we've cobbled together ten observations based on things we saw and heard during the morning session at McDaniel College in Westminster, primarily to justify taking the costs of the entire vacation as a tax write-off.  (Attention any curious FBI and/or IRS types -- we're kidding about that.)

1.  That's Why They Call It "Professional" Football?

Though we can't compare the Ravens to any other teams because this was the first time we actually ventured out of the basement at PFT headquarters for a look-see at a real NFL practice, one thing that impressed us was the fast pace of the one-hour session, which moved almost seamlessly from one segment to the next upon the terse blow of an air horn.

It was all business -- there was no pissing or moaning from players and little or no yelling or screaming from coaches.  The whole thing had a flow to it that was even more impressive in light of the fact that it was only the second day of camp.

Of course, the proliferation of offseason minicamps and "voluntary" workouts surely is responsible for the appearance that the team already has its stuff together.  And now we know why so many coaches want the players to be there -- and why the union doesn't carry the flag very often (if at all) for those players who choose to stay away, and then find themselves demoted when they return. 

If, after all, every team has full attendance and participation in the offseason program, it helps every team to be better prepared for the season, which in turn enhances the team's performance once the real games start, which in turn ensures that a better product will be available for public consumption, which in turn ensures that the goose will continue to crap golden eggs that will provide cash money for everyone connected to the process.

2.  McNair Is Still Playing Catch-Up.

Although there's a high degree of optimism in Baltimore regarding a roster that boasts 11 current and former Pro Bowlers, it's clear that the franchise is still working hard to get quarterback Steve McNair up to speed.  Because the trade that sent McNair from Tennessee to Baltimore was delayed until June 7, the Ravens had limited access to McNair during offseason workouts.

So to help McNair get acclimated, the team decided to start training camp three days earlier than previously planned, opening with practices on July 28 instead of July 31.

Whether that's enough time remains to be seen.  But McNair looked crisp in practice during Saturday morning's session in helmets, shoulder pads, and shorts.  Things will get more intense on Monday when the players suit up in full pads for the first time, and when the practice includes four plays between the No. 1 offense and the No. 1 defense. 

3.  Boller Accepts His New Role.

On one hand, it's good for the team that quarterback Kyle Boller is accepting the fact that the arrival of Steve McNair bumps the 2003 first-rounder into the back seat.  On the other hand, the fact that Boller is willingly accepting his fate tells us that he'll likely never be a big-time NFL quarterback.

The great ones would be pissed off about getting benched.  That's a big part of what makes them great. 

Instead, Boller apparently has realized that he can make a couple million bucks a year over the next decade or so as the No. 2 guy, either in Baltimore or elsewhere.  Not a bad way to make a living, but surely not what the Ravens envisioned when they burned a first-rounder on him in 2003.

4.  Ngata Still Not Signed.

Despite published reports that first-round defensive tackle Haloti Ngata had signed his rookie deal, the pen had not been put to paper as of Saturday morning.  Word is that there were still some issues being hammered out, but nothing that would kill the deal.

And it's important for Ngata to get as much time as possible in training camp.  The thinking is that the Polynesian players, most of whom played college football in the western portion of the country, need some extra time to get acclimated to the intense heat and humidity that invades the East Coast in late July.  Moreover, the sooner Ngata gets comfortable, the sooner he can be clogging the middle of the line and allowing guys like linebacker Ray Lewis to run free.

5.  The Fear Of Injury Is Constant.

With so much time spent in the offseason crafting the next year's roster by deciding:  (1) which players  to keep; (2) which players to pursue in free agency; and (3) which players to draft, there's an obvious sense of concern permeating Ravens camp regarding the ever-present possibility of a serious injury to a key player.

The name "LeCharles Bentley" was mentioned more than a few times on Saturday, in reference to the Browns center who went down for the year on the very first snap of 11-on-11 drills.  With Bentley gone and with the team breaking in a young quarterback, the Browns now have to scramble to shore up an area that went from being a significant strength to a glaring weakness in an instant.

Teams realize that injuries are a part of the game, but teams seem to be more willing to accept injuries that occur during actual games.  Though fear of injury shouldn't get in the way of preparation, the reality is that the coaching staff and front office in Baltimore, and likely in every other NFL city, will worry throughout the next several weeks that the next cruel twist of fate will occur in their camps.

6.  Heap Will Be A Monster This Year.

Regardless of whatever we said about tight end Todd Heap in the fantasy grades portion of our Preseason Power Rankings entry regarding the Ravens, we're now convinced that he will be one of the most dominant tight ends this year, with perhaps only Antonio Gates outperforming him.

Why?  Because McNair loves to throw to tight ends, and will continue to do so in Baltimore.  We're told that nearly half of the balls were thrown Heap's way by McNair during Friday's sessions.

7.  Derrick Mason Is Still Legit.

It's easy to forget about receiver Derrick Mason based on the Ravens' relatively forgettable offensive showing in 2005, but it's obvious that Mason still has the tools to be one of the top receivers in the game.  He's one of those guys who always can find a way to stand out, even when there are 84 other guys bunched around him in the same hat and colors.

On Saturday, Mason got the crowd roaring with a couple of great catches during individual drills.  We've got a feeling that he'll give the fans even more to cheer about when the games get going.  

8.  Mike Johnson Will Help Improve The Receiver Position.

Former Falcons quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson landed in Baltimore after being made the latest scapegoat for Mike Vick's plateau and/or regression in Atlanta.  The Ravens are happy to have Johnson, and the thinking is that his arrival greatly improves an area of the coaching staff that previously had been weak.

Direct beneficiary?  Second-year wideout Mark Clayton, who'll likely see plenty of single coverage with defenses swarming to Heap and Mason.  Look for Johnson to teach Clayton how to take advantage of his opportunities.

9.  Good-bye, Gary.

As happy as the team is about the arrival of Johnson, there's a sense within the organization of relief regarding the departure of special teams coach Gary Zauner.  Regarded by several league insiders as sneaky and meddling, Zauner (we hear) created problems in Baltimore by trying to get folks in the personnel department to bring in guys that Zauner wanted -- and then by running to head coach Brian Billick and complaining when he was rebuffed.

In our view, it's impossible to instill a sense of "team" within the 53 guys in the locker room if there's bickering among the coaching staff and/or the front office.  The emphasis in Baltimore this year seems to be on chemistry, from the top of the organization to the bottom.

10.  Trevor Pryce is a Moose.

We don't know whether or not Pryce still has the stuff that made him one of the best defensive linemen in the league earlier in the decade, but the guy is freakin' big.

Not big as in fat.  Big as in towering over the other guys at his position.

Yours truly was standing right next to the defensive linemen during a variety of individuals drills, and Pryce was noticeably large among a group of inherently large men.  Regardless of where they line him up, he's going to be disruptive this year.

FANTASY FOOTBALL TO TAKE A HIT? 

Interesting article by our sister site Collegefootballtalk about a pending court case that may be the death knell for all free fantasy sites. Bang it here for this and all the other Saturday college news and notes.

POSTED 8:39 a.m. EDT, July 29, 2006

COUGHLIN ALREADY UNHAPPY WITH ARRINGTON'S TALKING

A league source tells us that Giants coach Tom Coughlin isn't pleased with the decision of linebacker LaVar Arrington to sound off on the day the team reported for training camp regarding a variety of actual and/or perceived slights from his old team and members of the media.

"People want to hate on the Giants," Arrington said Thursday during his hour-long bitch session. "I've heard negative statements about Eli [Manning], about the defense. 'Who's going to be the biggest flop this year?'  They say the Giants.  They hate us.  They really hate on the Giants.  I guess it's a great situation because people have always hated on me."

(Actually, we think the Giants will be just fine this year.  Until the playoffs.)

Regardless, Coughlin doesn't like the kind of chatter in which Arrington engaged, and it remains to be seen whether Coughlin has politely advised his biggest offseason acquisition to shut the hell up.

Our guess?  If Arrington passes on the opportunity to spout off some more the next time a bank of microphones is stuck in his face, it means that the Soup Nazi has told LaVar that he'll get no crab bisque if he continues to complain about the lack of bread.

BARBER WANTS TO PULL A BETTIS?

Giants running back Tiki Barber mused publicly for the first time about possible retirement, and it sounds like he wants to win a Super Bowl and ride into the sunset, a la Jerome Bettis.

But it also sounds as if Barber could be tempted to walk away without a ring as soon as after this season, if the right opportunity for life after football presents itself.

"I had a few [opportunities] this off-season, but they weren't exactly right," he said on Friday.

Barber has taken full advantage of the fact that he plays for a New York team, and his future possibilities include any combination of television, radio, and the financial industry.

His twin brother, Ronde, won a Super Bowl with Tampa after the 2002 season.

Though Tiki's teammate LaVar Arrington might conclude we're "hating on" the Giants for expressing our opinion in this regard, we think that it'll be a tall order for the Giants to win the Super Bowl this year.  Among other things, the stink of that 23-0 shutout loss at home to the Panthers in the postseason will take a while to go away.

POSTED 3:05 p.m. EDT, July 28, 2006

OUR BAD ON BUNKLEY

Oops.  From the "Right Church, Wrong Pew" file, we've learned that those rumors that Eagles defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley were off the mark.

Instead, the guy who was nailed with a gun in his car was Eagles receiver Jabar Gaffney.

Um, the two names rhyme.  Sort of.

Our apologies to Bunkley, his family, and his agent for the mistake.

So we repeat -- Brodrick Bunkley not arrested.  We regret the error. 

POSTED 10:25 p.m. EDT, July 28, 2006; UPDATED 8:39 a.m. EDT, July 29, 2006

FIRST-ROUND SIGNING UPDATE

Though not long ago it seemed that there would be more holdouts than usual in 2006, the pace of first-round signings has accelerated sharply.  Here's a current list of first-rounders who have signed -- and who haven't -- with the date on which a deal was reached.

1.  Texans, DE Mario Williams, April 28.

2.  Saints, RB Reggie Bush, unsigned.

3.  Titans, QB Vince Young, July 28.

4.  Jets, LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, July 26.

5.  Packers, LB A.J. Hawk, July 28.

6.  49ers, TE Vernon Davis, July 28.

7.  Raiders, S Michael Huff, July 24.

8.  Bills, S Donte Whitner, unsigned.

9.  Lions, LB Ernie Sims, unsigned.

10.  Cardinals, QB Matt Leinart, unsigned.

11.  Broncos, QB Jay Cutler, July 27.

12.  Ravens, DT Haloti Ngata, July 28.

13.  Browns, LB Kamerion Wimbley, July 22.

14.  Eagles, DT Jabar Gaffney (we mean, Brodrick Bunkley), unsigned.

15.  Rams, CB Tye Hill, unsigned.

16.  Dolphins, S Jason Allen, unsigned.

17.  Vikings, LB Chad Greenway, July 27.

18.  Cowboys, LB Bobby Carpenter, July 28.

19.  Chargers, CB Antonio Cromartie, July 25.

20.  Chiefs, DE Tamba Hali, July 28.

21.  Patriots, RB Laurence Maroney, July 27.

22.  49ers, DE Manny Lawson, July 27.

23.  Bucs, OG Davin Joseph, July 27.

24.  Bengals, CB Johnathan Joseph, July 28.

 25.  Steelers, WR Santurdio, July 28.

26.  Bills, DT John McCargo, July 28.

27.  Panthers, RB DeAngelo Williams, July 28.

28.  Jaguars, TE Marcedes Lewis, July 28.

29.  Jets, C Nick Mangold, July 27.

30.  Colts, RB Joseph Addai, unsigned.

31.  Seahawks, CB Kelly Jennings, unsigned.

32.  Giants, DE Mathias Kiwanuka, July 27.

In all, there are 23 signed and nine unsigned.

POSTED 5:21 p.m. EDT, July 28, 2006

ROAF RETIRES

Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star reports that Chiefs tackle Willie Roaf is retiring.

As we explained earlier on Friday, Roaf is the guy to whom we were referring when we mentioned last month the possibility of a surprise retirement.  When Roaf failed to report for training camp on Thursday due to "personal reasons," it was obvious to us that folks close to the situation had been putting out the word that Roaf wasn't retiring in order to keep the issue under wraps while efforts to talk Roaf into playing another year continued.

Roaf was "emphatic" in the spring that he would play this year.  In June, however, we heard from several sources (and then confirmed through a source close to Roaf) that the 11-time Pro Bowler was wavering.

Roaf told Teicher that he apprised the team of his intentions several weeks ago.  "I guess they want me to reconsider,’’ Roaf said. "I'm solid on retiring and going back to school."

With Roaf and John Welbourn gone, Jordan Black practiced at left tackle and Kyle Turley practiced at right tackle on Thursday.

POSTED 8:55 a.m. EDT, July 28, 2006

ROAF RETIRING?

The Kansas City Star reports that the Chiefs have excused left tackle Willie Roaf from the start of training camp for personal reasons, days after coach Herm Edwards said that Roaf would be present.

Though we've heard nothing specific regarding whether and when Roaf will be back, we're now willing to disclose that Roaf is the guy to whom we were referring several weeks back as the candidate for a surprise retirement.  We were later told that he wasn't going to be retiring, so we never identified him by name.

But now we're not so sure.  We haven't heard anything specific along these lines, other than the rumors from earlier in the summer that he was thinking about packing it in notwithstanding a declaration from May that he would play.

If Roaf calls it quits, the team would lose both of its starting tackles from 2005, raising the possibility that newcomer Kyle Turley would win a spot with the first team despite a lengthy absence from the game.

So to all of those Chiefs fans who wanted us to adjust our Preseason Power Rankings to account for the arrival of Ty Law, the move would at least be balanced out by Roaf's retirement.

Stay tuned.

SPRINT PHONE TO THE RESCUE AGAIN

So we're in Annapolis on Thursday night and the wife and Florio Jr. want to take a tour of the shore line in an oversized canoe with a hair dryer engine, but yours truly is still feeling a little queasy from one of the rides at Six Flags America.

So yours truly decides to take a pass on the boat trip, but then has about 45 minutes to kill.

Enter Sprint phone.

After making a couple of quick calls to a few of our regular contacts, it was time to pull up Total Access on NFL Network, which is available on the Samsung A900 with Sprint Power Vision.

In addition to being the only wireless provider with real-time NFL Network, Sprint and the NFL announced earlier this week that a variety of exclusive features will be available on Sprint phones this season, including unprecedented video and audio highlights.  The feature, called NFL Mobile, is available free of charge to Sprint PCS Vision and Sprint Power Vision subscribers.

"There is no other service available today that delivers the NFL in a real-time, customizable format the way NFL mobile does," said Sprint's director of sports marketing, Steve Gaffney.  "NFL Mobile is a season-long companion that will enhance every aspect of the NFL fan's enjoyment of the game, and it's available on the one device fans carry every day -- their wireless phone."

And it's yet another reason to get rid of your current phone and buy a Sprint phone before the start of the 2006 football season.  You can start the process by visiting the ads on this page.

BRANCH WILL REPORT IF TEAM DOESN'T FRANCHISE HIM

Agent Jason Chayut says that Pats receiver Deion Branch won't make good on his threat to not report for training camp if the team promises not to slap the franchise tag on him after the 2006 season.

Says Chayut:  "If [the Patriots] came to me and said, 'Jason, we won't franchise Deion,' I would talk with them every day of the season in good faith to get a long-term deal done."

Sure you would, Jason, because then you'd have some real leverage.  As long as the Pats have at their disposal the ability to use the franchise tag, you don't.

So why should Branch be treated any differently than any other player?  Because he signed a five-year deal and necessarily gave up his first year of free agency? 

If we were the Pats, we'd make no such deal.  Let Branch hold out (and incur $14,000 per day in fines) if he wants to.  It's not as if the oft-brittle receiver gets a ton of reps in camp and the preseason anyway. 

And as for Chayut, he'd be wise to quit talking about the situation, and start focusing on giving his client good advice in light of the system that is in place not just for Branch but for every other guy in the league.

FRIDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The New York media is getting upset with the Jets.

In its Friday Rumor Mill, Collegefootballtalk reports on the new professional minor league football league that may be coming to play on your favorite school's campus.

Giants LB LaVar Arrington took some shots at Redskins owner Dan Snyder, and Arrington could be looking to give Merril Hoge another concussion.

Broncos P Todd Sauerbrun apologized to teammates after the appeal of his four-game ephedra suspension was upheld.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls us "sleazy" (but what's sleazier -- passionately searching for the truth like we do, or sticking a nose into the anal crevice of the home team, like the AJC does?).

The 49ers sent QB Cody Pickett to the Texans for a conditional seventh-round pick.

The Steelers have signed director of football operations Kevin Colbert through 2010.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle nuzzles the crotch of local product Vince Young, local agent Major Adams, and (implicitly) local team the Texans by perpetuating the myth that Young's deal is better than the contract signed by No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams.

QB Kerry Collins will visit the Titans on Friday. 

Former Dolphins WR O.J. McDuffie quit his daily radio show on 790 The Ticket in Miami (after all, sitting around and talking for three hours is really hard work).

POSTED 11:25 p.m. EDT, July 27, 2006; LAST UPDATED 12:08 a.m. EDT, July 28, 2006

(Editor's note:  The rumor identified in the following story is incorrect.  The Eagles player stopped with a gun by an officer of the Delware River Port Authority was receiver Jabar Gaffney, not Brodrick Bunkley.  We regret the error.)

BUNKLEY BUST NEWS TO EAGLES

Profootballtalk.com has caught wind of strong rumors in Philly that unsigned Eagles first-round draft pick Brodrick Bunkley has been arrested for having a loaded handgun on the dashboard of his car.

The arrest, which per the rumors was made by the Delaware River Port Authority on one of the bridges connecting Pennsylvania to New Jersey, happened at least a week ago.  An effort was made to get the charges dropped quietly, but prosecutors (we're told) have refused to do so.

Meanwhile, early word out of the Eagles organization is that they haven't heard of any arrest.  In response, our source for the rumor says that official news of the charges won't break until Friday.

Bunkley was the fourteenth overall pick in the 2006 draft.  He currently is unsigned even though the team opened camp earlier this week.  The major sticking point reportedly has been the length of the deal -- the team wants six years, and Bunkley's agent, Gary Wichard, will agree only to a five-year term.

POSTED 10:35 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:55 p.m. EDT, July 27, 2006

SULLIVAN SUCKS . . . WIND

A league source tells us that Pats defensive tackle Johnathan "Burger and Fries" Sullivan was on the ground and virtually in convulsions after completing only a handful of gassers as part of the annual conditioning test imposed by New England coach Bill Belichick.

As a result, Sullivan has landed on the physically unable to perform list, and likely will remain there until he shows that he's in adequate shape.

The sixth overall pick in the 2003 draft, Sullivan was acquired by the Pats in June, via trade from New Orleans.  He was arrested in Georgia within a few weeks thereafter.

MORE ON JONES INJURY

As it turns out, the hamstring injury suffered by Bears running back Thomas Jones is legit.  But it didn't happen while he was taking a physical.

Instead, the injury occurred while Jones was performing a conditioning test.  In Chicago, players who miss the offseason workout program are required to pass such a test before practicing. 

Jones and linebacker Lance Briggs were the two Bears who took the test.  Briggs was fine, but Jones pulled up with the injury.

A league source estimates that Jones will likely miss a week to 10 days, possibly a bit shorter and possibly a bit longer. 

"He is hurting himself, not the team," said the source.  "With every day he misses, he gives [Cedric] Benson more and more reps at the No. 1 spot."

Last year, a protracted holdout enabled Jones to sink his teeth into the job, propelling him to the kind of season that made him unhappy, and that caused him to skip the voluntary offseason workout program.  And that put him in position to get hurt during the conditioning test.  And that allowed Benson to get the training camp reps that he didn't get in 2005.

GIBBS HEADING BACK TO NASCAR AFTER 2007?

The talk in NASCAR circles (hey, we got sources everywhere) is that Joe Gibbs will retire (again) from coaching after the 2007 season and return to the NASCAR team that he owns.

And this news will only fuel speculation that Redskins owner Dan Snyder will target Steelers coach Bill Cowher to be his successor, notwithstanding the assumption that current Washington defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is in line for the job.

Cowher is under contract through 2007, and with the Steelers opening camp on Friday the chances of an extension coming any time before the end of the 2006 season will be slim and/or none. 

At that point, Cowher might just finish out his contract and see what he can get on the open market.  Our guess?  The Redskins would pay Cowher at least two dollars for every one that the Steelers would pay.

SEGAL HATES US

A league source tells us that agent Joel Segal is pissed that we found out he has a deal in place with the Steelers for first-round receiver Santurdio, and that the deal won't be announced until Friday.

How pissed?  We're now told that Segal wants to further delay the announcement of the deal, for the sole reason of making us look bad.

Though we've yet to finagle any specifics as to the contract, we're told that it contains penalties if Santurdio is arrested again.  However, the new CBA permits forfeitures only if a player voluntarily retires or if he "willfully takes action that has the effect of substantially undermining his ability to fully participate and contribute in either preseason training camp or the regular season."  Given the breadth of this phrase, it's possible that Santurdio has agreed in the contract that another arrest will "have the effect of substantially undermining his ability to fully participate and contribute."  (Whether such language would be upheld via arbitration remains to be seen, but the possibility that Santurdio would lose the grievance makes the thing a potentially powerful deterrent.)

The source also tells us that Segal fears that insertion of such a clause will be used against him.  But as the source said in reference to Segal's client, "Life's a bitch when you strangle women."

ANOTHER SIX/FIVE IMPASSE LOOMING?

Alex Marvez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Dolphins first-round safety Jason Allen likely won't be in training camp when the team begins to practice on Friday.

The problem, per Marvez, is the duration of the contract.  The Fins want a six-year deal, but agent Mitch Frankel will agree only to a five-year package.

Per the revised CBA, the first 16 picks only may be signed to six-year contracts.  Allen, coincidentally, was the sixteenth overall selection.

Raiders safety Michael Huff, the seventh overall pick, signed a five-year contract.  Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, the No. 13 selection, has a six-year deal that voids to five but then contains a buy-back for year six.

The Eagles and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley have been in a stare down for much of the week, due reportedly to another six-versus-five dispute.

POSTED 5:22 p.m. EDT, July 27, 2006

BENTLEY HAS TORN PATELLA TENDON

A league source tells us that it's "99.9 percent certain" that Browns center LeCharles Bentley has a torn patella tendon.  He is expected have surgery within 24 hours and most likely will miss the entire 2006 season.

Ordinarily, we'd talk a little bit about the team's other options for replacing Bentley, who signed a big-money deal with the team on the first day of free agency after backing out of a wink-nod arrangement with the Eagles that had been negotiated prior to the "official" launch of the signing period.

We'd also take some time to comment on the possibility that karma might be to blame for the injury.

But, hey, we're on vacation.  We'll leave it to whoever reports this story after us (and who doesn't give us credit for it) to deal with those details.

POSTED 4:50 p.m. EDT, July 27, 2006

TITANS SIGN YOUNG

The Tennessee Titans have reached an agreement with quarterback Vince Young, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

Per published reports, Young's deal will be worth up to $58 million with $25.7 million in guaranteed money.  The contract signed by No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams of the Texans will pay $26.5 million in guaranteed money.

Despite claims that Young's deal has a greater total value than Williams' $54 million deal, keep in mind that $54 million is the base value of the Williams deal.  With incentives, Williams can make up to $62 million.

But reality rarely gets in the way of an effort by an agent to trumpet a contract, especially when he's trying to create the impression that a novice agent did better at No. 3 than a seasoned agent did at No. 1.

We'll get the full details and do a comprehensive comparison of the two contracts.

POSTED 4:35 p.m. EDT, July 27, 2006

POSTON SUSPENDED TWO YEARS, NOT INDEFINITELY

Contrary to a memo sent on Wednesday by the league office to the 32 NFL teams explaining that the NFLPA has suspended agent Carl Poston indefinitely, NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen tells us that Poston has been suspended for two years, effective immediately.

Berthelsen has forwarded to us a copy of his July 25, 2006 letter advising Poston of the action.  Berthelsen's letter outlines in convincing (in our view) detail Poston's attempts to delay the appeal process that Poston himself initiated after the NFLPA's disciplinary committee previously suspended him for two years due to his actions in connection with the December 2003 contract extension signed by linebacker LaVar Arrington.

The key here is that the most recent action is a separate two-year suspension, which means that Poston could now be barred from representing NFL players for up to four years.

Poston has, in the opinion of the NFLPA, delayed the arbitration via the firing and hiring of lawyers, attempting to persuade Congress to intervene based on allegations that the efforts to discipline Poston were motivated by race and/or by the manipulation of the NFLPA by Redskins owner Dan Snyder, and offering up flimsy arguments to obtain a postponement of the arbitration hearing that finally had been scheduled for July 24 and 25.

Berthelsen's letter explains that Congressman Howard Coble of North Carolina called NFLPA president Troy Vincent last week in an effort to secure a postponement on Poston's behalf, and that Coble backed off after reading the union's response to the June 30, 2006 letter from Representatives Henry Hyde and Sheila Jackson-Lee to NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw, which represented a separate attempt to get the union to abandon its efforts to discipline Poston.

The end result is a two-year suspension imposed right now, with Poston having the right to an expedited appeal of the suspension via the procedures set forth in the NFLPA regulations regarding agents.  Such a protocol is expressly contemplated by Section 6(B) of the regulations, which permits an immediate suspension where the alleged misconduct is of a sufficiently serious nature.

And we agree with the tactic.  Poston surely had planned to string out the process for as long as possible.  Now, with a two-year suspension already imposed, Poston's best shot at getting the discipline overturned is by taking the matter to arbitration.

Way to go, NFLPA.  Though we've disagreed with the union on certain issues in the past, and likely will disagree with the union on certain issues in the future, we think that the aggressive and decisive action taken was justified, and it provides a strong message to any agents who face disciplinary actions in the future. 

JONES HAS A BAD HAMSTRING

Contrary to reports that running back Thomas Jones was not present on Thursday at Bears practice, a league source tells us that Jones was in attendance, but was not practicing due to a hamstring injury.

Jones has been upset for most of the offseason due to dissatisfaction with his contract.  Some league insiders are suspicious as to the legitimacy of the injury.  Last year, then-Eagles receiver Terrell Owens supposedly had a groin injury in the days before he was sent home for a week by the team.

If Jones really is hurt, it might have something to do with the fact that he stayed away from offseason workouts.

POSTED 1:43 p.m. EDT, July 27, 2006 by Len Lasagna

TEAMS PISSED AT NEW AGENTS

POSTED 9:15 a.m. EDT, July 27, 2006

BENGALS REELING FROM CRITICISM

Wow.  Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is, in our view, pretty darn close to cracking up.

And for good reason.  He's got a growing nucleus of turds on his team, and as we've recently reported the majority of guys who aren't turds are getting sick of it.

So what does Lewis do?  He blames it on the press. 

Per Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Lewis "chided" the media on Wednesday for the "thunderous" attention given to the criminal charges pending against Chris Henry, Frostee Rucker, A.J. Nicholson, and Matthias Askew.

"It's ludicrous for anybody to feel that these actions, or anything, taint, or have any negative approach on the core or mentality of our football team," Lewis said.

But based on comments originating from players in the very locker room over which Lewis presides, there is a taint.  Put simply, the guys who haven't gotten arrested one or more times during the offseason are getting sick of Marvin's propensity to embrace guys who have. 

That's the real problem here.  Guys like Henry and Rucker and Nicholson and Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks were available lower in the draft than their talent would suggest because they are, well, turds.  And yet Marvin embraced them.

So now the team is forced to seek cover behind concepts like the "presumption of innocence."

"It's just the general policy in this country that until you're convicted of something, you're not assumed to be guilty of it," team president Mike Brown said on Wednesday.

Yeah, Mike.  It's the general policy.  In a courtroom.  Not in a business that markets itself to members of the public who are turned off by guys who repeatedly get themselves into situations in which they need to invoke the presumption of innocence.

You see, most normal people don't get arrested four times in six months.  And they don't have a string of allegations made against them over a course of a decade by women with whom they've interacted.  And their blood isn't found in an apartment where they allegedly cut their hand while allegedly committing a burglary.  And they don't have to taste the business end of a Taser three times as the nightcap for an evening on the town.

The issue here isn't whether these guys get convicted -- it's that Lewis knowingly has welcomed men of questionable character into the locker room.  And now the whole thing is blowing up in his face.

So what's the best strategy for dealing with the situation? 

Blame it all on someone else.

Hey -- it's a tradition as American as the presumption of innocence.

SANTURDIO DEAL IS DONE

A league source tells us that the Steelers and first-round receiver Santurdio have reached an agreement on a contract, and that the team and his agent, Joel Segal, are waiting to announce the deal. 

Word is that the announcement is coming on Friday.

We're told that, while the 25th overall pick wanted to get something finished in order to begin the process of getting back in the team's good graces following two arrests in three weeks (and a pulled hamstring about which the "real" media never reported), agent Joel Segal didn't want to create the impression that they rushed to do the deal.

So initially Segal dragged his feet toward finalizing the terms.  But with Segal now having to turn his attention to a client drafted a few spots higher than Santurdio (i.e., Reggie Bush), Segal needed to put Santurdio's contract to bed.

Meanwhile, we're hearing that some members of the Pittsburgh media have been citing our recent story that a deal between the Steelers and Santurdio is close -- and then saying in the next breath that we're not very reliable.

YOUNG WANTS WILLIAMS MONEY, TOO?

There's a clusterfudge brewing at the top of round one.  Last week, it was reported that Saints running back Reggie Bush believes the team promised him a contract equivalent to the deal signed by Texans defensive end Mario Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Now, the No. 3 guy reportedly wants the same treatment, too.

Jim Wyatt of the Nashville Tennessean reports that Major Adams, the agent for Titans quarterback Vince Young, is believed to be seeking a contract that would be close to "if not surpass" the $54 million deal with $26.5 million in guaranteed money paid by Houston to Williams.

It's a bold move for the No. 2 guy -- even bolder for the No. 3.

But in two respects Young is in a better position to ask for Williams money than Bush.  First, Young is a quarterback, and quarterbacks tend to get more in their respective slots in round one than other players.  Second, Young is working off of the deal signed in 2005 by Browns receiver Braylon Edwards, who like Young was the third overall pick.  Edwards' deal was considered by many to be much better than the contract signed by Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, last year's No. 2 pick.

Whether Young succeeds in matching or exceeding Williams will go a long way toward determining whether Bush gets there, too.  ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli chimes in on the status of the Bush talks, which given Len's cozy relationship with agent Joel Segal might as well be a press release penned in whole or in part by Segal himself.  Surely, Bush and the Saints won't reach an accord by Friday, if as Segal (um, Pasquarelli) writes the Saints haven't even made a firm offer yet.

Stay tuned on this.  We've believed all along that Young getting a deal done will be a precursor to Bush signing, since Segal doesn't want Young to end up with a better package than what Segal can get for Bush.  Now that Young is reportedly looking to match or pass Williams, we're convinced that Segal won't do the deal until Young does.

POSTED 12:00 a.m. EDT, LAST UPDATED 12:40 a.m. EDT, July 27, 2006

POSTON SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY

We've confirmed that the NFL Players Association has suspended indefinitely agent Carl Poston.  The news initially was broken by John Clayton of ESPN.com, while multiple e-mails informing us of the news sat unopened in our in box.  (We're never taking another &#*S^ing vacation.)

Though Clayton can't offer up a reason for the move, it surely traces to Poston's chronic efforts to avoid the arbitration hearing -- that he requested -- regarding the two-year suspension previously imposed upon him by the union.  As we reported on Wednesday, Poston finagled another continuance last week via seemingly specious claims that an Achilles' injury prevented him from traveling.  He declined to attend the session by videoconference, and his lawyer rejected an offer by the union to conduct the hearing in Houston, where Poston resides.

Last month, Poston tried to spark a Congressional inquiry of the NFLPA, which was revealed in this space after we got our mitts on the June 30 letter from Henry Hyde and Sheila Jackson-Lee to NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw.

Though the indefinite suspension imposed by the union comes as a shock to most, Carl Poston apparently knew it was coming.  A league source tells us that only Kevin Poston's name appears on the contract recently signed by cornerback Ty Law with the Chiefs.  And while some might think that Carl Poston will remain involved in the family business while Kevin merely signs the paperwork, we're told that the memo sent by the league to the 32 teams contains a reminder that any discussions should occur only with the player or his certified agent.

So what is it that brought about the abrupt wrath of the union?  Our guess is that the NFLPA found out that Carl Poston had taken one or more plane flights since popping his Achilles'.  After all, how long should an injury like that ground a guy?  Ben Roethlisberger rammed his face into a moving car on June 12, underwent seven hours of delicate surgery, and has been flying all over the place.

JETS INK FERGUSON, MANGOLD?

Published reports indicate that the Jets have reached an agreement with No. 4 overall pick D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and that the team is close to a deal with center Nick Mangold, the team's second first-rounder.

We're hearing separately that a deal with Mangold is done.

The Jets open training camp practices on Friday.

NO DEAL COMING BETWEEN OCTAGON, CAA

We heard from several industry and league insiders on Wednesday that there will be no acquisition of football agency Octagon by mega-firm Creative Artists Agency, which has added agents Tom Condon, Ken Kremer, Ben Dogra, and Jim Steiner over the past several months.

On Wednesday night, we also heard directly from Octagon.  In an e-mail, Kathy Connors, Director of Strategic Communications, Athletes & Personalities, said:  "We are certainly flattered by the rumor of CAA’s interest in Octagon, but our football division is not for sale.  Octagon Football -- headed by Mike Sullivan, who is the preeminent contract guru in NFL circles -- is a strong and important part of our long-standing global leadership position in the athlete and entertainment business."

Yeah, we left in the "preeminent contract guru" part.  We figured it would raise the blood pressure by a few points of some of the agents who frequent this site -- and who each believe that they are the preeminent contract gurus in NFL circles.

Of course, the real preeminent contract guru in NFL circles is Carl Poston.  He's so good with contracts that he doesn't even have to, you know, read them.

VICK DIDN'T HAVE A JOINT?

Multiple readers have weighed in regarding the photo on mediatakeout.com that purports to show Falcons quarterback Mike Vick with a marijuana cigarette.

We've heard from multiple readers who carefully inspected the photo, and who believe that Vick actually is holding a "Black & Mild" cigar, given what appears to be a plastic tip.

At least one reader pointed out, however, that the photo seems to show that Vick also has a spoon in his left hand.  We're far too out of touch with that kind of stuff to conclude that it means anything other than he was getting ready to eat some pudding while he smoked his cigar.

POSTED 6:59 p.m. EDT, July 26, 2006

RON MEXICO LIKES MARY JANE?

Our own TacoBill has stumbled across a site named "mediatakeout.com," which touts itself as providing "All the Latest African-American News."  The current lead is an item dated July 26, with the title "Mike Vick Photographed Smoking A Blunt."

The article includes a photo of Falcons quarterback Mike Vick, sitting in what appears to be the back seat of a limo next to what appears to be a woman holding in his left hand what appears to be a marijuana cigarette.

In his lap is a box of matches, with a single match apparently out and ready to be used.

The photo supposedly was obtained on the MySpace page of the girl who is sitting next to Vick.

The site also points out something in the corner of Vick's mouth, and claims that it appears to be a herpes cold sore.  We think that's a bit of a stretch -- just because Vick allegedly has genital herpes doesn't mean that a white spot in the corner of his mouth is herpes, too.

Still, we figure that the league will be taking a look-see at this one, since not only a positive test but also behavior suggesting substance abuse can trigger placement into the league's substance abuse program.  Last year, for example, agents and lawyers for Randy Moss had to do some delicate tap dancing to keep Moss out of the program after he admitted to Bryant Gumbel that Moss smokes pot "once in a blue moon."

Officially, we're taking no position as to whether Vick is a pot smoker.  The picture seems to speak for itself, but as our own TacoBill knows, it's easy to doctor images on a computer.

POSTED 3:32 p.m. EDT, July 26, 2006

POSTON STILL RUNNING FROM NFLPA

Agent Carl Poston is still doing his best to avoid a day of reckoning before arbitrator Roger Kaplan, due to Poston's admitted failure to read linebacker LaVar Arrington's December 2003 contract extension before Arrington signed it.

A league source had told us that an arbitration hearing as to the discipline imposed by the union on Poston was scheduled for Monday of this week, but Poston somehow finagled yet another postponement.

So we asked NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen about the situation, and here's what he had to say.

Berthelsen told us that Poston initially attempted through a member of U.S. Congress to get the hearing continued.  When that maneuver was unsuccessful, Poston advised Kaplan on Thursday that Poston's doctor told him that he should not travel from Houston to Washington due to an Achilles' injury, which had been the reason for a prior postponement.

So the union offered to permit him to testify via videoconference.  Poston rejected the offer, saying that he needed to be present.

"We then offered to have the hearing in Houston," Berthelsen said, "and to bear the expense of flying our witnesses there.  The Arbitrator agreed to fly to Houston as well."

But Poston's lawyer declined, explaining that he needed to stay in the D.C. area with his high-school-aged son because his wife would be out of town.

So the matter was again postponed.

As one league insider remarked when informed of the situation, "Doesn't Poston realize that he's not getting a jury trial, and that the person who keeps hearing these lame excuses is the person who's going to decide whether the discipline is justified?"

Great point, Mr. Insider.  Poston can delay the process, but with each additional B.S. excuse the outcome becomes even more inevitable, in our view.

And we don't think that anything will come of Poston's efforts to sic Congress on the NFLPA.  We reported several weeks ago that Representatives Henry Hyde and Sheila Jackson-Lee had penned a letter to NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw express concerns regarding the disciplinary process.  The union responded in writing, and there have been no further developments.

Given that the world generally is going bonkos right now, we think that Congress will stick to the issues that affect more than, you know, a dozen or so people.

CULPEPPER CLEARED TO PRACTICE

Alex Marvez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper has been cleared to participate in training camp practice.

"Daunte will do the same thing in this camp as every other player relative to the workload he is able to manage," said coach Nick Saban. "We'll try to manage with him as we go through this. We don't hit the quarterback anyway [in practice], so contact is not an issue."

But this doesn't necessarily mean that Culpepper will be ready for the September 7 opener, roughly 10 months from the day in Charlotte on which his knee was turned into a pile of overcooked pasta.

"I can't make any predictions because I've told you from the beginning because we're making these evaluations on a day-to-day basis as to what his workload is and what he is capable of doing," Saban said.  "When the games come, we'll make those same kind of determinations for the opener as well as what he does in exhibition games.  For me to speculate on that now wouldn't be fair to anybody."

REYNOLDS WANTS HIS JOB BACK

Former ESPN baseball analyst Harold Reynolds confirms that he was fired for sexual harassment.  (Believe it or not, we were the first quasi-news outlet with a solid report regarding the reason for the termination.)

Here's the kicker -- Reynolds wants his job back.  "This was a total misunderstanding," Reynolds told the New York Post. "My goal is to sit down and get back.  To be honest with you, I gave a woman a hug and I felt like it was misinterpreted."

(Maybe it was that baseball bat in your pocket that gave her the wrong idea.)  

Even if he's telling the truth, Reynolds has yet to address rumors that this might not have been his first offense.  If he was, for example, on double-secret probation for prior incidents of that ilk, it could be that merely venturing close to the "line" was enough to get him the "shoe".

The whole situation makes no sense to us.  If he had a history of sexual harassment that was sufficiently severe to bring about termination based merely on a misunderstood hug, why would ESPN have just signed him for six years?

Our opinion?  It was more than a hug, and there was no misunderstanding.

GREETINGS FROM ANNAPOLIS

Officialy, the Grand Poobah and family are "on vacation" for the next few days.  But unlike most of the normal human population, we don't shut down while on vacation.  Or on Christmas.  Or Yom Kippur.  Or Leif Ericson's Day.

So we'll be continuing to update the site multiple times a day -- and we ask all of our readers in the Annapolis/Baltimore area stay on the lookout for a guy wearing a PFT shirt, a 9-year-old in a PFT hat, and a woman who thinks we're idiots for wearing them.

POSTED 7:53 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:00 a.m. EDT, July 26, 2006

OCTAGON NEXT FOR CAA?

There's talk that new mega-agency Creative Artists Agency, which recently has picked up the football divisions from IMG and SFX, is next targeting Octagon, which is led by agent Mike Sullivan.

The end product would be an even larger base of NFL clients at CAA, which perhaps would lay the final pieces of the foundation for an effort by CAA to squeeze out of the agent business one or more of the one-man or two-man practices that carry a relatively large book of business.

A league insider with whom we recently spoke laid out the scenario in which Tom Condon of CAA, who represents NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw, would use his considerable influence over the union to instigate suspensions (or worse) of agents with clients who then might land with CAA.

The thinking is that, in ten years or so, the agent landscape will consist of CAA, one other large firm that will arise when some of the small shops band together to compete with CAA, and a smattering of solos who represent second-day draft picks and various third-stringers.

We're not sure that we agree, however.  There always will be players who want to be the big fish in the small pond, or who are tied in with a family member or close friend who finagled a license to represent players.

Then again, the union could make the annual fees and/or the insurance requirements so pricey that no one can break in to the business.  But given the political resistance that the union has faced in its effort to impose legitimate (in our view) discipline on agent Carl Poston, we have a feeling that any vision that might exist of CAA squashing small shops and taking their big-name players is unrealistic.

But, as usual, what the hell do we know?

FORFEITURE RULES APPLY TO OPTION AND ROSTER BONUSES

On our newest PFT PodCast, miserable guy Dante Aligheri raised a few good points, when he wasn't bad-mouthing CFT's Joe Collegio. 

Among other things, Aligheri suggested that we look into the status of the question of whether the new bonus forfeiture rules will apply only to signing bonuses, or also to option and roster bonuses.

The question arose because the "Term Sheet" that resulted from the recent CBA negotiations speaks primarily in terms of "signing" bonuses, inviting the argument by teams that the forfeiture limits don't apply to other forms of bonuses.

A league source tells us that the new rules will apply to all forms of bonuses.

And that's an important point, given that most if not all of the 2006 first-rounders will get their bonus money via devices other than signing bonuses.

BRANCH HOLDING OUT

Ron Borges of the Boston Globe, the antiPatso columnist who apparently has accepted a side job as Deion Branch's publicist, reports that Branch won't show up for the start of training camp.

"Deion will not be in camp until he feels he's being treated fairly," proclaimed agent Jason Chayut.

Branch will be subject to daily fines of up to $14,000 if he makes good on the threat not to honor his contract, which is entering its final year. 

Per the CBA, Branch can report as late as week ten of the regular season and still become a free agent in 2007.  If he holds out any longer than week ten, his contract carries over to the next season.  (This is a different rule than what applied in the Brian Westbrook situation a year ago, who risked not earning his fourth "credited" season -- and thus not becoming a free agent in 2006 -- if he failed to show up at least 30 days before the start of the regular season.)

Chayut and Borges think that Branch should be paid like Colts receiver Reggie Wayne.  The Pats don't.  And so the dance continues.

But we have a feeling that the Pats won't cave in.  When New England defensive end Richard Seymour held out in 2005, there was hardly a peep from Seymour's agent.  This time around, Chayut's chirping will likely prompt the Pats to dig in.

And to start thinking about the calendar in multiples of 14,000.

WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Coach Chin is trying to squeeze the Steelers, we think.

Agent Major Adams calls the rookie pool a hurdle for QB Vince Young's deal (especially since Adams thought until Tuesday that the term referred to the swimming area for first-year players).

Rams coach Scott Linehan apparently learned a thing or two from the Nicktator.

It's getting ugly between the Birds and Brodrick Bunkley.

Ravens LB Ray Lewis (hamstring) is fully healed for the start of training camp.

POSTED 12:41 a.m. EDT, July 26, 2006

RAIDERS DANGLING PORTER

We've heard from two different sources that the Oakland Raiders are willing to trade receiver Jerry Porter, if an interested partner can be identified.  One source said that the Raiders discreetly have been shopping Porter for several months.

Porter was a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2000.  He received a $7 million signing bonus in 2005, only a day or two before word broke of a trade that sent Randy Moss to the Bay Area.

Porter is scheduled to earn base salaries of $1 million in 2006 and 2007.

Teams that might be interested include the Eagles, Packers, Bears, Patriots, Jaguars, Saints, and 49ers.

POSTED 12:10 a.m. EDT, July 26, 2006

PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS:  NO. 11

We received an e-mail on Tuesday congratulating us for not ranking the New York Giants below No. 12 on our Preseason Power Rankings.  We wonder what the guy will have to say about the No. 11 team on our list.

The New York Giants.

We're not sure what to make of this team, frankly.  It's like an ensemble cast of a bad sitcom.  There's the cranky old man in coach Tom Coughlin.  There's the brash young redneck in Jeremy Shockey.  There's the backward young redneck in Eli Manning.

There's the misunderstood hoodlum in Plaxico Burress.  And the kid with the Webster/Gary Coleman cuteness factor in Sinorice Moss.

Plus, there's the big imposing guy who's either secretly gay, a sister-in-law-peeping perv, or maybe both.

So can these diverse personalities come together?  Yeah, until a really important game comes along, when they'll fracture or splinter in some critical way, just like they did for a home-field playoff loss to the Panthers, in which the Giants scored a grand total of, well, no points.

Remember that one?  Plaxico quit on the team, and then running back Tiki Barber publicly dissed the coaching staff.

Perhaps the lack of bonding has its roots in the offseason, when Shockey, Burress, and Moss acted as if the term "voluntary" when used in the context of "workout" really means "voluntary."  FOX analyst Troy Aikman hit the nail on the noggin several weeks back when he said that the lack of reps with quarterback Eli Manning will retard his development.  (The use of "Eli Manning" and "retard" in the same sentence is purely coincidental, and not intended to be any type of implicit comparison between Eli and, say, Forrest Gump.)

Speaking of Eli, something ain't right there, in our opinion.  Former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt once complained that Eli's brother, Peyton, is too laid back.  But Eli makes Peyton look like Rip Taylor.

We're not saying that Eli should be grabbing facemasks or kicking his teammates square in the ass, but something like, you know, a pulse would be nice.

Newcomers this year include linebacker LaVar Arrington, cornerback Sam Madison, cornerback R.W. McQuarters, and safety Will Demps.  Gone are cornerback William Peterson, defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, safety Brent Alexander, and linebacker Barrett Green.

The big questions for the coming season are whether Eli Manning can continue to develop, whether Tiki Barber can still grind out the yards despite being on the wrong side of 30, and whether Arrington can become dominant working behind Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.

And whether they can all work together when the chips are down.

Our guess?  They'll get back to the playoffs, but that's all the farther they'll get.

Now for the fantasy grades.

Quarterback:  Eli has a long way to go before he'll be matching his brother's numbers.  Someone in every league will take him higher than he should be drafted.  Don't be that guy.  Or gal.  Eli is still a C student.

Running back:  Tiki Barber had a great year in 2005, with more than 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns.  And he caught 50-plus passes for another 500-plus yards.  Though we're getting concerned about his age, he's still an A- as fantasy backs go.

Wide receiver:  Despite his turdish tendencies, Plaxico Burress put up solid stats in his first year with the Giants.  But so did T.O. in season one with the Eagles.  We're not predicting a full-blown meltdown for Plaxico, but there's still a bad taste in plenty of mouths regarding his behavior during and after the 23-0 loss to the Panthers in January.  He gets a B-.

Tight end:  Jeremy Shockey is one of the top tight ends in the game.  As we've said plenty of times before, however, we'd take a solid third receiver over most tight ends.  As tight ends go, though, Shockey is a B+.

Defense:  Despite all of those great defenses from Giants teams past, this unit is so-so, at best.  The addition of Arrington and Madison will help, but they'll miss Clancy more than they'll ever admit.

Kicker:  Jay Feely was the leading scorer among kickers in 2005.  How does he not get an A?

POSTED 9:32 p.m. EDT, July 25, 2006

SANTURDIO A STEELER?

We're picking up some info from our sources in the 'Burgh regarding the status of negotiations between the Steelers and first-round draft pick Santurdio, the 25th overall selection this year.

Word is that a deal is very close, if not already done.

The news is shocking, given the reputation of agent Joel Segal for refusing to do a first-round deal until the guys taken before and after his client have signed.

In this case, the player taken with the No. 24 pick (Bengals corner Johnathan Joseph) and the player selected at No. 26 (Bills defensive tackle John McCargo) have not agreed to terms.

It also remains to be seen whether and to what extent the Steelers have built protections into the deal, given that Santurdio was arrested twice in a three-week period earlier this year.

Stay tuned.

POSTED 7:16 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:01 p.m. EDT, July 25, 2006

SMITH CHOOSES MINNY

Defensive back Dwight Smith, recently cut by the New Orleans Saints, has agreed to terms with the Vikings, a league source tells us.

Per the source, Smith will earn in Minnesota the same amounts due under three of the four remaining years of his Saints contract, which called for a $1.2 million base salary in 2006, a $1.6 million base salary, a $100,000 workout bonus, and a $500,000 workout bonus in 2007, and a $2.5 million base salary, a $100,000 workout bonus, and a $500,000 workout bonus in 2008.

The only difference is that Smith will get $615,000 of his 2006 pay in the form of a roster bonus due on July 28, and the remaining $585,00 will be his base salary for 2006.

SINORICE MOSS STRIKES DEAL WITH GIANTS

Receiver/kick returner Sinorice Moss has agreed to terms with the New York Giants.

Moss, a second-round selection in the 2006 draft, will receive $1.91 million in guaranteed money as part of a four-year, $3.510 million contract.  The deal also includes up to $100,000 in incentives.

The guarantee comes in the form of a signing bonus, an option bonus guaranteed by future base salaries, and a one-time NLTBE incentive based on minimum playing time, which also is guaranteed by future base salaries.

Sinorice Moss is the younger brother of Redskins receiver Santana Moss. 

ESPN DUMPS REYNOLDS

Though it has nothing to do with football, we were stunned to see that ESPN abruptly fired baseball analyst Harold Reynolds. 

So we poked around a little bit with some of our industry connections (yes, we have a few) to find out why Reynolds has gotten the boot. 

Here's what we learned.

Reynolds recently had signed a new contract with ESPN, and was let go for "a fairly significant company violation."  Fueled by rumors that we spotted on deadspin.com regarding the question of whether Reynolds had uttered phrases like "You're with me, leather" to one or more of his female co-workers, we pressed for more info, and our source told us that it was "definitely" a case of sexual harassment.

Based on our legal experience, it's unusual for the employer to dump the alleged harasser, if there's any concern that the matter might end up in litigation.  It becomes difficult for the company to claim that the allegations aren't valid if the company has fired the guy.

Our guess?  There must be some pretty damning evidence to prompt the network to move so quickly -- along the lines, say, of George Costanza's activities with the cleaning lady to whom he gave the sweater with the red spot.  Otherwise, ESPN would have waited until a more natural point to sever the relationship.

Also, given that Reynolds had recently signed a new contract, it's pretty clear that this is something that just, um, popped up.

POSTED 12:00 p.m. EDT, July 25, 2006

HOLDOUT FINE INCREASE NEGOTIATED LAST WEEK

A league source tells us that the recent increase in daily fines for players under contract who don't show up for training camp was negotiated last week by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, as part of an ongoing effort to iron out loose ends from the negotiations that supposedly were concluded in March.

The quid pro quo for the increase in the holdout fines was a decision by the NFL to go with lower fines for infractions such as losing the playbook, tardiness at meetings, and being overweight.  It's not clear, however, whether those fines will decrease in comparison to their max levels in 2005, or whether the NFL agreed merely to reduce any proposed increases moving forward.

We've also confirmed (as we first reported on Friday and as others used without attribution) that the maximum daily fine for holdouts is $14,000.  (We'd recently heard that the new number might be as high as $16,000 -- but that rumor turned out to be wr-wr-wr-wrong.)

It has been pointed out to us that the $14,000 is merely a maximum, and that teams are allowed to go with a lower fine, if they so choose.  In our view, however, if a team is sufficiently pissed off about a holdout to impose a fine, the fine imposed will be the maximum.  If/when the guy shows up, the ultimate price tag might be lower; until then, the only way to leverage a guy under contract to honor said contract is to hit him with everything that the team has at its disposal.

The two most likely holdouts for 2006 training camps are Pats receiver Deion Branch and Broncos receiver Ashley Lelie.  Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis and Packers cornerback Al Harris recently indicated that, despite unhappiness with their respective situations, they will report for camp.

But beware, Deion and Ashley -- that $14,000 a day becomes $98,000 after one week, and $196,000 after two.

DETAILS ON LAW DEAL

We've obtained from a league source specific information regarding the first two years of cornerback Ty Law's contract with the Chiefs.

As we suspected, it's no bell ringer.

Law got $4 million to sign, and will be paid a $1 million base salary in 2006.  (As a vested veteran, his base salary is fully guaranteed if he's on the Week One roster.)

In 2007, there's a $1 million option bonus due in March, a $3 million base salary, and a $1 million roster bonus.

This leaves a whopping $20 million over the last three years of the deal -- and it's highly unlikely that Law will ever see that money.

For now, then, it's a one-year deal with a team option for year two.  And kudos to the Chiefs for pushing the bigger hit in 2007 deeper into the league year.  As a result, the Chiefs can choose to pay the $1 million option bonus in March and squat on Law's rights before making a decision in August as to whether he merits the remaining $4 million that he's due to receive in 2007.

The better deal for Ty would have been to require the Chiefs to fish or cut cheese on day one of the league year, via a $4 million roster or option bonus.  Then, if the Chiefs had opted not to keep him, Law would have been on the free-agent market early (at which time his agents would have demanded too much money, no one would have been interested, and he would have signed another deal like this one in late July).

Still, it's not as if Law and his agents had much leverage to force the decision day into March.  We're told that they made a last-ditch effort to shop the deal in search of something better, but generated no interest. 

POSTED 9:22 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:16 a.m. EDT, July 25, 2006

LEWIS LOSING HIS TEAM?

A source close to one of the members of the Cincinnati Bengals who doesn't have a criminal record tells us that the locker room in the Queen City is dangerously close to revolting against head coach Marvin Lewis based on his collection and coddling of players with questionable backgrounds.

And the source says that the growing resentment traces to (you guessed it) the locker room brouhaha involving receiver Chad Johnson, receivers coach Hue Jackson, and Lewis, which erupted moments before the team took the field for the second half of the playoff game against the Steelers.

Though Johnson has yet to be arrested, the perception within the team was and is that he does his own thing and gets his own way and Lewis lets him.  It's a dangerous message to send to the guys to whom a different set of rules apply.

The offseason has only exacerbated the situation, per the source.  With the addition of guys like Frostee Rucker, A.J. Nicholson, and Ahmad Brooks and the continuing problems of guys like Chris Henry and Odell Thurman, many of the non-turds on the team are convinced that Lewis doesn't care about character.

As a result, we still think that Lewis needs to stand up and take decisive action against one of the guys who has done things that he shouldn't have done.  Instead, recent comments from Marvin indicate that, like a mom who's convinced that her baby would "never do something like that," the head coach will never acknowledge the possibility that one of his players might really and truly be a piece of poop.

Asked by Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Enquirer whether Henry is worth the trouble Lewis said, "It's not clear . . . let's see what trouble he is in.  Don't prejudge him.  You can't prejudge him."

But it's not "prejudging" if the concern is Henry's propensity for getting himself into the back seat of a cruiser.  He's accomplished that feat four times since December.  Regardless of whether he's ultimately convicted or pleads guilty to any of the charges, a guy who continuously gets arrested is a problem.

Still, teams like the Bengals hide behind concepts such as "presumption of innocence" as a means for overlooking the fact that, at a minimum, men like Henry put themselves in the wrong place at too many wrong times.  Whether he goes to jail is a matter between Henry and the various jurisdictions in which criminal charges are pending.  Whether his employer, which among other things should be concerned about the public perception of its product, is going to tolerate a string of arrests is a different issue.

So by declining to prejudge the question of whether Henry is actually guilty, Lewis and the Bengals implicitly are conceding that they don't care about guys getting arrested.

And if they don't care about guys getting arrested, they don't care about character. 

And if (as we're now told) the guys who don't get arrested four times in six months don't like it, there will be problems in 2006, and beyond.

UPSHAW SHOULD UPSHUT

We pointed out on Sunday the curious decision of NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw to dump on the New England Patriots for their history of using five-year deals for second-round draft picks.

"That was New England's doing," Upshaw told Ron Borges of the Boston Globe.  "They were the ones who started forcing these guys to sign long-term deals.  Other teams followed and it got ridiculous.  These kids had no leverage.  They were being forced to give away free agency."

The comments were made in specific reference to Patriots receiver Deion Branch, a second-round pick in 2002 who is clamoring for a new contract even though he is still committed through the 2006 season.

We were pretty sure that the Patriots didn't blaze the trail in this regard, so we put on our "research dork" hat and tried to track down the hard evidence as to who got the ball rolling.

As it turns out, the first team to force second-round picks to sign five-year deals was the Raiders.

Stop and think about that one.  Upshaw was a long-time Raider.  ("Once a Raider, always a Raider.")  So instead of laying the blame on the team that launched this tactic, Upshaw goes out of his way to criticize a team that merely followed the trend.

Here's what we've learned.  The Raiders signed second-round picks to five-year deals in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 (with two separate picks), and 2005.

In 2003 and 2004, the team's second-round picks signed six-year deals.

The Patriots, on the other hand, didn't begin using five-year deals for second-round picks until 1999, a full four years after the Raiders.

Another intriguing connection here is that Upshaw's agent, Tom Condon, was fired by one of the Patriots' first-round picks a couple of years ago because the team insisted on six-year contracts for players taken late in round one, and Condon refused to have his name tied to such a deal.  So perhaps Condon, who is generally used to folks doing whatever he wants them to, has been whispering sweet somethings into Upshaw's ears regarding Condon's contempt for the Pats, given that specific incident.

So it was reckless (in our view) for Upshaw to spout off that the Patriots "started forcing these guys to sign long-term deals."  We're not saying he should have dumped on the Raiders -- he merely should not have blamed New England for something that the Raiders had done.

But facts rarely get in the way of a good sound bite.  Borges, a confirmed Pats-hater, wanted to stir the pot on the Deion Branch deal, and Upshaw was happy to oblige.

Despite all of that, we firmly believe that no team should be chastised for taking advantage of the rules that were collectively bargained by the NFL and the union that Upshaw runs.  If five-year deals for second-round picks were a problem, Upshaw had plenty of chances before 2006 to insist on a change to the CBA.  But he didn't. 

As a result, the primary responsibility for the predicament in which Deion Branch now finds himself falls squarely in Upshaw's lap.

TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis says that talks with RB Reggie Bush are "proceeding on a normal course."  (So is the war in Iraq.)

Joe Collegio of CFT reports that Michigan State's John L. Smith needs to win seven games this year to keep his job.

The finalists for the Commish job will face an interview with all 32 owners present.

Bengals DT Matthias Askew claims that police are trumping up charges against him to justify the fact that they gave him three shots from a Taser.

How can the Bucs and CB Ronde Barber agree to terms on a contract when they can't even agree on whether they're close to agreeing?  (Agree?)

The Pats have signed every pick except first-round RB Laurence Maroney.

Agent Bus Cook is working on a deal for Broncos first-round QB Jay Cutler.

Cowboys DE Greg Ellis will be showing up for camp.  (He's got 14,000 reasons to do so.  Every day.)

Chargers first-round CB Antonio Cromartie won't be signed in time for camp.

Packers LB A.J. Hawk likely broke out the frightened turtle on Monday night.

Cade McNown's new wife initially thought that her hubby was Wayne Gretzky's driver (which probably is more impressive than "failed former first-round quarterback").

POSTED 10:26 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2006

PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS:  NO. 12

Finally, we make it to the dozen teams we regard as most likely, at this stage of the offseason, to make it to the postseason.

First up -- a team that in 2005 was arguably one of the best franchises in NFL history not to make the playoffs.

The San Diego Chargers.

The end result could well be a lot worse than the playoffs for the Bolts, given the lingering feud between G.M. A.J. Smith and coach Marty Schottenheimer, which got so bad earlier this year that they were called to the principal's office.  Smith hates Schottenheimer and Schottenheimer hates Smith and we hate artichokes.

Warned that the Spanos family might clean house if the team doesn't go deep into the postseason in 2006, Smith and Schottenheimer had better get on the same page -- or they'll both be out the same door

It's a shame that they can't get along, because they have a talented team.  LaDainian Tomlinson is one of the best running backs in the game, Antonio Gates is one of the best tight ends, and linebacker Shawne Merriman is a rising star.  The roster generally is solid, and Schottenheimer is one of the greatest coaches of his era.

Okay, one of the greatest regular-season coaches. 

Quarterback Philip Rivers is the question mark this year, since he's finally getting his chance after two years on the sidelines.  Whether he can get it done remains to be seen, but if he fails it won't be because he hasn't had a chance to prepare.

For now, we're cautiously optimistic that the Chargers will use Tomlinson to help open up the passing lanes, and that the defense will help keep low the number of points that Rivers and company will need to win games.

And now the fantasy grades.

Quarterback:  Rivers is an unknown, and though we expect the Chargers to do well in the won-lost column, we'd wait to take him as a No. 2, and then be prepared to thrust him into the lineup if he tears it up early on.  He gets a C, but only because he's got no track record.

Running back:  LaDainian Tomlinson is the man.  More than 1,400 rushing yards.  More than 50 catches.  A whopping 20 touchdowns.  He's the top guy to get behind Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.  A+.

Wide receiver:  Keenan McCardell had steady numbers in 2005, but is one of the older pass-catchers around.  He gets a C+.

Tight end:  Antonio Gates quickly has become the measuring stick for tight ends.  He gets an A+ as tight ends go, but remember that there are plenty of receivers who will generate numbers as good or better.

Defense:  The Chargers are a solid but not spectacular unit, from a fantasy perspective.  Still, we've got a feeling that linebacker Shawne Merriman is going to have an L.T.-type coming out party in 2006, building on a Pro Bowl performance as a rookie.

Kicker:  Nate Kaeding is decent talent who might get more field goal attempts as Marty Schottenheimer goes more conservative than usual as Philip Rivers gets up to speed.  Nate gets a B.

POSTED 7:47 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2006

DOGRA, STEINER TO CAA

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that agents Jim Steiner and Ben Dogra are joining Creative Artists Agency, a Hollywood talent firm that added Tom Condon and Ken Kremer of IMG earlier this year.

We've learned separately that the deal technically isn't done, but it's close.

CAA made its first foray into football by acquiring the rights to market quarterback Matt Leinart.  After Condon jumped to CAA, Leinart swapped out Leigh Steinberg for Condon.

Dogra, formerly of SFX, has four first-rounders this year, including No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams and No. 7 pick Huff.

WE CONTINUE TO GET RIPPED OFF

On Friday night, we first reported that the NFL had increased holdout fines to $14,000 per day.

On Sunday, Ron Borges of the Boston Globe reported the same thing without attribution to us or acknowledgement that he wasn't the first to report this factoid.

On Monday, ESPN.com's Len Pastabelli credited Borges with breaking the news.

Well, we suppose that if Borges didn't get fired for beating some guy up while on the job and/or Pasquarelli didn't get poop-canned for using agent Hadley Englehard's password to hack into the NFLPA web site, neither will get in any trouble for something so insignificant like ripping off a podunk web site.

POSTED 7:09 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:24 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2006

HUFF COULD EARN $42 MILLION

A league source tells us that the contract to be signed by defensive back Michael Huff in Oakland has a "real" base value of $26.5 million over five years, with escalators and other incentives that could push the deal to more than $42 million.

And although it's a five-year deal, there's an option bonus that picks up the sixth year, with a term that can void the deal back to five based on performance.

More to come.

HUFF DEAL KILLS SIX-YEAR PACKAGES?

With Raiders defensive back Michael Huff agreeing to a five-year deal as the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, the real question is whether picks No. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16 will now refuse to ink six-year packages.

Under the new CBA, picks No. 1 through No. 16 may sign a rookie deal with a maximum length of six years.  For picks No. 17 through 32, the longest possible duration is five years.

Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley signed, in essence, a six-year deal as the No. 13 overall pick.  There is talk in league circles that one of the major sticking points between the Eagles and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, the No. 14 selection, is that the team wants a six-year deal.

Huff's contract gives plenty of ammunition for Brodrick and the others drafted after him who hope to hold firm at five years.

As one league insider told us on Monday afternoon, a sixth year is acceptable only if the player will get more than the anticipated amount of the franchise tender in the final season of the deal.  "The cap will be $160 million in 5 years," opined the source, which as the cap continues to rise will serve only to drive up the franchise tender amounts.

POSTED 5:34 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2006

RAIDERS INK HUFF

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Raiders have signed first-round draft pick Michael Huff to a five-year deal worth $22 million to $26.5 million, with $15 million in guaranteed money.

We're trying to get more details as to the structure.  Stay tuned.

The Raiders rookies are scheduled to report today, July 24.

POSTED 11:37 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:48 a.m. EDT, July 24, 2006

OUR TY LAW GUESS IS IN THE "RIGHT BALLPARK"

A league source with knowledge as to the contents of the contract signed by cornerback Ty Law with the Kansas City Chiefs tells us that our edumacated guess as the the value of the deal is in the "right ballpark."

We suggested last night that the deal entails a $4 million signing bonus and a $1 million base salary in 2006, and a sizeable option or roster bonus due in 2007.

The source also confirmed our suspicion that, if the deal were truly the blockbuster that the reports of five years and $30 million suggest, the Poston brothers would be crowing about the bonuses and guarantees.

Since they're not, it's fair to conclude that the deal doesn't include, for example, $10 million in guaranteed money.

So it's a year-to-year arrangement, with the Chiefs holding the option on whether the relationship will continue beyond this year.

CFT GOES LIVE IN BLACKSBURG TODAY

Attention Hokie fans -- Joe Collegio of Collegefootballtalk.com will be a guest today at 4:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN Radio 1430 AM in Blacksburg.  Joe will be talking Hokie football, CFTalk news and notes  -- and the new sentencing guidelines that may be applicable to Virginia Tech players this upcoming season. 

It's the first official radio appearance for our sister site.  

Meanwhile, the Grand Poobah of PFT will make appearances today on WDAE in Tampa with Steve Duemig at 5:15 p.m. EDT and on AOL Sports Bloggers Live.  (We rarely mention that kind of stuff in advance but since we're pimping for CFT we might as well toot our own tomato, too.)

POSTED 9:36 a.m. EDT, July 24, 2006

HOLDOUT FINES $16,000 PER DAY?

We recently reported that the daily fines for guys under contract who fail to attend training camp will be $14,000.  We're now hearing that the actual number might be a little higher.

As in $2,000 higher.

Regardless of whether the new fine amount is $14,000 or $16,000, the news comes as a surprise to most league insiders.  We're told that the teams generally didn't know the amount of the fines until last week, and that the agents (and thus the players) had no idea until the information was disclosed by us.

It's also not clear whether the increase was negotiated in March, or whether it's a term that was added after the fact.  The "Term Sheet" doesn't mention the fine increase, which could mean that the fine increase came later.

And if it happened that way, it wouldn't surprise us.  We're told that, because the owners were so focused on the revenue sharing issue at the time the revised Collective Bargaining Agreement was being hammered out, the owners didn't realize that the terms unrelated to the funding and application of the salary cap generally favored the union.  Thus, there has been pressure on the Management Council to even out the deal as talks regarding the final terms have continued.

But wasn't a deal done in March?  Yes, but there's enough play in the provisions to permit ongoing discussions.   Apparently, that's why there's still no new CBA with the revised terms reflected therein.

THE "GUARANTEED MONEY" FLAW

As the agents for the first-round draft picks continue to work toward getting their guys signed (or, as in the case of guys like Joel Segal, continue to sit on their hands with thumbs pointed north), one thing that everyone seems to be overlooking when adding up the value of the guarantees contained in the contracts is the time value of money.

Put simply, $1 million in hand today has a greater value than $1 million paid out in a year.

For example, a $5 million option bonus paid in March 2007 as opposed to a $5 million signing bonus has a present value (based on a discount rate of five percent) of roughly $4.85 million. 

The difference?  $150,000.

A more stunning example arises from the contract signed last year by 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.  Smith was eligible for a $4 million roster bonus to be paid in 2006, based on playing time.  The payment was backed up by guaranteed salary in the same amount for 2010.

Smith didn't qualify for the roster bonus, so he'll get the $4 million in 2010.  Using a five-percent discount rate, the present value of that $4 million is roughly $3.275 million. 

The difference?  $725,000.

Assessing the value of the payment at the time the deal was signed in 2005 -- when the total guaranteed money was reported by the media (and surely trumpeted by agent Tom Condon in his efforts to recruit guys like Matt Leinart) -- the net loss is more than $800,000.

In our view, two things need to happen.  First, the media needs to offer up the guaranteed money for these contracts in terms of present value.  It's not a difficult calculation, and when most of the first rounders are signed we'll get the details and crunch the numbers.

Second, agents need to account for the time value of money in negotiating the fallback guarantees.  In Smith's case, for example, the $4 million roster bonus should have been guaranteed by a payment in 2010 of $5 million or so.

Why isn't this happening?  For many of the agents, it's not about when the money is paid; they just want to be able to proclaim that they got "$20 million guaranteed!" for the player.

Even if the present value, taking all of the various devices into account, is off by a few million.

MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Still no hard numbers on the Ty Law deal.

More on the latest turd in the Bengals' toilet.

Reebok is launching a marketing campaign on July 31 with "six top National Football League players," including a guy whom the New York Times calls "Torry Halt."

The new Reebok commercials will involve each player describing the moment that he first realized he had a gift for the game.  (For Peyton Manning, it was on his sixth birthday, when he noticed that his head was twice the size of an official pigskin.)

The owners are meeting in Motown with an eye toward pushing the Commissioner selection process closer to the apparently inevitable conclusion, which will result in the promotion of Roger Goodell.

45,000 fans showed up for the Steelers celebration at Heinz Field, which included a Bon Jovi concert, player introductions, and periodic videotaped messages from Al Gore regarding the environment.  (Those three things go together like ham and eggs . . . and ipecac.)

Says Bucs LB Derrick Brooks on the twilight of his Tampa career:  "Everything is God's will, but hopefully me being with another team is not in [H]is will."  (Hey, Derrick -- God's got bigger issues on His plate right now.)

The "real" media is finally waking up to the issue of relationships between NFL teams and high-tech ticket scalpers.  (Good morning, guys.  What would you like for lunch?)

The Lions will hit the ground, um, hitting in camp.

(Editor's note:  We're watching MSNBC as we update the page, and there's some dude who makes a sound like he's working up a loogie whenever he says the word "Hezbollah." If anyone out there knows this guy, please tell him that if he doesn't stop it you'll smash his face into a jelly.)

Ricky Williams will undergo surgery on his broken left arm and miss at least four weeks.

Eagles S Brian Dawkins confirms that he has been talking with the team about a contract extension.

Eagles QB Koy Detmer played a little fullback on Sunday.

A deal between the Bucs and CB Ronde Barber isn't imminent.

Eagles S/KR J.R. Reed will participate in his first full-contact work since Super Bowl XXXIX.

POSTED 9:57 p.m. EDT, July 23, 2006

LAW'S DEAL LIKELY NOT A GREAT ONE

The early consensus in league circles is that the contract signed by cornerback Ty Law with the Chiefs is not a great deal.

Why?  Because hard numbers have yet to be leaked to the press by his agents, Carl and Kevin Poston.

For most contracts, the thinking is that if the details aren't made available within 24 hours, this means that the agent doesn't want the details to be scrutinized, which means that the details aren't great.

In the case of the Postons, the "24-hour rule" becomes the "24-minute rule."

A league source with knowledge of the Chiefs' negotiating strategies for free agents surmises that, given the absence of hard numbers, the package is likely a series of five one-year deals, with a sizeable roster bonus and/or an option bonus due in years two through five.

The educated guess as to the first-year money is a $4 million signing bonus and $1 million in salary, and that Law would get another $5 million or so in 2007 if the Chiefs decide to continue the deal.

POSTED 7:21 p.m. EDT, July 23, 2006

PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS:  NUMBER 13

Yes, we've missed a couple of days of this Power Rankings thing.  And we've received surprisingly few complaints about it.

Makes us wonder whether anyone really (sniff, honk) cares.

Well, we still care -- and we've got a baker's dozen of prime pastries still to offer up.  Now that we've waded through the Salisbury steak, we sure as hell aren't going to drop the ball as we get to the filet mignon table.

Of course, before we start plowing through the playoff-level teams, there's one small matter to deal with.  The last team that, per our list, is on the wrong side looking in (for now) on the postseason tournament.

The Dallas Cowboys.

They're a trendy pick to make it to the Super Bowl, due in large part to the addition of receiver Terrell Owens.

But even though T.O. is among the handful of NFL wideouts who can stretch the field and command double coverage, we don't think he's enough of a force to push a team that was merely on the fringes of the playoffs in 2005 to the top of the toughest division in the league.

Really, how much of a net impact did he have on the Eagles?  They'd been to the NFC title game three years in a row before he arrived, and they made it all of one step farther in 2004 -- with an injured Owens on the sidelines leading cheers and shouting for the only time in his Philly career, "We love we some we."

And the NFC East was a lot less competitive in 2004.  The Giants were breaking in Eli Manning, the Redskins were breaking in Joe Gibbs, and the Cowboys were breaking in Vinny Testaverde.

This time around, Owens lands in an NFC East that is far more competitive, and which might provide far stiffer challenges to his team, even when two defenders are tracking his every move.

The other newcomers of note on offense are linemen Kyle Kosier and Jason Fabini.  Long-time fixture Larry Allen is long gone.

On defense, La'Roi Glover got the boot, as an overdue byproduct of the team's switch to the 3-4.  Also gone is linebacker Dat Nguyen, who retired.

The new addition to an otherwise young defense is old-man safety Marcus Coleman. 

The draft brought linebacker Bobby Carpenter and tight end Anthony Fasano in the first two rounds.  Unless the Cowboys plan to make Fasano a lineman, it looks like there will be plenty of double-tight-end sets in the team's future, given the recent signing of Jason Witten to a long-term deal. 

The biggest question mark, in our view?  Can the offensive line give aging Drew Bledsoe enough time to get the ball to T.O., Terry Glenn, Witten, etc?  Think back to 2005, when Randy Moss landed in Oakland and the pundits were panting over the possibilities, given Kerry Collins' cannon arm.  The only problem was that Collins spent more time looking out of his earhole than he did searching for Moss in the secondary.

And if Bledsoe should get the Mo Lewis treatment in 2006, who takes Drew's place?  Tony Romo?  Drew Henson?

Bottom line -- the arrival of Owens has prompted most members of the media to overlook this potential flaw, and if Bledsoe can't get the ball into the hands of Owens on a consistent basis, it's going to get ugly very quickly in Big D.

Now, for the fantasy grades:

Quarterback:  Bledsoe was solid in 2005, and Owens should make him better.  His passer rating and his total yards were the highest since his first season in Buffalo.  He also started every game for the fourth straight season.  Still, his touchdowns-to-picks ratio was a little high, and we're concerned about those 3.1 sacks per game that he took in 2005.  He gets a B.

Running back:  Julius Jones was expected to be one of the top running backs in 2005.  He didn't even crack the 1,000 yard mark.  Whether he's the go-to guy is unclear at this point, given that Marion Barber matched him in average yards per carry.  Our guess is that they'll split touches, making Jones a C+ at best.

Wide receiver:  Owens remains one of the best in the sport, and he's good for roughly one touchdown per week.  With that said, we'd be leery about the guy, given everything that has happened over the past year.  In most leagues, there will be someone who'll make him one of the first few picks in the draft.  Even though we still rate him as an A-, let the guy or gal who's convinced he's an A+++ take him higher than he should go.  That said, we'd be sure to throw a middle-round pick on Terry Glenn, who will get plenty of single coverage across from Owens.  Glenn could be the SOFD.

Tight end:  Jason Witten's numbers weren't far behind Keyshawn Johnson's last year, and Witten likely will get plenty of looks down the middle as defenses try to cope with T.O. and T.G.  We give Witten a B.

Defense:  A middle of the pack unit in 2005.  Pick them if all of the obvious targets are gone.

Kicker:  Mike Vanderjagt likely will get drafted higher than he should in most leagues, based on name recognition and 2005 numbers.  But he still could have a solid year in Dallas.  We give him a B+.

We can already hear the click-click-clicking of the new e-mails flooding into the box.

Our sister site collegefootballtalk.com is reporting that the professor that started all the academic accusations at Auburn is now talking like a bearded clam. Do us a favor and visit the site -- if it does well maybe we can ship Dante's butt over there.