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POSTED 8:41 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:03 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2006
ROMO PLAYS IT SAFE
With all indications suggesting Cowboys backup Tony Romo is the team's quarterback of the not-so-distant future, Romo has opted to sign a new contract that is, in essence, a one-year extension worth $3 million.
Contrary to reports that Romo was due to make the league minimum in 2006, NFLPA records indicate that Romo was scheduled to earn $900,000. He'll earn that same base salary under the new deal, and he'll also receive a $2 million signing bonus and a $1 million salary in 2007. The cap numbers are $1.9 million in 2006, and $2 million in 2007.
Not bad for a former undrafted free agent who played his college ball at the Division I-AA level. But the guy could have been in line to be one of the darlings of the 2007 free-agent class, with enough positive buzz in the preseason to get him the kind of contract that backup players like Scott Mitchell and Rob Johnson received in past years upon hitting the market.
Though it's entirely possible that the team plans to take care of Romo if he ends up becoming the starter come 2007 or sooner, the reality is that they can, if they so choose, force Romo to prove that he can get it done before paying him.
And if his performance is mediocre or worse in 2007, there won't be much of a market for him. If he becomes the next great Cowboys quarterback in the tradition of Staubach and Aikman, the team can apply the franchise tag and then negotiate a long-term deal.
Either way, Romo has opted to give up his chance at free agency for a mere $2 million. In a league where quality quarterbacks are at a premium and Romo is already generating comparisons to Brett Favre, that's simply too low of a payment to justify giving up an opportunity to take part in the early March smorgasbord. Along the way, a total of zero passes were thrown to Owens.
NFL NETWORK PUMPS UP THE RATINGS
For roughly an hour prior to the start of Thursday night's Vikings-Cowboys game, the guys at NFL Network were reporting that Dallas receiver Terrell Owens would start the game.
And then, with the 8:00 p.m. EDT audience locked in on their Nielsen boxes, the game began. Without T.O.
But even as the game got going absent Owens, the crawl on the bottom of the screen continued to air as "breaking news" the erroneous report that Owens would start.
For the next 40 minutes, Rich Eisen and Butch Davis could barely contain their girlish glee regarding the absence of Owens. Did he pull himself out of the game? When will he play? Why dress him and not play him? Do these dresses make us look fat?
Look, we've been as guilty as anyone of focusing too much on the Owens story, but this was a ridiculous display. Frankly, it makes us wonder whether the unspoken goal was to build and retain an audience for a pinball routine through a dozen meaningless games even less meaningful than usual.
Finally, T.O. entered the field of play at 8:44 p.m. On the third play from scrimmage, Owens ran a deep pattern. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe was flushed out of the pocket and couldn't get it to him. The drive got inside the Minnesota ten, but Bledsoe coughed up a wounded ostrich on a busted play, and the ball was intercepted.
BUH-BYE, BROOKS
The New York Jets have eased their logjam at quarterback by trading backup Brooks Bollinger to the Minnesota Vikings, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
In return, the Jets get nose tackle C.J. Mosley and an undisclosed draft pick.
Curiously, there were reports that Bollinger would start New York's preseason finale on Friday night.
The move is very bad news for Mike McMahon, the current No. 2 guy on the depth chart who is now likely to be cut. Bollinger or second-round rookie Tarvaris Jackson will become the primary backup.
POSTED 3:36 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:55 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2006
AGENTS HOUNDING IRONS BROTHERS?
The Huntsville (Ala.) Times reports that Auburn University strongly denies rumors that tailback Kenny Irons and cornerback David Irons are in hot water with the NCAA for dealings with an NFL agent.
Mark Richard, the Tigers' "senior associate athletic director for team support" (and also assistant to the traveling secretary) says that Internet and talk radio rumors of trouble for the Ironseses are "totally untrue."
Per the Times, the father of the two players, David Irons Sr., made a report to the NFLPA after an agent continued to attempt to make contact with Kenny Irons after the father (a former agent himself) decided that the agent in question "wasn't qualified" to represent his sons.
The problem is that there's no violation of NCAA or NFLPA regulations for making contact (or attempting to make contact) with a college player. From the NCAA's standpoint, trouble arises if money or anything of value is given to an eligible player or his family, or if there's any type of agreement that the agent will represent the player (even a verbal agreement that they'll enter into a written agreement once the player's eligibility expires).
It's also not against the rules for the father of an eligible player to make it known to prospective agents that, for example, representing his son will require $300,000 up front as an advance on the marketing guarantee, and a new car. It's only a violation of NCAA rules if the money and/or the car changes hands while the player is still eligible, or if there's a verbal agreement that the money and/or the car will arrive after eligibility has ended.
For the agents involved, it's always a violation of NFLPA regulations to give money or anything of value to a player as an inducement to sign.
Confused? We sure are. And that's why we're convinced that the NCAA and the NFLPA should work together to establish clear guidelines that take into account the realities of the recruitment of college players by agents and their runners. There are plenty of players and parents asking for money -- and there are plenty of agents who are happy to oblige. Surely, there's a way to rein this stuff in.
DAVIS SIGNING WITH RAMS ON FRIDAY?
We're hearing that free-agent running back Stephen Davis could be joining the Rams as soon as Friday.
Davis previously has visited the Eagles and the Rams. He was cut while injured in 2005 by the Panthers, and (as our pal Howard Balzer told us last week) will receive $275,000 from the Panthers in 2006 -- but only if he doesn't sign with another team.
Once he inks with the Rams (or anyone else), the Panthers are off the hook.
This gives rise to two problems for Davis. First, if he's cut by the Rams before the start of the season, he gets nothing from the Rams, or from the Panthers. Second, because he's guaranteed to make $275,000 this year, the extra benefit from playing is only $535,000, assuming he signs a one-year deal for the 10-year veteran minimum. If he has one more year in the tank, it might make sense to sit on the $275,000 in 2006, and come back in 2007 for one more year at the full $810,000.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS
The Jets have traded the guy who was supposed to replace Anthony Becht to the team that signed Anthony Becht.
The Jets have acquired TE Sean Ryan from the Cowboys.
The folks who run the Superdome claim in a lawsuit that the roof shouldn't have blown away.
Roger Goodell officially becomes the Commissioner at 6:00 a.m. Friday (his first official act, then, will be to empty his bladder).
Ron Hill is the NFL's new V.P. of football operations.
POSTED 3:00 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2006
VOLEK WILL WAIVE NO-TRADE CLAUSE (DUH)
Let's see. . . . quarterback Billy Volek was the presumptive opening-day starter for the Titans. On Monday, the Titans suddenly and surprisingly signed Kerry Collins, paying him more than Volek for 2006. Instantly, Volek's reps with the first-team were cut, and Volek wasn't happy about it.
So now Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com reports Volek will waive the no-trade clause contained in his contract.
Our official reaction: "No sh-t."
This "story" is, in our estimation, yet another thinly-veiled effort by Pasquarelli to help out yet another of the agents who have him on speed dial whenever there's yet another nugget of news to be spoon fed to the media.
This time, the agent isn't Joel Segal. It's Drew Rosenhaus. But the goal for Volek is the same that it was for Todd Pinkston: To get a player traded at his seven-figure salary so that he won't end up having to take a one-year deal for the minimum.
In this case, Len predicts that there will be a "healthy market" for Volek's services, but Len also suggests that Volek might be released by the Titans.
Inconsistent? Not at all.
Writes Len, regarding the possibility that Volek will be cut: "[I]f that occurs, Volek will become a free agent, able to sign with anyone, and the number of franchises bidding for him figures to increase. Trading for him would allow a team to inherit his contract, which has two seasons remaining, at palatable prices."
So if Volek can make more money via a bidding war, why in the hell would Volek waive the no-trade clause? He'd be smarter to dig in his heels and force the Titans to keep him (and pay him $1 million) or cut him (and let him make more elsewhere).
But we believe that Rosenhaus fears Volek won't make $1 million this year via the open market, and that Rosenhaus persuaded Len to do him a favor by cobbling together a story that possibly facilitates a trade.
So Len gets a two-for-one. He has some Thursday afternoon "news" -- and now Drew owes him a favor.
POSTED 9:01 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:14 a.m. EDT, August 31, 2006
PRESSURE MOUNTS ON NFL TO TACKLE HGH
A leading steroids opponent questioned on Thursday the National Football League's inexplicable "don't ask, don't test" approach to the question of whether and to what extent players are using human growth hormone, or HGH.
The NFL doesn't test for HGH, supposedly because the league believes that current tests used by the Olympics aren't reliable. (We think the issue also presents a delicate question of labor relations, since the existing method requires blood to be drawn.)
Said Dr. Gary Wadler, following an appearance before a U.S. House of Representatives committee that is attempting to eradicate steroids from all sports: "It seems to me if you are sending a message you are not going to test, what you are really saying is you can, in essence, use [HGH] with impunity. Why Major League Baseball and the [NFL] have taken such a strong position on [not testing for HGH] is unclear to me. The Dr. Shortt case just underscores that we cannot be so dismissive of the issue of human growth hormone."
The "Dr. Shortt case" is, of course, the situation that unfolded three years ago in Carolina, where six members of the team were using all sorts of prohibited substances, including HGH. The public reaction to that case has been the equivalent of a half-hearted shoulder shrug.
At the same event, the NFL's counsel on labor relations, Adolpho Birch, said that the league and the NFLPA have established a pool in the amount of $500,000 in order to "concentrate our resources on a simpler and more effective [HGH] test." (By "simpler" test, we think that Birch is referring to a urine test, which would be a far easier sell at the bargaining table than blood tests.)
But Dr. Wadler isn't impressed with the $500,000 commitment. "We're talking in the millions of dollars, not the hundred of thousands. It's an exquisitely complicated subject."
Frankly, we're not impressed, either. We believe that most football fans are inclined to turn a deaf eye (or is it blind ear?) to the problem because they want nothing to tarnish in any way their enjoyment of pro football. But something needs to be done before the NFL has its Jose Canseco moment, when a recently retired player with moderate-to-high name recognition writes a book that blows the whistle on the problem, and then all hell breaks loose.
So with the billions in revenue that the NFL and the NFLPA are generating, we think that it would be very wise to spend a lot more than $500,000 on the issue.
Bottom line -- if you don't take good care of the goose that lays the golden eggs, the goose might eventually stop laying them. When considering the damage that the exposure of rampant chemical cheating has done to baseball, it's shocking to us that the NFL isn't doing everything in its power to avoid a similar fate.
JAVON TEES OFF ON PACKERS
Former Packers receiver Javon Walker is glad to be out of Green Bay, and with the Denver Broncos. But he needs to learn to be more candid with his feelings.
"Obviously, we have a chance to be a Super Bowl team," Walker told Bill Williamson of the Denver Post on Wednesday. "Obviously, they have a chance to win four games."
Walker was traded to the Broncos for a second-round pick in April with one season left on his rookie deal. He threatened to hold out of training camp in 2005 if he didn't get a big-money extension, but in the end he reported.
And then he tore an ACL in the first game of the regular season.
"It just made me happy to know I'm here and not dealing with that anymore," Walker added. "This is a winning organization, and I'm better off here."
Whether Walker feels that way after the 2006 season remains to be seen; his much-hyped contract with the Broncos is in essence a one-year deal with a team option for the remainder. So if he doesn't live up to the investment that has been made, he might not be in Denver when his old team comes to town in 2007.
THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
RB Willie Parker, QB Ben Roethlisberger, and several other starters won't play in tonight's preseason finale for the Steelers.
QB Jon Kitna won't play for the Lions on Thursday night.
Could the Cutler-Leinart matchup in the Broncos-Cards preseason finale be a preview of an eventual Super Bowl rendezvous?
Lord Favre will be having fewer audiences with the commoners.
QB Brooks Bollinger is the Jets starter! (Oh, tomorrow night only.)
It looks like Tom Cruise could land the lead role in The Drew Brees Story.
Tony Kornholer is still trying to get people to think he's done "zero prep" for his MNF gig.
In the battle of Shane Boyd vs. Omar Jacobs, the loser gets cut -- and the winner probably gets cut, too.
Every once in a while, we come across a story that makes us say, "That's just freakin' gay." (Not that there's anything wrong with it.)
What's the best way for Lions WR Charles Rogers to make good use of his "extensive" playing time in the preseason finale? How about breaking a collarbone and landing on IR -- it might be the only way for him to get paid this year.
SI has doomed the Fins and the Panthers.
Asked for a comment regarding his release by the Eagles on Wednesday, WR Todd Pinkston said, "Don't hit me."
The release of QB Koy Detmer means that the Eagles will have a new holder for the first time in eight years.
Eagles rookie WR Jason Avant practiced with the first team, as the slot receiver.
Will Chiefs LB Keyaron Fox bump Kendrell Bell to the bench?
Bengals QB Carson Palmer will play for a couple of series against the Colts.
The pre-Subway Jared will get some much-needed exercise tonight.
If you can't qualify for the big game, why not host it?
Bengals rookie CB Johnathan Joseph has beaten out Keiwan Ratliff for the nickel spot.
POSTED 7:48 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:20 p.m. EDT, August 30, 2006
WILLIE TAKES THE FAST CASH
Trading in the risk that he'll be seriously injured while operating under a one-year, $425,000 deal that he signed earlier this year as an exclusive rights free agent, Steelers running back Willie Parker signed a four-year, $13.6 million deal, which includes a $3.75 million signing bonus.
So now he's tied up through 2009, during which time the salary cap will continue to grow at unprecedented rates. And when he hits the open market, he'll be 29.
Conventional wisdom in the NFL is that high-end running backs only get one shot at a big-money, long-term deal. For Parker, chances are that he won't be in line for a mega contract after five more seasons of moving the chains, especially if he's going to inherit the bruising short-yardage role previously filled by Jerome Bettis.
Though we're not saying it was a bad move for Parker to take less money right now, he could have been in line for a deal in the range of five years and $25 million, which is the going benchmark for backs not named Edgerrin James or Shaun Alexander, if Parker had made it through 2006 healthy and effective.
So in exchange for taking less money than he might have gotten in the future but getting more security than he otherwise would have had in the present, we don't want to hear Parker or his agent talking about how Willie has "outperformed" his deal if he churns out 1,500 yards and/or 15 touchdowns over each of the next two seasons. His job is to perform to the best of his ability, regardless of compensation. If he turns out to be another Amos Zereoue, Parker doesn't have to pay back the $3.75 million signing bonus. If he turns out to be another Jerome Bettis, Parker likewise has no right to hold up the team for a raise.
Put simply, in exchange for transferring to the team the risk that he'll turn out to be an overpaid one-year wonder, Parker is assuming the risk that he'll be an underpaid superstar.
T.O. MIGHT G.O. ON THURSDAY
Terrell Owens' gimpy hamstring has made an apparently miraculous recovery, allowing him to practice for two straight days and possibly to play on Thursday night at home against the Vikings.
It all makes us wonder what in the hell is, was, has been, and/or will be going on in Big D. Did the Tuna finally push the right buttons with Owens behind the scenes, telling him that if he didn't get his ass off of that damn bike he'd be riding it in his living room through December? Or did owner Jerry Jones read Owens and/or agent Drew Rosenhaus the riot act after the team's imposition of $9,500 in fines on Owens for missing meetings indirectly made Jones look like stoopid for sticking his neck out when no one else wanted T.O.?
Or did Owens simply pay a visit to Ernest Angley?
Hamstring demons, come out! (Asshole demons, too.)
Either way, it's too strange of a development given an injury that just a week ago seemed to be too serious to permit T.O. to play in the team's final preseason game.
MORE RADIO CRAPOLA
Our web of weekly radio appearances is continuing to expand, and we'll be making a big leap west of the Mississippi on Friday, when we stop by the Dino Costa show, which can be heard in Denver and in 87 percent of Colorado.
We also did our Tuesday night thing with Todd Wright on Sporting News Radio, which can be heard in full right here.
Joe Collegio continues to do his radio thing on the CFT beat, but we figure he'll pretty much piss off everyone that he deals with before too long. (It's one of the few things that he and Dante have in common.)
WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS
Lions WR Charles Rogers is tempting fate.
The most talented team on which Lord Favre has ever played had better get it's sh-t together, and soon.
The Bucs have bailed on QB Jay Fiedler.
Santurdio's accuser will drop the charges if he agrees to get counseling.
Uncle Rico might make his first start in the Titans' preseason finale.
Does Colts K Adam Vinatieri have a broken ankle?
The NFL Network and Time Warner are still pissed at each other.
Let's get this straight -- Pink Taco, no . . . Pink, yes?
Is this Pink, or Brian Bosworth in drag?
Sixth-round S Antoine Bethea could start in Week One for the Colts.
Browns RB Lee Suggs and RB William Green are both in danger of getting cut.
The NFL Network is expanding its coverage of college football.
Congress is getting interested in steroids in the NFL.
P
OSTED 2:17 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:59 p.m. EDT, August 30, 2006MRS. GIBBS IS CRACKING THE WHIP (AGAIN)
Despite prior rumblings that Redskins coach Joe Gibbs will spend two more seasons in the NFL before returning full-time to NASCAR, we're now hearing that Mrs. Gibbs is pushing him to pack it in after the 2006 season.
Word is that Gibbs, who'll turn 66 in November, is starting to feel the physical effects of the day-to-day grind of being an NFL head coach. Gibbs has diabetes, and in May 2005 a stent was placed into one of his coronary arteries.
The stress on Gibbs figures to be higher in 2006, given that the team is saddled with legitimately high expectations for the first time since the 2000 season.
When Gibbs returned to coach the Redskins in 2004, we heard that Mrs. Gibbs was a driving force behind the move, since it enabled son Coy Gibbs to get from behind the wheel of a race car/truck and launch a career in coaching. Coy still serves as an offensive assistant with the Redskins, and it remains to be seen whether his career will continue in D.C. or elsewhere after the head coach walks away.
PASQUARELLI PISSING AWAY HIS CREDIBILITY
As ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli continues to shamelessly pimp receiver Todd Pinkston, who is represented by Len friend Joel Segal, Pasquarelli is (in our opinion) running the risk of permanently tarnishing his credibility -- all in the interests of preserving his pipeline with Segal.
We believe that, in Len's world, "journalism" isn't about rolling up his sleeves and chasing down leads; it's about establishing mutual-back-scratching relationships, primarily with agents, who'll then spoon feed him scoops as long as he "pumps them up" in print.
Case in point -- agent Hadley Englehard got in hot water a couple of years ago for giving Len his password to the NFLPA database regarding transactions and other stuff not publicly available. Len, by all appearances, suffered no consequence.
In this case, Len is preserving and/or advancing his situation with Segal by helping him to get Pinkston placed with a new team.
And more people are starting to figure it out.
As one reader asked us in response
to Len's apparent belief that the only difference between T.P. and T.O. is that
Pinkston has a lingering Achilles problem, "I
am wondering how I can believe anything Pasquarelli writes anymore? Is he
a reporter or a billboard for the agents who he is friends with?
Observes another PFT regular: "When Len says Stinkston was the victim of the 'Depth Chart', is there any chance the Depth Chart hits free agency, and is the Depth Chart a good fantasy pickup?"
Another reader has asked that we post a complete list of all of Segal's clients, so that folks will be able to know whether to ignore something good Len has to say about a given player. Actually, we think that's a pretty good idea.
Stay tuned.
PASQUARELLI-SEGAL PLAY KEPT PINKSTON FROM GETTING TRADED?
A league source tells us that there was some mild trade interest in receiver Todd Pinkston, but that the market abruptly dried up after ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli posted a story on Tuesday proclaiming that Pinkston was available.
The thinking is that the interested teams, cognizant of the relationship between Pasquarelli and Segal, saw the story as a desperate attempt to get Pinkston and his $1.48 million salary in 2006 moved to a new NFL city.
Per the source, the Eagles believed on Tuesday that they could get a conditional sixth-round pick for Pinkston. But the Eagles had no takers as of Wednesday morning, so they opted to cut the cord.
The fact that Pinkston survived the first wave of cuts (the deadline for which was Tuesday) but then was released a day later indicates that the team held out some hope for a trade.
The abrupt move also suggests that the Eagles wanted to clear Pinkston out of town before either he or Segal tried to claim that the receiver wasn't healthy, which could have forced an injury settlement or set the stage for a grievance. And the worst-case scenario would have unfolded if Pinkston had suffered either during practice or during the team's preseason finale on Friday night a season-ending injury, which would have entitled him to every penny of his $1.48 million in base pay.
POSTED 11:48 a.m. EDT, August 30, 2006
SAYONARA, STINKSTON
Less than 24 hours after ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli posted a puff piece regarding "news" that the Philadelphia Eagles have given receiver Todd Pinkston and his agent Joel Segal permission to seek a trade, the Eagles have made the process far easier for Segal.
On Wednesday morning, the Eagles released Pinkston and quarterback Koy Detmer.
The Eagles also have re-signed quarterback A.J. Feeley, who was traded two years ago to the Dolphins for a second-round draft pick. Feeley was recently released by the Chargers.
The return of Feeley calls into question, in our view, the status of Jeff Garcia, who was signed in the offseason to be Donovan McNabb's primary backup.
POSTED 9:24 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:46 a.m. EDT, August 30, 2006
UPSHAW CLAIMS THERE'S NO NEED FOR MORE TESTING
In response to a fresh wave of attention being paid to the still-prevalent issue of steroids in pro football, the executive director of the NFL Players Association says that no additional testing is needed.
"Our testing is sufficient and we did not discuss increasing the number of tests in our [CBA] extension," Upshaw told the New York Daily News. "We have been very aggressive in our program and have always done what is best to protect our players' health. Our current program is working and there is no need to increase testing."
As to recent reports that six members of the 2003 Carolina Panthers took steroids and human growth hormone, Upshaw said, "One of the Carolina players was in the program. I will not discuss which one."
Upshaw's apparent intent was to suggest that, since one of the players had tested positive for steroids, then the testing program must be working. "If you cheat in the NFL and use performance-enhancing drugs," Upshaw says, "you will get caught.'"
But what about the other five guys?
And, frankly, it appears that Upshaw's contention might be incorrect. Given the terms of the steroid policy, the first positive test results in a four-game suspension. If none of the six Carolina players had ever been suspended for four games, then none of them had ever tested positive for steroids, and thus none of them were ever "in the program." Indeed, an Internet search of each of the six players' names plus the word "suspend" produced no evidence that any of them ever were forced to sit out any NFL games.
The other intriguing aspect of Upshaw's claim is that, by disclosing that one of six men was in the program, he necessarily has violated the confidentiality of the policy. Though the policy doesn't specify the potential penalties for union employees in this regard, an NFL team or team employee who does so becomes subject to a fine of up to $500,000.
The biggest problem, as we see it, is the issue of human growth hormone and the failure of the NFL to test for it. We've previously heard that plenty of NFL players are using HGH and will continue to do so until there's a reasonable chance of getting busted.
The NFL and the NFLPA have indicated that there are no plans to adopt the testing protocol for HGH currently utilized by the Olympics, which entails blood analysis. The league and the union contend that the test used by the Olympics is not reliable.
But if it's good enough for the Olympics, how is it not good enough for the NFL? Moreover, it's hard for us not to consider whether the claims of unreliability are merely a pretext for reluctance by the union to subject its players to far more invasive sample collection procedures and an unwillingness by the league to make the financial concessions necessary to secure the ability to do so.
So to clarify Upshaw's statement: If you cheat, you will be caught. Unless you cheat by using HGH.
BUYER BEWARE ON PINKSTON
For anyone who might be interested in throwing a seventh-round draft pick (or maybe something slightly more valuable like a block of government cheese) to the Eagles for receiver Todd Pinkston, we highly recommend that you review this clip from YouTube of Stinkston displaying what Joey Sunshine aptly dubs "alligator body."
It's a play from an Eagles-Redskins game on ESPN's Sunday night football, and Pinkston while tracking down a long pass turns his shoulder to avoid a hit from safety Ryan Clark.
"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Theismann "You've heard of alligator arms, this is alligator body. Todd Pinkston has got a touchdown. . . . He does not wanna get hit. . . . This is a great way to lose your job as a receiver in the National Football League."
So as to that classic question posed by ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli as to whether Penner and Mac of WFNZ in Charlotte have "ever gone over the middle against an NFL secondary," the correct answer is "No . . . and neither has Todd Stinkston."
Back to Joey Sunshine, we'll admit that it pains us to give him props for calling out Stinkston's yellow-streak behavior. But, then again, we've got a feeling that there's another clip floating around in cyberspace from another Eagles-Redskins game in which Stinkston makes a similar "please don't hurt me" move, and Joey Sunshine offers up something like this:
"You know, the challenge in the National Football League is to stay healthy for seventeen weeks. And if a player believes that he's going to put himself in danger just to make one play in one game, then I think he should do everything in his power to protect his body. Todd Pinkston just helped his team by ensuring that he'd be able to continue to play football this season. Good for him."
MORE SHIRTS ON THE WAY
As the orders for the new PFT T-shirts and jerseys continue to roll in, we've got a new shipment arriving Friday.
And due to popular demand, we now have XXL-sized jerseys for all you Len Pasquarelli clones out there, and small and medium for the salad eaters in the crowd. (For the T-shirts, the sizes are still only large and XL.)
Finally, for the seven or eight of you out there who are partial to CFT, we've also got new jerseys and shirts bearing our sister site's info. (They'll definitely be collector's items, since only a dozen of them will ever be made.)
WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
The deadline is still set for Friday for WR Deion Branch to arrange a trade out of New England.
The State of Ohio vs. Santurdio gets underway on Wednesday.
The Redskins signed P Eddie Johnson on Tuesday, and cut him after only one practice.
Steelers RT Max Starks has a right knee injury.
There's nothing better than watching guys having fun with a T.O. bobblehead.
Pats owner Bob Kraft says that there's a "strong possibility" that the team will play in China next summer.
Cards RB J.J. Arrington concedes that, as a rookie, he played like J.J. Walker.
Bucs QB Jay Fiedler might not play at all in 2006.
The folks at Wikipedia take a shot at Todd Stinkston.
After 19 snaps against the Bengals on Monday night, Packers RB Ahman Green won't play in the preseason finale.
Wali Lundy could be Gary Kubiak's Terrell Davis in Houston.
Ernesto is getting the George Bush treatment from the Nicktator.
Pats RB Corey Dillon says that his recent eye injury was not the result of a finger, but of his helmet.
POSTED 7:32 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:30 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2006
NEWS FLASH -- STINKSTON ON THE BLOCK
Less than a week after we posted a 48-second radio spot in which ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli nearly threatens to throw down with Penner and Mac of WFNZ in Charlotte after they dissed Eagles receiver Todd Pinkston, the P-man is once again declaring his man-love for the pad-wearing scarecrow by making a cannonball splash with the news that Pinkston and agent Joe Segal have received permission to seek a trade.
Stop the freakin' presses, baby. Stinkston is available!
The story isn't only on the ESPN.com NFL page, but as of this posting it's smack-dab in the middle of the ESPN.com front page. (Len now owes someone in the editorial department a huge favor.)
And Len takes his devotion to Pinkston and Segal to new heights by suggesting that "[a]t least two of the three receiver-needy franchises would likely view Pinkston as a starter, if he is healthy."
Would "likely" view Pinkston as a starter? "Likely"? (Gee, who's the source on that?)
Pinkston is expendable because the Eagles have acquired receiver Donte' Stallworth. And as Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported on Tuesday's Total Access, Pinkston will likely be cut unless the Eagles suffer an injury elsewhere on the depth chart at the wideout position.
We've already received a flood of e-mails from readers, who based on our past reports can see right through what Len is doing. He's trying to help out his pal Joel by propping up a Segal client whose NFL career is quickly swirling down the drain.
Pinkston? A starter? That's almost as funny as hearing Joey Sunshine say that college quarterbacks turned receivers can only be successful if they're short.
TUESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS
Billy Volek is getting upset.
The Vikings worked out a mystery receiver on Tuesday.
J.P. Losman will be the starting quarterback again in Buffalo.
Rookie WR/KR Jeremy Bloom has landed on IR with a chronic hamstring problem.
What does Matt Leinart have in common with Peyton Manning while losing to the Steelers in the playoffs? Apparently, they both have had some protection problems.
Chad Pennington is the Jets' starting quarterback.
The Ravens have dropped a couple of guys onto IR.
Though Mark Wahlberg's acting was stiffer than Al Gore in a room full of ass-pinching oil execs, the action sequences from the film Invincible make it a can't-miss for any football fan.
The Lions have placed WR Scottie Vines on the PUP list.
The Pats cuts included CB Hank Poteat.
The Bucs have dumped some players and placed QB Luke McCown on the PUP list.
The Fins have placed OL Seth McKinney on IR.
The Broncos' cuts include CB Willie Middlebrooks.
The Packers have made their first cuts, and have signed a kicker of whom we've never heard.
The Bengals have cut LB Hannibal Navies.
The Jags have placed OT Mike Williams on IR, and have cut WR Troy Edwards and K Seth Marler.
Ryan Fitzpatrick and Dave Ragone are fighting for the bottom rung on the depth chart.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says that QB Carson Palmer is "not peanut brittle." (Actually, his ACL snapped more like a stale Twix.)
The one question we would've asked if interviewing Colts CB Nick Harper: "Can we see your scar?"
As it turns out, Reggie Bush wasted his money buying Fred McAfee's number.
The Soup Nazi seems to be souring on Sinorice.
The Seahawks have placed S Mike Green on IR.
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OSTED 8:53 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:38 a.m. EDT, August 29, 2006PETERSON GIVES NFLPA PRIME OPPORTUNITY
In a Monday feature in USA Today, Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson acknowledges that a guy who apparently is an agent approached him at an NBA All-Star function in Houston, and offered Peterson money.
"I can help you financially right now," Peterson was told. "Anything you need, I can give it to you. Whatever amount you ask for. Ten. Twenty. Whatever."
Obviously, such an offer is a clear violation of the regulations applicable to NFLPA-certified contract representatives. It also could be illegal, depending on the niceties of the jurisdiction in which it occurred. (Then again, we're talking about Texas, where there likely are more than two "pro" football teams.)
Memo to the NFLPA: How about sending someone to Norman to have a sit-down with Peterson in an effort to find out who it was?
Though we've always sensed that the players union is, in the abstract, serious about nailing guys who give money and/or other things of value to college players and/or their families, we've never gotten the impression that the NFLPA has actually applied any creativity or elbow grease to cracking down on the problem, which we believe based on things we've heard over the last five years is widespread and, at times, rampant.
This specific example shows that the NFLPA should have on file a photograph of every certified agent, which can then be shown to any player who reports to his coach or compliance office that he has been approached about getting paid. Ditto for any "runners," who already must be identified in the agreement signed by player and agent so that the kid will have a chance to realize that anyone who was giving him "friendly advice" might have something called a "financial stake" in the decision.
In our view, the mere fact of having photos on file and a mechanism in place to quickly use them will disrupt the manner in which the money gets spread around.
Of course, identifying a guy in a photo is just the starting point. The next question is whether it can be shown that the guy was in town at the time of the alleged contact, and whether he was in the place where the offer was even made. Travel invoices, credit card bills, and cell phone records should help toward that end.
But let's take all of this one step farther. How about the NCAA and the NFLPA getting together to catch one of these guys in the act via a sting operation? All they'd need is a high-profile player who agrees to cooperate as a condition for, say, having his eligibility automatically restored if he trips over one of the myriad NCAA rules and regulations. Then, the player starts getting the word out that he's going to sign with whoever gives him $50,000.
We predict that, at first, it'd be like fishing in a pond freshly stocked with food-deprived trout. If, in fact, the NCAA and the NFLPA could introduce such an exercise with multiple programs in the same recruiting season, several agents likely would be nailed -- and some agents might be caught several times.
But like many ideas that make perfect sense, our guess is that this one will never see the light of day.
Then again, maybe it's already happening. As one league insider told us this morning, a mere rumor that a sting operation is in the works would go a long way toward cutting off the flow of cash.
MARKETING GUARANTEES GETTING OUT OF HAND
Along the lines of players getting paid to sign with agents, one of the ways to circumvent the rules prohibiting cash inducements is the so-called "marketing guarantee."
Technically permissible under NFLPA regulations, a marketing guarantee is used to promise a player a minimum amount of endorsement money. If the agent can't raise that amount of endorsement money it comes out of the agent's pocket.
In theory, it's no different than promising the player cash money. But since it's tied to money that might ultimately be earned via off-field endeavors, it's allowed to occur.
Still, we think that the NFLPA should re-think this issue, or at least consider capping the amount of the guarantee that can be made, given that we've heard for the first time that a player has been offered a marketing guarantee in the amount of $500,000.
Though we won't identify the agency just yet, we're told that the guy is receiver Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech, the highest rated player in the National scouting scores.
So this means that, if Johnson signs with that agency, he'll get paid $500,000 either from sponsors or from his agent, or from a mixture of both.
How is that any different than giving a guy $10,000 in small bills?
We think it isn't, and we think that the NFLPA needs to intervene. The purpose of the prohibition on cash payments is (we presume) to ensure that the players make decisions about their agents based on merit. How in the hell can a kid do that when he knows that he's going to have at least 500 large in his pockets, no matter where he's drafted or whether he gets hit by a truck before signing his rookie deal?
He can't, and it's a loophole that the NFLPA needs to close.
SHIRTS SELLING LIKE HOTCAKES . . . OR LIKE REALLY COOL SHIRTS
As we pause to take a breath from the processing of orders for the new PFT/CFT T-shirts and jerseys, we want to thank everyone who already has purchased one.
And we've just been informed by inventory boy Dante that the first run of the T-shirts and jerseys is sold out.
Get your orders in now so that you'll get one from the next batch.
Yours truly received four samples of the new jerseys in the mail yesterday, and my Monday through Thursday fall wardrobe was set -- until Florio Jr. grabbed two of the shirts and disappeared.
So support the site: Keep buying the shirts. You can get one for yourself, and one for your masculine child . . . whether it be a boy, or a girl.
TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
Falcons MLB Ed Hartwell might miss the first two games of the regular season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both knees.
Amazingly, we've already received at least 25 e-mails regarding our recent criticisms of Joey Sunshine, and not a single one of them expresses anything other than agreement with our opinions on the guy's performance.
Oh, by the way, they also played a game on Monday night -- and Bengals QB Carson Palmer looked pretty damn good.
Here's a good look at the Domanick Davis situation from the new AOL Sports mega blog.
New Falcons No. 3 QB D.J. Shockley might change his number from "1" back to "3".
Though Raiders WR Randy Moss might be on a legal high from visions of running under Jeff George moon shots, it sure doesn't sound like the No. 1 pick in the 1990 draft is in line to play any time soon; "Jeff has been on our mind for quite awhile now," coach Art Shell said. "We feel that it's time to take a look at somebody to make sure we insure ourselves, to protect our football team, in case something happens. It's a precautionary thing."
Though Titans coach Jeff Fisher says that QB Billy Volek would be the starter if the team played its first game today, a change could be coming; "We are going to create competition and we are trying to do everything we can to put the best players on the field," Fisher said.
Steelers LB Joey Porter missed practice on Monday with tonsilitis. (Sure. And we missed practice yesterday because of polio.)
Despite fears of a possible career-ending neck injury, Steelers backup C Chukky Okobi is already healthy enough to get blown off of the line on a consistent basis.
On the trading block for months, LB Donne Edwards returned to practice for the Chargers four weeks after suffering a back injury.
The Vikings could be interested in QB A.J. Feeley, who spent several years in Philly with Brad Childress.
POSTED 12:11 a.m. EDT, August 29, 2006
ON FURTHER REVIEW, WE LOVE TONY
Though we don't know whether ESPN's Tony Kornheiser stuck it to Joey Sunshine on Monday night for his 180-degree reversal regarding Terrell Owens, a bout of insomnia had us tuning back in for garbage time of the Packers-Bengals game. In so doing, we witnessed an exchange that, in light of our new mission to persuade the folks in Bristol to relieve Joe Theismann of his duties, has caused us to pull a 180 of our own regarding Kornheiser, who given that he was in Cincinnati will be dubbed "Kornholer" for the remainder of this specific item.
After Cincinnati receiver Reggie McNeal caught a touchdown pass from Doug Johnson, a discussion ensued regarding college quarterbacks who become wideouts at the next level.
Here is, verbatim, the key portion of the conversation regarding the requirements for a successful conversion. (Thank you, TiVo.)
Sunshine: I think you need a guy who's short, vertically challenged, maybe five-foot-nine, five-foot-ten with a lot of 'quicks' that can double as a kick returner. Those are the guys that can transition into professional football. To come in and just try and play the wide receiver position --
Kornholer (incredulous): He has to be short?
Sunshine: Well --
Kornholer: This is a prerequisite, to be short?
Sunshine: I think you need to be short and quick. I think that gives you an opportunity --
Kornholer: What if you were big and quick?
Sunshine: You don't have the 'quicks' when you're that tall.
Kornholer: Correct me if I'm wrong because you watch a lot more college football than I did [Editor's note: Tony, you'd make a great lawyer], wasn't there a quarterback recently from Arkansas who was the quarterback who then became a wide receiver in the NFL?
Tirico: Matt Jones.
Kornholer: Matt Jones, right? And he's big. Big and quick.
Sunshine: But not at the kick returning position.
Kornholer: (Makes barely audible noise connoting "Is this guy f--king serious?")
Sunshine: No.
Tirico (wisely changing the subject): It's 48 to 17. . . .
Tony, you've found your niche. It's to call out Joey Sunshine wherever and whenever he says something stupid. That's your calling. Your destiny. Through your weekly badgering of Theismann, he'll eventually be exposed for the fraud that he is, or he'll quietly resign and find a fifth-tier gig on CBS where the play-by-play man doesn't have the brains or the will to thoroughly and completely dismantle his stupid-ass assertions.
So thanks, Tony. We underestimated you. And we're rooting for you to mentally do to Theismann every Monday night that which Lawrence Taylor accomplished only once physically.
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OSTED 11:11 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006CHARGERS NOT FEELING A.J.
The San Diego Chargers have released quarterback A.J. Feeley, only two years after he was traded from the Eagles to the Dolphins for a second-round draft pick.
A second-round pick. That's the same level of compensation that the Fins invested in quarterback Daunte Culpepper earlier this year.
Feeley was dealt by the Dolphins to the Chargers in October for quarterback Cleo Lemon and a draft pick. The draft pick, however, went from the Dolphins to San Diego.
The Chargers re-signed Feeley in the offseason, but have abruptly changed their minds. The remaining quarterbacks on the roster are Charlie Whitehurst and Brett Elliott. With no veteran presence to support starter Philip Rivers, it's likely that the Chargers will do something to bolster the position. Perhaps they'll trade for Billy Volek. Maybe they'll sign a guy with playing experience who currently isn't playing. Or maybe they'll give Doug Flutie a call and see if he's willing to come back for one more go.
Regardless of what they do, there's no way that the Chargers can afford to stand pat.
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OSTED 9:26 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006COLLINS DEAL WORTH MORE THAN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
Earlier today, a league source told us that new Titans quarterback Kerry Collins has signed a one-year deal worth $1.2 million. The source has now told us that the information was off. Just a bit.
As it turns out, Collins' compensation includes a salary of $1.3 million and a roster bonus of $700,000. He's also eligible for incentives worth up to $1.5 million.
Bottom line -- he wasn't signed to sit the bench. Unless he lays an egg in his first practice (or spits in someone's face), Collins will be the starter, and Billy Volek will be long gone come Week One.
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OSTED 8:31 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:26 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006LEAGUE CONSENSUS -- BRANCH WANTS TOO MUCH GREEN
Based on our discussions with various league insiders regarding the permission that Patriots receiver Deion Branch has received to seek out a trade, it seems pretty clear to us that no one will be willing to pony up the kind of money that would prompt Branch to spurn the Pats permanently.
As one league source told us, the price tag for signing Branch is "probably too high for anyone."
A big part of the problem is that any team interested in Branch will be required to pay the player and compensate the club. Though there are reports that the Pats want two first-rounders, we find that hard to believe. New England's goal here isn't to give Branch a chance to leave and then block it by making a ridiculous trade demand; the objective is to allow Branch to see that the offer made by the Patriots isn't out of step with his market value.
Think of it this way -- was anyone burning up the Patriots' phone lines about acquiring Branch before the team decided to let him shop himself? If there was a team out there that wanted to make a play for him, said team surely would have had an off-the-record discussion with his agent, and said agent surely would have floated the fact that other teams were interested when orchestrating an ill-advised (in hindsight) media blitz through confirmed Pats hater Ron Borges.
So we stand by our initial prediction. There will be no trade, and Branch's next move will be to report for the start of the regular season.
MORE JOEY SUNSHINE INEPTITUDE
When calling for Joe Theismann's ouster from ESPN's Monday Night Football earlier tonight (scroll down) for going from one extreme to the other on T.O., we overlooked another serious flaw in Joey Sunshine's substantive abilities.
Theismann has no clue as to the financial arrangement between the Cowboys and Owens.
Though Seņor Sunshine now wants the Cowboys to cut the cord on Owens, Theismann thinks that the team's hands are tied by its $10 million investment in T.O.
Wrong. Inexcusably wrong, for a guy who makes his living following pro football.
Owens was paid a $5 million signing bonus, and he'll make a $5 million base salary. Currently, then, the investment is at $5 million, and it will shoot to $10 million only if Owens is on the roster when the regular season starts. As a vested veteran, T.O.'s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the team for Week One.
So the Cowboys can still cut their losses by cutting Owens, as long as they do it before September 10. And, as we see it, the tipping point will be if/when Jerry Jones concludes that he'll look stupider for giving Owens another $5 million than Jones would look if he lets T.O. walk away with his $5 million signing bonus.
MONDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS
T.O. says his hamstring ate his homework.
The NFL is negotiating to play an exhibition game in China.
Jags RB Greg Jones is out for the year with a torn ACL.
Chiefs RB Priest Holmes will miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season.
The Seahawks have cut 15 guys, including QB Gibran Hamdan.
MNF play-by-play guy Mike Tirico is adding to the Joey Sunshine idiocy by claiming that Dr. Lonnie Paulos didn't actually try to paint a gloom-and-doom picture regarding Carson Palmer's knee injury.
Several veteran Vikings offensive lineman are in danger of getting dumped. (Now do you see what happens when you don't take your HGH, guys?)
The Cards have made some cuts, including QB Rohan Davey.
The Browns have made some cuts, too.
Coach Chin won't say whether RB Duce Staley is in danger of getting cut.
The Bills reduced their food budget 14 percent by cutting OL Aaron Gibson.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder might be doing some business with Tom Cruise. (Maybe they'll be using a life-sized cut-out of Cruise to show how tall the kiddies have to be to ride the bumper cars at Six Flags.)
Bob Glauber thinks that Curtis Martin should retire. (Way to go out on that limb, Bob.)
Texans RB Domanick Davis might not be on the Texans' 53-man roster.
The Colts have chopped 10 no-names.
The Texans' cuts include LB Barrett Green.
POSTED 7:58 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006
SUN NEEDS TO SET ON JOEY SUNSHINE
Okay, we rarely make open calls for the termination of anyone's employment. We've only ever done it twice, to our recollection: Former Vikings coach Mike "Meathead" Tice and former Vikings V.P. of player personnel Fran "Fred Flintsone" Foley.
We're now ready to make our first firm plea to a major media outlet to pull the plug on a guy who sticks to his convictions like John Kerry with a closed head injury.
Joey Sunshine must go.
We're talking, of course about ESPN's Joe Theismann.
We've noticed a troubling trend of late. Theismann takes a position. And then he wraps his legs around it. And then the wind blows. And then Theismann does a 180. And then he wraps his legs around his new position, ignoring that he ever held just as strongly to any other view.
The specific problem here is that one week ago Theismann proclaimed that Owens would never be a problem for his entire career in Dallas. Tony Kornheiser, stunned by the Namathesque guarantee, wisely pushed Theismann at the time. Like a 6-year-old being grilled by grandpa regarding who ate the last of the Oreos, Joey Sunshine dug into his stance even harder.
Theismann even went so far as to guarantee that Owens would return to practice on Wednesday of last week.
Now, with Owens missing more practices due to his hamstring injury and after missing a meeting and a rehab session, Theismann is sounding like a guy whose long-term memory only extends five days into the past.
Appearing Monday on ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning, Theismann teed off on T.O.
"He doesn't need to be on a football team," Theismann said. "He's a tremendous distraction. . . . I'm just disgusted with this guy. He's a jerk. He's just a flat-out jerk the way he conducts himself. No respect for his teammates. No respect for the coaching staff. No respect for the game of football."
Joe, all he did in the past five days was: (1) not practice due to a hamstring injury; and (2) miss a meeting and a rehab session. We're not condoning Owens' actions (in fact, we agree with Theismann's current position), but how do the most recent developments justify a guy who had his nose in T.O.'s crotch suddenly putting a gun to Owens' head?
We're hoping that Kornheiser is loaded for bear on Monday night, and we hope that he'll ask Joey Sunshine for his current views on Owens.
We also hope that Tony will then roll the tape of Joey Sunshine's comments from last week, and that he'll then ask Theismann precisely when he . . . lost . . . his . . . freaking . . . marbles.
And if Kornhesier doesn't do it, then they both should get the boot.
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OSTED 6:12 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006COLLINS GETS ONE YEAR, $1.2 MILLION
A league source tells us that the contract signed by quarterback Kerry Collins with the Titans is for one year, and has a value of $1.2 million.
The guy whom Collins likely will be supplanting, Billy Volek, is due to earn a base salary of $1 million in 2006, and $1.25 million in 2007.
As explained below, the team will try to trade Volek in the near future, unless Collins comes in and completely stinks it up within the first few days of practice.
POSTED 5:38 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 6:03 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006
TITANS WILL SHOP VOLEK
A league source tells us that, in conjunction with the acquisition of quarterback Kerry Collins, the Tennessee Titans have agreed to attempt to trade quarterback Billy Volek, who until today was regarded as the sure-thing opening-day starter.
Per the source, the team wants to kick Collins' tires a little harder before making a move with Volek. This suggests to us that, if the Titans conclude that Collins can't get it done, he might get dumped as quickly as he arrived.
But for now it's obvious that Collins was brought in to be the starter, making Volek unnecessary. Teams that could be in the mix for Volek (and we're guessing here) include the Raiders, the 49ers, the Chargers, the Browns, the Bengals, and the Patriots.
However, the Raiders signed on Monday 57-year-old quarterback Jeff George, who had one of his most effective seasons in 1999, when paired with Randy Moss in Minnesota.
SOME SELF-DEPRECATION FROM DREW
We've gotten a sneak peek at a Burger King commercial to be aired tonight that pokes fun at last year's T.O. brouhaha. The spot features agent Drew Rosenhaus, who is wearing the same suit, shirt, and tie combo he wore during the infamous press conference on the lawn of Owens' New Jersey home, during which the phrase "next question" entered the pantheon of all-time great sports quotes.
This time around, Rosenhaus is representing "The King," the Burger King mascot who was spliced last year into various NFL highlight plays. It turns out the "The King" is holding out, and reporters are peppering Rosenhaus with questions.
Question: "Is it true that your client is holding out because he's got a big head?"
Answer: "Next question."
Question: "Is it true that your client, The King, wants to be called 'T.K.'?"
Answer: "Next question."
We'll admit that we laughed out loud when we saw it for the first time, and that we were impressed by Rosenhaus' willingness to be the butt of the joke.
But then we considered the current goings-on between Owens and his new team, the Cowboys, and we couldn't help but wonder whether the commercial will be the equivalent of tossing a tank of gasoline onto a smoldering fire.
If Owens had been performing and behaving in the manner that Owens (and Rosenhaus) had promised when Owens signed with the Cowboys in March, it wouldn't be an issue. But with Owens looking less like the guy who sat smiling with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and more like the dude whose behavior prompted his premature banishment from Philly, it's kind of hard to make fun of last year, since as to Owens this year is already starting to feel like last year.
POSTED 4:59 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006
STALLWORTH HEADS TO PHILLY
Once upon a time, there was a receiver named "Stallworth" who did okay for himself on an NFL team that plays its home games in Pennsylvania.
Three decades after John Stallworth became a star for the Steelers, an underachieving (to date) pass-catcher with the same last name has landed on the other side of the Commonwealth.
Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that Donte' Stallworth has been shipped from the Saints to the Eagles for linebacker Mark Simoneau and a fourth-round draft pick. The draft pick will bump to a third-rounder if the Eagles are able to reach an agreement with Stallworth as to an extension of his rookie contract.
Stallworth is scheduled to earn a base salary of $1.92 million in 2006, the final year of his rookie deal. It was first reported in this here space in the offseason that Stallworth was on the trading block, prompting harumphs and assorted guffaws from "real" media types who didn't think it was true.
Though generally regarded as a disappointment in his four seasons with the Saints, Stallworth had 70 catches for 945 yards and seven touchdowns in 2005. If he can learn the Eagles' offense quickly, he could soon be their No. 1 wideout.
POSTED 4:05 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2006
TITANS BAG COLLINS
According to the Nashville Tennessean, the Titans and quarterback Kerry Collins have reached an agreement in principle. Details as to the length of the deal and/or terms of payment are not yet available; a league source tells us that some of the specifics are still being ironed out.
Collins' arrival calls into question Billy Volek's role as the presumed starter. It also creates a dilemma for coach Jeff Fisher on game days as to the No. 3 quarterback, since it previously has been reported that Fisher plans to use rookie Vince Young for one series per half, as early as Week One of the regular season. By rule, if the No. 3 quarterback enters the game before the fourth quarter, the other two quarterbacks may not return.
Thus, if Young is the No. 3 quarterback, he could make a cameo in the fourth quarter only. If he's the No. 2 guy, then either Collins or Volek would be relegated to No. 3.
We also don't rule out, given the sudden arrival of Collins, a decision by the team to trade or release Volek, which would leave Matt Mauck as the No. 3 quarterback.
POSTED 8:48 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:38 a.m. EDT, August 28, 2006
COLLINS HEADING TO TITANS?
According to the Nashville Tennessean, free-agent quarterback Kerry Collins will soon be visiting the Titans and could sign a contract to join Billy Volek and Vince Young as the team's signal-callers.
Collins could be on the roster in time for the Titans' preseason finale on Friday at Green Bay.
The Titans and Collins flirted prior to the start of training camp, but a marriage (much less a date) seemed to be a long shot. Now, with the regular season opener less than two weeks away, it looks like the two sides will be making a quick trip to Vegas, and consummating in a public stairwell.
The move, as we see it, makes no sense. If the Titans wanted Collins, why not sign him while there's still time to get him properly up to speed? Even if, as the Tennessean suggests, the struggles of Volek are driving this bus, we think it's far wiser for the team to let Volek work through it than it is to thrust Collins into the fire with little or no time to get acquainted with the system or the players.
And if Volek can't get it done, then pull the plug and use Vince Young.
Of course, we don't call the shots in Tennessee. Those decisions are left to the same geniuses who burned the No. 6 overall pick on Pacman Jones in 2005, so we suppose they deserve the benefit of the doubt this time around. (Eye roll. Groan. Fart.)
MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
T.O. isn't the only new Cowboy who has the Tuna in a tizzy.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers says that his shoulder is fine.
Special teams Pro Bowler Hanik Milligan could be a surprise cut by the Chargers.
QB Rob Johnson won't get a chance to have the crap beat out of him any more.
Is a quarterback controversy brewing in Houston?
The Titans will impose no further discipline on Pacman Jones until the most recent charges against him are resolved.
D.J. Shockley is the No. 3 quarterback for the Falcons. (Actually, he's the No. 2 quarterback, since the dude at the top of the depth chart is a running back who turns every passing play into the halfback option.)
On Monday night in Cincinnati, guys like Chris Henry will be paying attention to a different kind of joint.
Kornheiser nuzzles the Sunshiner.
The Eagles reportedly won't make a serious play for WR Deion Branch.
Lions WR Mike Williams doesn't understand why he didn't play in the team's most recent preseason game. (He continued to ponder the issue while scratching his gut.)
Broncos QB Jake Plummer had a "heated discussion" with Coach Kevlar during Sunday night's game. (Be careful, Mike -- Jake might kick your car or something.)
POSTED 7:06 a.m. EDT, August 28, 2006
PANTHERS' 2003 NFC TITLE TAINTED?
An exclusive report in the Charlotte Observer regarding steroid use during the team's 2003 run to the Super Bowl raises an obvious question, around which the hometown paper carefully tiptoes.
Is the team's George Halas trophy tainted? Or were the Panthers players who were taking banned compounds merely keeping up with the Joneses in other NFL cities?
Regardless, there was a real problem in 2003. Three of the five starting offensive linemen, tackle Todd Steussie, center Jeff Mitchell, and guard Jeff Donnalley, were receiving various prohibited substances from Dr. James Shortt, based on court documents obtained by the Observer in connection with the prosecution that resulted in Shortt being sent to jail for one year and one day.
"Several of them were using disturbing, particularly alarmingly high amounts with high dosages for long durations -- some in combinations," said steroids expert Dr. Gary Wadler, who prepared a report for the prosecution in connection with the Shortt case. "This wasn't just a passing flirtation with these prohibited substances."
And the inescapable conclusion reached after reading the Observer article is that the use of prohibited substances was indeed rampant and most likely brazen.
So why weren't these guys caught? And in how many other cities have similar stories unfolded without detection?
The Panthers' example is further proof that some players will do whatever is necessary to obtain and retain an edge against the competition on the other side of the line, and within the same locker room. It's also evidence that, even though the NFL generally has escaped public scrutiny for its steroids problem, the league still has a long way to go with respect to testing and enforcement.
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OSTED 10:13 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2006JETS QUARTERBACK JOB STILL UNDECIDED
With three preseason games in the bag and only one more week of faux football to go, the New York Jets have yet to decide on a starting quarterback.
The four candidates are Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Brooks Bollinger, and rookie Kellen Clemens. (Or, for those of you who still read the New York Times, it's "the" rookie Kellen Clemens.)
Pennington and Clemens have thrown the most passes, but Ramsey and Bollinger have the higher passer ratings. Collectively, they are 53-for-91 with two interceptions, one touchdown, and 348 yards. They are averaging an anemic 4.48 yards per attempt.
Our guess is that Pennington gets the job by default, since he has the most experience and since none of the others guys is clearly beating him out. But we also think that coach Eric Mangini wants to get Pennington comfortable with the idea that nothing is set in stone, since we also think that if/when things start to fall apart for the Jets the Kellen Clemens era will be launched.
JOEY SUNSHINE STRIKES AGAIN?
Last Monday night, ESPN's Joe Theismann climbed onto a soapbox for Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens, predicting that Owens would never be a problem at any time during his career in Dallas. (Joey Sunshine also predicted that Owens would return to practice with the Cowboys on Wednesday, further confirming that Theismann does no homework and/or has terrible instincts.)
Now, in the wake of news that the team has fined Owens $9,500 for missing meetings, a reader tells us that Theismann has called out Owens on ESPN News, and openly has called for the Cowboys to cut him.
We'll withhold judgment until we hear Joey Sunshine's about-face with our own ears. But it wouldn't surprise us at all if the guy who apparently is unable to commit to memory the words that have come out of his own mouth has replaced in less than six days his absolute, no-doubt-about-it opinions regarding Owens' good behavior with a new set of beliefs that completely conflict with his past comments.
Look, it's pretty obvious to us that the only reason Theismann survived the Chip 'n' Dale 'n' Doofis routine from ESPN's Sunday night broadcast is because Al Michaels didn't want to be shown up by the search for an analyst after he initially committed to the Monday night gig.
Once Michaels reneged, ESPN was stuck with Theismann.
The real question moving forward is how long he'll last. We give it two years, since the powers-that-be in Bristol won't want to implicitly admit that they erred if they dump him after only one year.
CZAR'S "SOURCE" NOT HARD TO DISCERN?
We noticed an eye-popping entry on John Czarnecki's most recent blog update on FOXSports.com regarding the recent appointment of Matt Millen to the NFL's Competition Committee. And we think it's obvious that one of the Czar's sources is former Texans G.M. Charley Casserly.
Czar attributes the following remarks to a "former member" of the committee: “Matt is the wrong kind of person to be on that committee. I just can’t figure out what they are doing, but I’m glad I’m not dealing with it anymore.”
Coincidentally, Casserly left the Competition Committee when he "resigned" from the Texans.
“How in the hell does someone with a 21-59 record get named to the Competition Committee?” a current G.M. asked Czarnecki. “How does he keep his job and also get a new contract?”
Czarnecki concluded the blurb by noting that "Casserly wasn’t happy with his settlement pay from Texans owner Bob McNair after being fired."
It's funny -- Casserly called us up and verbally tore us a new one when we reported that he'd be fired or forced to quit after the draft. Thereafter, an elaborate ruse (in our opinion) was unfolded to create the perception that Casserly was leaving on his own accord.
Now, in the same item in which it appears that Casserly is the source for a body slam of the guy who replaced him on the Competition Committee, the truth finally sneaks out: Casserly was fired.
TWO PODCASTS IN THREE DAYS
With the NFL regular season less than two weeks away, we're picking up the pace with the PFT PodCasts. Following on the heels of Friday's first-ever PFT Fantasy PodCast featuring Paul Charchian of Fanball.com, the "old" format was back for a Sunday night show in which Dante offends pretty much everyone.
The opinions of Dante are his and his alone, and we don't know how anyone lives with the guy. His views are not those of PFT, and definitely not those of any of our sponsors.
We'll be back with another PodCast in the middle of the week, and Charchian will return for another Fantasy PodCast on Friday.
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OSTED 10:30 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 1:33 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2006T.O. FINED FOR MISSING MEETINGS
So after seeing his career end up in shambles a season ago in Philly and with no one but the Cowboys seriously interested in signing him, Terrell Owens will be on his best behavior in 2006, right?
Wrong.
The Dallas Morning News reports that Owens has been fined $9,500 by his new team for missing a team meeting, missing a rehab session, and arriving late to an offensive meeting.
"That's our club business," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "That's going to be accounted for."
With Owens, there are no accidents, in our view. Everything he says and does is part of a broader plan, misguided as it may be. As we explained a week ago, he's upset that he was pressured to return to practice before he was ready, and that his premature return resulted in an aggravation of his bruised va. . . hamstring injury.
He's now committed to sitting out until he's at 100 percent, and he has been reminding the media that, in the past, he has played without practicing. The only problem is that coach Bill Parcells has a far different attitude regarding practice, and he wants his guys on the field.
The fact that Owens also missed a rehab session is the most telling infraction, in our view. If he won't practice or play until he's 100 percent, then he should be doing everything in his power to get to 100 percent. Though we're not doctors nor physical therapists, missing a pre-planned rehab session probably isn't the best way to get back on the field.
So we still see this thing ending badly. And if Owens is going to be missing meetings and otherwise doing stuff that he shouldn't be doing, it'll make it even easier for Parcells to persuade Jones that Owens' name should be added to the list of final cuts.
Remember this -- if Owens is on the roster once the regular season starts, his $5 million salary becomes fully guaranteed. By dumping Owens, they would free up the $5 million in cap room for 2006.
And with Deion Branch suddenly on the market, wouldn't it be hilarious if the Tuna gets on the horn with son-in-law Scott Pioli and tries to work out a deal that would allow the 'Boys to acquire Owens' replacement a minute before cutting him loose? The chances of that happening are pretty slim. But as we've seen in the past with Owens, anything is possible.
BRANCH, AGENT CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED
Speaking of the Deion Branch situation, we don't seriously believe that he'll be traded to the Cowboys or anyone else by September 1. Bolstering our opinion in this regard is scuttlebutt we've heard that Branch and agent Jason Chayut were caught completely off guard by the team's sudden offer to allow Branch to explore the market via a trade.
Though some might contend that Chayut should have been prepared for anything, we're not so sure that he should have been ready for this one. After all, a sudden grant of permission by the Pats to talk to other teams about a potential contract for Branch would have fallen somewhere on the "likelihood of possible occurrences" meter between the Pats coughing up a $16 million signing bonus