 |
 |
 |
Quick Team Pages
| Home |
| Rumor Mill |
| Fantasy Mill |
| AFC Team Pages |
| NFC Team Pages |
| Trade Chart |
| E-Mails We Like |
| Pic of the Day |
| Turd Watch |
| PFT Interviews |
| PFT Gear |
| Podcasts |
| Radio |
| E-Mail Us |
| Ad Rates |
|
Breaking NFL News NFL.com NFLPA CFL Arena Football
|
POSTED 9:25
p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:01 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 STRAHAN STILL THINKING The AP reports that Giants
defensive end Michael Strahan is
still pondering the question of whether he will retire, or whether he will
play. Agent Tony Agnone said via e-mail
to the AP that Strahan recently talked with Giants officials about "his
role with the team, needs, and 'do they really want him, etc. etc." The "do they really want him"
thing is the key, in our view. We believe that if/when Strahan ever
concludes that the team doesn't really want him, he'll show up in a heartbeat in
the hopes of being traded or cut. We also believe that, for as long as
Strahan thinks that the team would plug him right in, he'll continue to
contemplate whether or not to play. Our theory is that Giants coach
Tom Coughlin prefers to have Strahan, since trading him for a 2008 draft pick
does nothing to help Coughlin avoid getting fired based on the outcome of 2007.
If the team would tank early, then maybe they would be willing to trade Strahan.
Strahan, we believe, wants no part
of that approach, and will return to play only if/when he thinks it will be
somewhere other than with the Giants. FREENEY, SAMUEL, BRIGGS CASES
PROVIDE INTERESTING LOOK AT FRANCHISE PLAYERS Now that the last of the remaining
2007 franchise players is under contract, in light of cornerback Asante Samuel's
decision to sign his one-year, $7.79 million tender with the Pats, let's take a
look at the outcome of the three highest-profile 2007 games of tag. Bears linebacker Lance(borghini)
Briggs demanded a long-term deal or a trade, and he made the usual noise about
staying away until Week Ten. But after the team dangled an opportunity not
to be tagged in 2008 if he participates in enough plays on defense and also
provided him $1 million of his $7.2 million salary up front, Briggs caved.
Though he has a good chance of hitting the market in 2008, he bears the risk of
injury in 2007 -- and also will have to tap dance around his late-night
smash-and-sprint before a team gives him more than $20 million guaranteed. Samuel likewise groused about the
lack of a big-money offer as part of a long-term deal, failing to recognize the
fact that those jaw-dropping numbers only get paid to guys who hit the open
market in early March. Samuel made noise about a trade and about staying
away until Week Ten. But, as Adam Schefter of NFLN first reported on
Tuesday night, the Pats included a provision that will prevent the team from
using the franchise tag again in 2008, if certain conditions are met. But,
again, Samuel has to carry the injury risk in 2007. In contrast, Colts defensive end
Dwight Freeney kept a low profile. He never complained. He attended
minicamp meetings despite not being under contract. And he got a
ridiculous six-year, $72 million contract with $30 million guaranteed despite
only registering 5.5 sacks in 2006. The possible lesson? Huffing
and puffing won't blow the bank vault open. It's far better to persuade
the guy who holds the keys to invite you inside on his own. NO. 9 IS UP Finally, our look at the 32 teams
in the NFL enters single digits. The No. 9 team is up.
The full list is
right here. FIRST FANTASY TEN-PACK IS UP We are very pleased to introduce
our latest feature -- the Fantasy Ten-Pack, by
Matt Pitzer. Each week, Pitzer will be sharing
his observations from the week that was in the NFL. He's getting the thing
rolling with ten observations based on the preseason games played to date.
It's a must-read for anyone who
plays fantasy football. And you can read it
right here. (We're paying good
money for this thing; the least you can do is check it out, assuming you're not
afraid of getting a cramp in your index finger.) POSTED 9:16
a.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 FALCONS FORMALLY ASK VICK FOR
$20 MILLION Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com
reports that the
Atlanta Falcons have demanded a $20 million refund from Mike Vick. Prior media reports indicated that
the Falcons would pursue $22 million. We believe that the Vick contract
entitles the Falcons to seek more than $28 million. The key here is the extent to
which $29.5 million paid to Vick as roster bonuses that were converted at the
team's option to guaranteed payments are subject to forfeiture. Vick and
the NFLPA will argue that it the roster bonuses are exempt; the NFL and the
Falcons will argue that they are not. If the converted roster bonus
money is not included, and if the 2006 CBA is applied retroactively, the most
the Falcons can get is the remaining three years' proration of his $7.5 million
signing bonus, which equates to $3.75 million. If the prior CBA applies,
the Falcons will be entitled to apply their formula that multiplies the bonus by
the total remaining regular-season games under the deal (here, the number is
112), and then divides it by the total regular-season games covered by the
contract (in this case, the number is 146). Under that equation, the
Falcons can recover $5.75 million. It's unknown how the Falcons came
up with the $20 million. It could be that the Falcons believe that they
can get more than that, but that they have made an opener of $20 million in an
effort to negotiate a compromise between $3.75 million and $28 million. POSTED 3:32
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:30 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 FROSTEE FROZEN OUT OF OPENER Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com
reports that the NFL will
suspend Bengals defensive end Frostee Rucker for the team's regular-season
opener on September 10. In May 2007, Rucker pleaded guilty
to one count of false imprisonment and one count of vandalism arising from an
incident that occurred during his time at the University of Southern California.
Concerns regarding Rucker's character caused him to drop to round three of the
2006 draft. Though Marvez writes that the
incident occurred in June 2006, Rucker was charged then. The incident
occurred in August
2005, months before Rucker was even drafted. We've got no problem with Rucker
being suspended for one game in light of his conduct. But how is it that
Rucker gets suspended for one game based on something he did two years ago,
before even entering the NFL, and Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter doesn't get
suspended for admitting to punching Bengals left tackle Levi Jones in a Las
Vegas casino in March 2007? We realize that the NFL needs to
apply a high degree of confidentiality to matters of this nature. But, at
the same time, the lack of details could prompt Bengals fans to become irate
regarding the perceived disparity in treatment. With that said, we suspect that
the NFL has a good reason for the decisions reached in both cases. Unless
and until that reason is disclosed, however, there likely will be loud
complaints from Cincinnati about this one. FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK ARRESTED
WITH METH Todd Marinovich, the one-time
first-round pick of the Raiders, reportedly
has been arrested on charges that he had a gram of methamphetamine, a
syringe, and a spoon in his guitar case. Marinovich, who is 38 years old,
was skateboarding near the Newport Pier in Orange County, California -- making
him the oldest known person to ride a skateboard. When police approached
him (since skateboarding is not permitted in that area), Marinovich ran away. The authorities found him hiding
in a carport six blocks away. Marinovich has nine prior drug
incidents in Orange County, and currently is on probation for a prior
conviction. He will remain in custody until a September 6 hearing. He spent two years with the L.A.
Raiders -- 1991 and 1992 -- and he completed 104 of 205 passes for 1,345 yards,
eight touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He actually started a playoff
game (a 10-6 loss to the Chiefs) as a rookie. He threw four interceptions
that day, and yet somehow his team only lost by four points. By the way, the next quarterback
selected after
Marinovich in the 1991 draft was a guy named Brett Favre. You might
have heard of him. POSTED
2:45 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 COACH CHIN IS PLAYING THE
LEVERAGE GAME USA Today reports that
former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said at a CBS preseason meeting that he won't
coach in the NFL in 2007 or 2008. It's not clear whether Cowher also
said that he's not
going to be the Alabama coach, but he should have thrown that one in for
good measure. And it's good that he specifically mentioned 2007, since the
NFL regular season starts in eight days. "Bill came in to have a few words
with our group and said, 'I'm
not coaching this year, or in 2008,' " CBS analyst Solomon Wilcots told
USA Today. "It surprised me, only because you know he's going to be in
demand, despite saying that. There's still going to be owners who believe
they can woo him and will come after him." Why in the hell do people take
this stuff at face value? Coaches lie. It's part of the job
description. Hell, it eventually becomes part of their DNA. Just as there was no reason a year
ago for Cowher to admit that he was leaving the Steelers after the 2006 season
even though folks in the know knew it was coming, there's no reason for Cowher
to admit that he's planning to ditch the job he hasn't even really started yet,
even though there are indications that he has already begun the process of
making his desired terms known to potentially interested teams. One of the
strong rumors regarding Cowher's plans is that, either directly or indirectly,
he has been scoping out key front-office employees that he'd want to hire, if he
were to gain full control over someone's football operations. So just as the teams who might be
interested in Cowher come January 2008 won't acknowledge that interest because
they currently have head coaches, Cowher won't acknowledge his potential
availability in January 2008 because he already has a job. More importantly, there's no
better way for Cowher to get the power and money he'd want than to spread the
word that he can't be had. Like parents searching prior to Christmas for
the latest G.I. Joe with the kung fu grip, owners will want that which they
can't have even more. And, if the money and power are
right, we believe Cowher will jump. When asked about his words to the
contrary from August 2007, Cowher will come up with a good explanation. Or
he'll wear an ugly sweater that causes the reporters to lose their train of
thought. Or maybe he'll just spit all over the microphones so that the
answer will be undecipherable. POSTED
2:19 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 GRADKOWSKI'S NAME COMES UP IN
TOLEDO POINT-SHAVING PROBE ESPN reports that
the name of Bucs
quarterback Bruce Gradkowski has arisen in connection with an ongoing probe
into point-shaving by the University of Toledo football team. Gradkowski is a former Toledo
quarterback, and in football the quarterback would be an obvious target of any
gambler hoping to control the outcomes of the team's games. And ESPN
reports that authorities are examining Gradkowski's playing times in a number of
games currently under federal scrutiny. "I don't know what to say about
that," Gradkowski recently told ESPN after a Buccaneers' practice. Wow. That's the kind of
passionate denial that will cause folks to conclude that Gradkowski had nothing
to do with this. (Eye roll.) On the surface, it's easy to
conclude that the NFL shouldn't worry about point-shaving at the college level,
since it's the NCAA's problem. But to the extent that relationships
between players and gamblers commence during college, they can easily continue
when the player makes it to the NFL. And given that Falcons' security
apparently had no clue that the face of the franchise was either fighting dogs
at his Virginia property or preparing for a remake of 101 Dalmatians with
a slightly different breed, is it far-fetched to conclude that the security
staffs with other teams don't really know as much about the habits of the
players as they could or should? Our advice to Gradkowski would be
to lawyer up right now, and to be prepared to come clean at the first
opportunity to do so. If, of course, he has anything about which to come
clean. And our advice to NFL teams would
be to start dumping a lot more money into knowing what your helmet-wearing
employees are up to when not wearing helmets. POSTED
1:47 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 VIKES TO SAIL WEST? The Minneapolis Star Tribune
reports that the Vikings are "backing
away" from an agreement to purchase four blocks near the Metrodome from the
Star Tribune. The team cited a "turbulent credit
market" for the decision. If a legally a binding agreement
existed, the Star-Tribune could have legal rights to relief. The
broader question, however, is whether the move is the first step toward an
eventual move by the Vikings to Los Angeles. At least one industry source
has suggested to us that it could be. To the extent that the Vikings
don't presently enjoy high revenues in their current home, a move to L.A. could
change all of that, quickly. The fact that the Vikings are facing their
first local blackout
in ten years (including a string of 96 straight sellouts) doesn't make the
situation any better. The challenges arising from the I-35 bridge tragedy
complicate the situation further, because it will be even harder now to marshal
public support for taxpayer dollars. And let's be realistic here.
Absent expansion, one -- or maybe two -- current franchises will move to Los
Angeles, eventually. Though owner Zygi Wilf, who has no ties to Minnesota
other than his football team, has said that relocating the team isn't an option,
his desire to get a new stadium isn't leaving him with many options.
Sooner or later, the potential for earning multiple millions of new money per
year is going to operate like one of those big-ass magnets that the coyote
purchased from Acme. POSTED
11:40 a.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 JONES MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT SIX
WEEKS There was much offseason optimism
from the Lions regarding the 2007 availability of running back Kevin Jones, who
suffered a serious foot injury last season. On Thursday, the team will decide
whether he'll be available for the first six weeks of it.
Jones could be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which would
render him ineligible to return for at least six weeks. Jones will be examined by the
doctor who surgically repaired his foot. "He's going to evaluate me and
give the doctors here more information and give the coaches more information so
they can make a decision on what they want to do," Jones said, according to the
Detroit Free Press. "I want to play. I definitely want to
play. I don't want to sit out for six weeks. The coach is going to
do what's best for the overall team, and what's best for the whole situation." If Jones lands on IR, Tatum Bell
will be the guy who gets to take advantage of the fact that the safeties will be
standing on the goal line every play in an effort to keep quarterback Jon Kitna
from notching 50 touchdown passes. POSTED 10:44
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:29 a.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 FINS SAY CHAMBERS NOT ON THE
BLOCK On Tuesday, Adam Schefter of NFL
Network reported that the Miami Dolphins are trying to trade receiver Chris
Chambers. Not so, says the Dolphins. According to Armando Salguero of
the Miami Herald, a highly-placed Dolphins source responded to the report
by saying, "Who
would we play?" Salguero also reports that
Chambers could be traded after the 2007, and that receiver Marty Booker was on
the block earlier in the offseason, but no longer is available. Our take? The Fins likely
want Chambers to restructure a contract that will pay him a $5.4 million salary
in 2007. It's a $3.8 million jump from his base pay in 2006, and Chambers
arguably hasn't generated the kind of performance that merits that kind of
money. So by floating rumors of a trade,
Chambers might be thinking twice about whether he'd take less cash to stay in
Miami. By denying the rumors, the team can avoid pissing Chambers off if a
deal isn't done. And though we all make mistakes
from time to time, it's hard to imagine that Schefter's report that Chambers and
Michael Clayton of the Bucs and Reggie Williams of the Jags are available for
trade is only 33 percent accurate. WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS The Cardinals
might get an indoor practice facility. (If they can find a company
that makes a 53-man tent.) Cards P Scott Player
might not be for much longer. Cincy coach
Marvin Lewis won't say whether the team will sign a kicker to replace Shayne
Graham, who suffered a hip pointer on Monday night. New Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt
apparently couldn't fit a
Steel Curtain into the moving truck. The Commish will meet with Mike
Vick
at some point in the future. (But does a prison visit count as a
"meeting"?) The
Falcons aren't feeling anxious to bring in another quarterback. The Ravens have
dumped G Keydrick Vincent. Ravens LT Jonathan Ogden (toe)
practiced on Tuesday for the first time this season. Bills veterans will
play in
only two series at the most in the preseason finale. The
Panthers' cuts to
75 didn't contain any surprises. LB Lance Briggs should be
glad he's still alive. Though Bears coach
Lovie Smith seems to go too easy on guys who run afoul of the law, the fact
that Tank Johnson isn't on the team tells us that there's a line out there.
Somewhere. Bears DT Tommie Harris is
expected
to play in the preseason finale. The Bengals' team captains are
QB Carson Palmer and DT John Thornton. POSTED 8:22
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:05 a.m. EDT, August 29, 2007 BUCS NOT SHOPPING CLAYTON? In response to a Tuesday report
indicating that the Buccaneers have 2004 first-rounder Michael Clayton on the
trading block, an industry source tells us that the team is denying that Clayton
is being dangled. We were initially inclined to
conclude that the team is saying this merely to drive up the price that it would
want for Clayton. Or, possibly, the team already has concluded that there
is no market for Clayton, and that they don't want him to think that they were
trying to trade him. Regardless, the fact that it was
reported by Adam Schefter of NFLN that Clayton is on the block is enough to
prompt any potential takers to make a call to the Bucs. If the Bucs aren't
interested in trading Clayton, they can politely (or otherwise) say so, and then
hang up.
MONEY FOR NOTHING, CHECKS FOR FREE
Our good friends at Rotoworld.com and NBCSports.com have a new contest.
(It's not "the contest," so all of you Kramer types out there at least have a
fighting chance.)
Instead, it's a free fantasy football game -- with a grand prize of $100,000.
We repeat: The grand prize is $100,000.
Check it out at this link. We'll
be talking about it more over the next few days, for a fee of slightly less than
$100,000. POSTED 11:47
p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 STRAHAN DECISION COMING SOON? There are indications that Giants
defensive end Michael Strahan might soon be deciding whether to play in 2007, or
whether to retire. Given that the Giants' regular
season begins in, you know, 12 days, it might be a good idea for Strahan to
pinch or get off the pinching chair. The AP reports that the
Giants and Strahan have been talking, and that Strahan told G.M. Jerry Reese
on Tuesday that Strahan expects to make up his mind within the next two days. Strahan currently owes the Giants
well over $450,000 in fines, and the number continues to grow by more than
$14,000 per day. We continue to believe that
Strahan is hoping to be traded to a contender, or released so that he can sign
with a contender. And we think that Strahan was hoping that a late arrival
would prompt the Giants to decide not to keep him around. But our guess is that the Giants
would welcome Strahan back for now, and might trade him before the October 16
deadline if the season appears to be lost -- or if another team that believes it
is an aging-but-effective defensive end away from being a serious contender
decides to make a move. NO. 10 IS UP Whew. We almost didn't get
it posted in time. But there it is. The No. 10
team on our 2007 preseason power rankings. The full list?
Right here. POSTED
8:32 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 PASS-CATCHERS AVAILABLE FOR
PEANUTS Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that a trio of Florida receivers are available to any interested takers. Specifically Reggie Williams of
the Jaguars, Michael Clayton of the Bucs, and Chris Chambers of the Dolphins are
on the block. But Schefter says that no serious
talks have occurred regarding any of the three, which means that all three of
them are in danger of being released on or before Saturday. Chambers, a
second-round pick in 2001, has been the best of the three. Clayton and
Williams were first-round picks in 2004. Williams was the No. 9 overall
pick; Clayton was No. 15. POSTED
8:13 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 KIRCUS CAUGHT WATCHING MELROSE
PLACE? Earlier this year, Broncos
receiver David Kircus was busting for busting up a guy's face. Coach
Kevlar initially said that, if Kircus would be convicted, he would be released. But then, out of nowhere, it was
announced that Kircus had passed a polygraph test, and that his position on the
team was secure. Fast forward to August 28, and
Kircus can't even claim one of the final 75 spots on the roster. The
Broncos announced on Tuesday that Kircus was released. Others released Broncos include
receiver David Terrell, defensive end Kenard Lang, and punter Paul Enrster. Back to Kircus, he had no catches
in the preseason. And that's the truth. POSTED 5:37
p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 BRIGGS REPORTED CAR STOLEN
by Michael
David Smith Bears linebacker Lance Briggs now
admits that not only did he crash and abandon his $350,000 Lamborghini at 3 a.m.
Monday, but he initially reported the car stolen. POSTED 4:47
p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 GARDNER GONE FROM K.C. On Monday, a first-round pick from
the 2001 draft saw his career suffer a major blow after pleading guilty to
federal conspiracy charges relating to dog fighting. On Tuesday, another
first-round pick from that same draft encountered a similar fate when he was cut
by the Chiefs. Receiver Rod Gardner, the
No. 15 overall
pick in 2001, was among the team's initial wave of roster cuts. Given
the overall quality of the K.C. receiving corps, Gardner's inability to make it
there suggests that he won't be able to make it anywhere. Gardner was drafted by the
Redskins, with whom he played from 2001 through 2004. He spent 2005 with
the Panthers and the Packers, and signed with the Chiefs in September 2006. Gardner was widely compared to
Cris Carter in the run up to the 2001 draft. In the end, all that can be
said about Gardner is that all he does is doesn't catch touchdowns. Other players dumped by the Chiefs
on Tuesday include
tackle
George Batiste, cornerback Michael Bragg,
defensive end Chris Harris, receiver Brent Little, cornerback Marcus Maxey,
tight end Mike Pinkard, tackle Ramiro Pruneda, receiver Titus Ryan, and tackle
Kevin Sampson. The Chiefs placed
guard
Chris Bober, fullback Greg Hanoian, linebacker David Hicks, and receiver Maurice
Price on injured reserve.
POSTED 2:55 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 DRUG ALLEGATIONS AGAINST TIM
COUCH by Michael
David Smith Tim Couch, the former No. 1
overall pick of the Cleveland Browns, had a brief and unsuccessful comeback
attempt with the Jaguars this year, but he hasn't played in an NFL game since
2003 and appears unlikely ever to play again. And now Josh Peter of Yahoo!
Sports alleges that Couch fueled his most recent comeback attempt with illegal
performance-enhancing drugs. Peter reports that Yahoo! Sports
has
obtained documents that outline Couch's drug regimens, which
called for the use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. Even if he never failed a drug
test, Couch could face league discipline solely based on the evidence turned up
by Yahoo! Sports, if the league considers that evidence to be credible. But considering that the chances of Couch catching on with
another team were approximately zero even before this report came out, an NFL
suspension probably isn't something Couch needs to worry about. POSTED 2:05 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 BROWNS PLACE BENTLEY ON PUP
by Michael
David Smith The Browns have placed center
LeCharles Bentley on the Physically Unable to Perform list, meaning
he'll miss at least
the first six weeks of the regular season. Bentley signed a free-agent
contract with the Browns in 2006 but suffered a torn patellar tendon during the
first practice of training camp last year and still hasn't played a down in
Cleveland. As Jeff Walcoff writes on the
Browns' official web site, Bentley can, by rule, attend team meetings and
continue to rehab his knee at the Browns' facilities, but he can't practice or
play for the Browns until at least Week 7. POSTED 11:45 a.m. EDT;
LAST UPDATED 12:44 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 REPORT: BRIGGS AT NIGHTCLUBS
BEFORE CRASH by Michael
David Smith NBC 5 in Chicago is reporting that
Bears linebacker Lance Briggs
went to at least two
Chicago nightclubs Sunday night before crashing and abandoning his
Lamborghini early Monday morning. The station does not report whether Briggs was
seen drinking alcohol. The TV station also reports that
yesterday was far from the first time Briggs got a blemish on his driving
record. Briggs' California driver's license was suspended for a year in 2005 for
speeding and negligence, and he had three speeding tickets in Illinois in 2004.
For crashing his Lamborghini
Murcielago and leaving it on the expressway at around 3:00 a.m. on Monday, Briggs has
been charged with one count of leaving the scene of an accident and given two
traffic citations, for improper lane usage and failure to give immediate notice
of an accident. Bears coach Lovie Smith got mad
yesterday when reporters asked him if alcohol was involved in the crash. It's still not known, and may
never be, whether alcohol was involved in the crash, but it's ridiculous for
Smith to act as though the question isn't reasonable. If Smith thinks defending
his players when they screw up is part of his job, fine. But don't get mad at
reporters for doing their job. ASANTE SAMUEL FINALLY SIGNED by Michael
David Smith Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Patriots' deal with Asante Samuel is finally, officially, done. After refusing to sign the
franchise player tender and missing all of training camp, Samuel showed up
yesterday and appeared ready to play. But there was a late sticking point, as
Samuel was apparently still pressing the Patriots to promise not to put the
franchise tag on him next year. John Tomase of the Boston
Herald reports that the
Patriots did not make any concessions. Per Tomase, the Patriots have
retained the right to franchise Samuel again next year and didn't offer anything
on top of the one-year, $7.79 million franchise tender. Realistically, there's not much
more a player can ever expect when he gets the franchise tender. Although some
franchise players have been able to get a little more than just the franchise
tender (Bears linebacker Lance Briggs got a $1 million salary advance, which he
presumably spent on the car he left by the side of the road Monday morning), for
the most part, the day a player gets the franchise tag is the day he loses his
leverage. TITANS SIGN COREY SIMON
by Michael
David Smith The Tennessean is reporting
that the Titans have
agreed to terms with defensive tackle Corey Simon. Terms of Simon's contract with the
Titans were not immediately available, but Simon could be on the practice field
as early as today. POSTED 10:15 a.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 JONATHAN OGDEN MAY NOT BE READY
FOR WEEK ONE by Michael
David Smith When the Ravens took offensive
tackle Jared Gaither in this year's supplemental draft, they thought they were
taking a guy who would spend a couple years learning from the sidelines. Instead, they may have taken their
Week One starting left tackle. Jamison Hensley of the
Baltimore Sun reports that left tackle Jonathan Ogden, who is on the
Physically Unable to Perform list with a toe injury, still isn't sure he'll be
ready to play when the regular season starts. "My goal is to get out there for
Week One," Ogden said. "It's
still too soon to really say with any certainty that it's going to happen." Ravens coach Brian Billick notes
that Ogden missed much of last year's training camp and preseason because of the
death of his father, and that he was still ready to play when the games counted
for real. Billick says this year Ogden's mental preparation is ahead of
last year. But if he's not fully healthy, it won't much matter how mentally
prepared he is. JOEY PORTER PLANNING TO PLAY
WEEK ONE by Michael David
Smith Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter
participated in drills at practice Monday for the first time since having
arthroscopic surgery on his right knee August 7, and he says he plans to play in
the regular-season opener. "It feels good for my first day
out there trying to do some football work," Porter said, per Edgar Thompson of
the Palm Beach Post. "I'm ahead of the game plan. I like where I am right
now and have enough time to get ready to where I want to be when opening day
starts." Given those knee issues, it was
surprising that the Dolphins gave Porter a $20 million guarantee as a free agent
this off-season. TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith Buffalo
released six players, including QB Kevin Eakin. RB Patrick Cobbs was happy to
learn that he was not among the
Dolphins'
nine cuts. Patriots RT Nick Kaczur
will start Week 1 against the Jets. Jets LB Andre Wadsworth won't be
disappointed if (when) he gets cut, saying just
getting the chance to play again was worth the effort. The Ravens' veterans
speak highly of second-year CB David Pittman. Bengals RB Rudi Johnson
expects to catch more passes this year. The
Browns' 11 cuts included WR Kendrick Mosley, who had formed a bond with QB
Brady Quinn. Pittsburgh's decision to cut Kevan
Barlow means Dan Kreider, Verron Haynes, and John Kuhn are
fighting for the
final running back spot. The Texans' starting center job is
still up for
grabs. WR Craphonso Thorpe is
hoping to make the Colts' roster. (And hoping people will stop snickering
about the first four letters of his name.) The Jaguars' opener
might be blacked out on local television. Titans coach Jeff Fisher says he'd
like to add DT Corey Simon but adds, "things
are in Corey's hands right now." (And in his mouth.) Broncos LT Matt Lepsis has
made a full recovery
from last year's torn ACL. Chiefs QB Damon Huard
received
congratulatory calls from former teammates Dan Marino and Tom Brady after he
was named the starter. Andrew Walter is
out of the running
for the Raiders' starting quarterback job, meaning Josh McCown and Daunte
Culpepper will battle it out, and Walter will be gone when (if) JaMarcus Russell
signs. Chargers WR Eric Parker was
initially expected to miss the first six games of the season with a toe injury,
but he says he
expects to be back sooner. Rookie S C.J. Wallace
made it past the first round of cuts in Seattle. There's still
no clear winner
of the 49ers' right tackle battle, between Kwame Harris and Joe Staley. Brett Romberg
beat out Andy McCollum for the Rams' starting center job. Calvin Pace
beat out Darryl
Blackstock for the Cardinals' starting outside linebacker job. Bucs rookie DE Gaines Adams
looks better in preseason games than he does in practice. Rookie RB Pierre Thomas
still has a chance to make the Saints' roster. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme missed
Monday's practice with an injury described as "a
side twitch." QBs Joey Harrington and Chris
Redman are
looking more comfortable in Falcons coach Bobby Petrino's offense. Vikings coach Brad Childress says
offensive coordinator
Darrell Bevell
will call the plays. Packers LB Abdul Hodge
may need season-ending knee surgery. Lions S Daniel Bullocks is
out for the season with a torn ACL. Bears receivers coach Darryl Drake
says Devin Hester
needs to work on his blocking technique. Redskins QB Jason Campbell
expects to play in the Redskins' preseason finale Thursday. Eagles coach Andy Reid describes
punt returner Jeremy Bloom as "just
OK." Giants WR David Tyree will
miss four to six weeks with a broken wrist. Cowboys K Martin Gramatica will
miss Thursday's preseason game with a hamstring injury suffered during
pregame warmups Saturday. (He was running from a bee.) POSTED 8:18
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:50 a.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 HOLD THE PHONE ON HOLT Before any fantasy owners out
there install Rams receiver Torry Holt as a No. 1 wideout, listen to this.
(Okay, wait, read this.) Holt says that his right knee,
from which cartilage was removed in the offseason, is at "about
70, 80 percent." "It's just one of those deals
where I'm not recovering as quick as I used to," Holt said. "I have to get
used to that and stay patient. . . . I don't know if it'll ever heal all
the way, but I think it will heal enough where it will allow me to go out and
play." Going out and playing and going
out and dominating are two very different things; if Holt can't run as fast or
make cuts as sharply as he used to, he might not longer be regarded as an
upper-echelon pass-catcher. Holt is experiencing swelling and
soreness in the knee, and did not play in the team's third preseason game,
against the Raiders. The injury not only renders Holt
less attractive as a fantasy acquisition, but also potentially throws a wrench
into his ability to finish his career with numbers worthy of Canton.
FANTASY RANKINGS UPDATES BEGIN With the news that Holts knee is
still mess up, we've juggled (a bit), the PFT
receiver fantasy rankings, knocking Holt down several pegs and putting
teammate Isaac Bruce in the top 40. The other positions will be
updated as the season approaches. Except for kicker, since we have
no kicker rankings. Just pick one. COMING SOON: THE PFT
MEDIA FANTASY CHALLENGE We've been gradually rounding up a
throng of NFL media types for the first-ever PFT Media Fantasy Challenge, a
fantasy league (duh) that will pit the folks who cover the sport for a living
against each other. We're finalize the roster of
owners right now, and we'll be introducing them soon. (At lease one more
potential participant is waiting to get approval from his employer -- and
from his mommy.) It's currently unknown whether one
of the participants will be Michael Silver, formerly of Sports Illustrated
and now of Yahoo! Sports. Silver actually mentioned the ongoing efforts of
yours truly to cajole him into joining in Silver's most recent Morning Rush
column. In response to an e-mail from a reader urging Silver to embrace
fantasy football, Silver said, "A more
persuasive way of getting me to join up
is to threaten me with insults, a strategy that profootballtalk.com's Mike
Florio is adeptly employing." Actually, I haven't been hurling
insults at Silver; I've merely been relaying the insults from other
participants, who have referred to Silver with words that can't be printed, even
in this space. POSTED 6:09
a.m. EDT, August 28, 2007 PFT PLANET UP IN ARMS OVER
MNF VICK-FEST We were flooded with e-mails on
Monday night regarding the decision of ESPN to interrupt football action on the
field with separate interviews of Chris Mortsensen and some lady from the AJC
regarding the Mike Vick situation. In the key third preseason game,
where starters play most if not all of the first half before disappearing (for
the most part) until Week One, the decision of the producers to conduct these
interviews while the game was being played in the second quarter was
questionable at best, downright stoopid at worst. We felt bad for Mort,
who was in the awkward position of having to focus on what he was trying to say
while the Atlanta fans were cheering the two plays that resulted in a touchdown
after a long kick return by Allen Rossum. The interview of Cynthia Tucker
(who? . . . exactly) was a train wreck, in our view. We felt bad
for a newspaper person trying to speak coherently while a football game was
going on around her. Why not interview her at halftime? Or for
SportsCenter? Or for Outside the Lines? Or for ESPN
Radio? It made absolutely no sense to have Tucker talk about the Vick case
during a football game. We also felt bad for Falcons fans,
who are trying to get past the epic collapse of their star player and find
something positive on which to focus, only have have the word "Vick" uttered
nearly as much as the word "the" during the Monday night broadcast. And for a network that is devoting
so much time and attention to the case, we're amazed by the lack of discussion
regarding the strong possibility that Vick will face further charges, and
incarcerations, in Virginia, North Carolina, and/or South Carolina.
Instead of interviewing folks about water that has long since floated under the
bridge, why not advance the story by sending Kelly Naqi or someone else to
Gerald Poindexter's office to find out when he might take the bow off of the
gift-wrapped trio of quick indictments and easy convictions on Virginia charges
of gambling, dog fighting, and animal cruelty? EMMITT A LITTLE BETTER (BUT NOT
MUCH) So we recorded Monday Night
Countdown to study the performance of one Emmitt Smith, who has been
horrible to date. He was better this week, but not
by much. Some of Emmitt's butcherings of the King's English included the
following: (1) "there wasn't no written notes"; (2) "even if he get back
to the football arena"; (3) "Michael gonna have to deal with this the rest of
his life"; and (4) "when he have the time." And Emmitt might be rubbing off a
bit on Keyshawn Johnson, who let fly the term "supposably" on Monday night, and
at one point nearly said "makesh-t" instead of "makeshift." (It actually
came out "makeship" in the end.) The substance from the two
newcomers wasn't much better. They both took Mike Vick's statement from
Monday at face value, assuming that he was telling the truth simply because he
was speaking without notes. But Vick likewise was speaking
without notes when he lied to Roger Goodell and to Arthur Blank, and when Vick
proclaimed to the world: "I'm never there. I'm never at the house. I
left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been
doing the right thing. The issue will get resolved." We tend to agree with Tom Jackson
of Countdown, who is one of the most solid and underrated NFL analysts of
our time. Jackson essentially said that a four-minute speech doesn't wipe
away a lifestyle of six years or longer that is now being pawned off as a brain
fart. Then again, Jackson is sufficiently secure in his position with ESPN
to not have to kiss Vick's butt in order to nail down the first on-camera
sit-down with the fallen quarterback. Keyshawn and Emmitt are likely vying
to fill Michael Irvin's niche of scoring the "gets" with the troubled NFL player
du jour. After Monday night, Johnson and
Smith both have even more tape that might be used to get the Vick team to
conclude that they are sufficiently friendly to the cause to be the ones to ask
him "tough questions" like: (1) "What have you learned about yourself,
Mike?"; (2) "What do you want to say to all of your fans, Mike?"; and/or (3)
"When you say you found Jesus, was it a potato chip that looked like Him, or was
it a cheese doodle?" POSTED 8:42
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:06 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 GABRIEL A SURPRISE CUT IN
OAKLAND The roster moves in advance of
Tuesday's deadline for trimming the teams to 75 players included a few
surprises. Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Raiders have cut veteran receiver Doug Gabriel. Other cuts occurring throughout
the day included Jets receiver Tim Dwight, Jags tight end Jermaine Wiggins,
Steelers running back Kevan Barlow, and Redskins receiver Todd Pinkston. Avoiding the Turk, for now, was
Ravens quarterback Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner who was selected
by Baltimore in round five of the draft. On Saturday, teams must get down
to 53 players. NO. 11 IS UP On Tuesday, we begin with the top
ten. For now, it's the last team that isn't in it. The full list of our preseason
power rankings is right here. Read it, or continue to watch
ESPN's Monday Night Football, also known as Non-Stop Michael Vick
Discussion With A Football Game Playing In The Background. POSTED 8:06
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:42 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 BLANK HINTS THAT McKAY'S GOOSE
IS COOKED? An astute member of PFT Planet
pointed out to us on Monday that Falcons owner Arthur Blank might have dropped a
significant hint regarding the status of G.M. Rick McKay on Monday. In reading from notes, Blank
described McKay as "our present General Manager." "Present"? Why would the
word "present" be in there if McKay were going to be the "future" guy for the
job? Maybe we're reading too much into
it. Or maybe we aren't. Either way, McKay clearly is in hot water
right now, and that one word added to his speech by Blank could be a clue to the
trained ear that McKay's days are numbered. UPDATE:
Apparently, Blank was saying "our President and General Manager." Or maybe
that's what Blank intended to say and committed a Freudian slip. POSTED
7:35 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:42 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 SAMUEL TRYING TO GET PATS TO
AGREE NOT TO FRANCHISE HIM IN 2008 Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel did not sign his franchise tender
on Monday, because the Samuel camp is trying to get the team to agree not to use
the franchise tag on him again, apparently if he meets a specific playing-time
threshold. Schefter says that, absent a deal,
Samuel will sign the tender on Tuesday as currently drafted. Our guess? The Pats won't
budge. Why should they? The Patriots can franchise him again in 2008
and then get something of value in exchange for his rights next March. HUYGHUE AN INTERESTING CHOICE
FOR NFLN LEGAL ANALYST Several league insiders have
raised with us the fact that eyebrows are raised regarding the presence of
Michael Huyghue as NFL Network's new legal analyst. Huyghue is best known of late for
being the agent for suspended Titans cornerback Pacman Jones, and many have
privately criticized Huyghue's handling of Jones' career. During a Monday appearance on
NFLN's Total Access, Huyghue was asked to explain the advice he'd give to
Mike Vick during this period of time between Vick's August 27 guilty plea and
his December 10 sentencing. We're surprised that Huyghue
didn't say that he'd advise Vick to spend the next three months as a pro
wrestler. POSTED
7:27 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 BRIGGS CHARGED IN LAMBORGHINI
CRASH Bears linebacker Lance Briggs has
been
charged with leaving the scene of an accident following Monday morning's
smash-and-sprint involving his brand-new (formerly) Lamborghini. It's a misdemeanor charge, and it
will result in three points for Chicago, once we get around to updating Turd
Watch. Other teams that have picked up
points lately include the Bucs, Falcons, and Vikings. The Briggs charge also allows us
to re-set the "days without an arrest" meter, which only made it back to four
after nearly hitting 20 last week. POSTED
7:23 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 VICK'S LAWYERS SHOULD MUZZLE
HIM Falcons quarterback (hey, until
they cut him, he's a member of the team) Mike Vick spoke to the media for more
than four minutes on Monday. He spoke without emotion and, more
importantly, without notes. He reiterated his admission to dog fighting,
and acknowledged that he had done wrong. But Vick is still facing possible
criminal prosecutions in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina for dog
fighting. Though the statement of facts that Vick signed on Thursday
likely gives competent prosecutors enough ammo to put him away, anything else
Vick says can and will be used against him, and could make getting multiple
convictions easier. The fact that Vick's legal team
allowed him to speak extemporaneously (thanks, Tiki) without a single note or
quote is amazing to us. The man is in dire legal jeopardy in a total of
four jurisdictions; nothing good can come out of saying anything publicly for
now. Meanwhile, we have to take serious
issue with Vick's contention that his behavior was "immature." My kid is
"immature," but he's not about to hang or drown dogs. The only "immature"
folks who engage in such behaviors are persons who "mature" into serial killers. POSTED
7:14 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 RAMS DANGLING FITZPATRICK A league source tells us that the
St. Louis Rams are trying to trade quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick, who played college
football at Harvard, is the No. 3 quarterback on the Rams' depth chart. It's believed that the Rams
offered Fitzpatrick to the Vikings, who ended up acquiring Kelly Holcomb from
the Eagles. If Fitzpatrick had gone to the Vikings, and if he were to play
on the field with the team's No. 1 offense, it might have been the first time
ever that a Harvard center was snapping the ball to a Harvard quarterback in the
NFL. Matt Birk, a Harvard grad, is the long-time starter snapper in
Minnesota. Fitzpatrick has appeared in five
regular-season games in two years with the Rams, starting three in 2005 due to
injuries. His career passer rating in 2005 is 58.3. Another team that could be
interested in Fitzpatrick is the Lions, since Detroit offensive coordinator Mike
Martz selected Fitzpatrick in the seventh round of the 2005 draft when Martz was
the head coach of the Rams. POSTED
3:36 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 6:45 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 VIKINGS LAND KELLY HOLCOMB
by Michael David Smith
Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Eagles and Vikings have agreed to a trade that will send
quarterback Kelly Holcomb to Minnesota in exchange for a sixth-round draft
pick. Holcomb's days were obviously
numbered in Philadelphia, as Donovan McNabb is the clear starter, A.J. Feeley
has the No. 2 job locked up, and rookie Kevin Kolb is the team's quarterback of
the future. The Philadelphia Inquirer
reported today that
as many as four teams were interested in Holcomb, and that the Vikings and the Falcons
were two of them. PFT has learned that Seattle was
also a potential destination for Holcomb, and that the Eagles' final decision
came down to whether to accept the Vikings' offer or the Seahawks'. That Seattle
was considering adding another veteran quarterback could be an indication that
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren would like to give backup quarterback Seneca
Wallace more time at wide receiver, and that Holmgren isn't pleased with the
progress of third-year pro David Greene, the Seahawks' 2005 third-round pick. Holcomb has started 21 games in
his NFL career, and his numbers, while not spectacular, are respectable: A 64.6%
career completion percentage and a 79.9 passer rating. He'll likely be the No. 2
quarterback in Minnesota, behind starter Tarvaris Jackson. Brooks Bollinger had
been slated to serve as Jackson's backup, but his play in the preseason led the
Vikings' coaches to conclude that they needed another veteran passer on the
team. There are conflicting reports
about whether the sixth-round pick the Vikings gave up was for 2008 or 2009. The Vikings
also released eight players
today, including quarterback Drew Henson. UPDATE:
We've confirmed that the sixth-round pick is a
2009 selection. POSTED 1:51 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 FORMER TEAMMATE MORTEN ANDERSEN
"DISAPPOINTED IN VICK" by
Michael David Smith Former Saints, Falcons, Giants,
Chiefs, Vikings, and Falcons (again) kicker Morten Andersen isn't just the NFL's
all-time leading scorer. He's also a blogger in his native Denmark. And PFT just happens to have
a reader who was kind enough to translate the
blog post that Andersen
wrote yesterday about Michael Vick. Under the headline, "I am so
disappointed in Vick," Andersen, who played with Vick in Atlanta last year
and isn't expected to sign with any team this year, writes the following (which,
after being translated by our reader, was edited for clarity by yours truly):
That's completely OK. We all
need to have our private lives outside the limelight and away from the public
eye. I hope that Michael will look
deep into his soul and find a way out of this dark hole he currently is located
in. Most NFL players who have spoken
publicly about Vick have tried to minimize the crimes he committed, so it's nice
that there's finally an NFL player who is willing to speak frankly about Vick.
It would be even nicer if we could hear that message again, from more NFL
players, including some who aren't retired, kickers, 20 years older than Vick,
and/or writing in a foreign-language blog. POSTED 1:12 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 FALCONS SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE IN
VICK'S IMPACT ON SALARY CAP
by Michael David Smith
Falcons General Manager Rich McKay
spoke to the press Monday afternoon and confirmed that the Falcons will do
everything in their power to recover as much bonus money as they can that they
have already paid to Michael Vick. And McKay went a bit further than
that, even looking on the bright side of the situation, noting that money the
Falcons recover from Vick is money they can use to sign other players.
"We will pursue it aggressively. Any dollar that we were to recoup would, the next season, become a salary cap
credit, so it affects our team and our ability to field our team," McKay said. "We don't do this in any way that's spiteful at all, we do it as a way to help
our franchise." McKay said the Falcons will see
some immediate salary cap relief, as Vick's $6 million salary won't be charged
to the Falcons' 2007 salary cap. While McKay said he didn't expect that to
affect the 2007 roster because the free agency period is over, it could help the
Falcons going forward because it might permit them to restructure certain deals
with current players, using some of that $6 million in cap space this year and
freeing it up to be used in future years. For McKay and Falcons owner Arthur
Blank, who also spoke, it was an attempt to put the best possible light on an
embarrassing day for the franchise, a day when the man to whom they gave a $130 million
contract officially became a felon. BRIGGS NOT HURT, AT BEARS
PRACTICE by Michael
David Smith Bears linebacker Lance Briggs was
at the Bears' practice facility hours after his Lamborghini was found crashed
and abandoned on the side of a Chicago highway. "It
was his car, he's OK and he's here [at Halas Hall]," Bears spokesman Scott Hagel told WBBM in Chicago. However, it's still not clear
whether Briggs was driving and, if so, why he would abandon a $350,000 vehicle
on the side of the road. Police say an investigation is ongoing and that they
don't know who was driving, but they have no indication that the car was
reported as stolen. Police found the car, which had
temporary Texas plates, at 3:14 a.m. and found that it had hit a guardrail. No
other vehicles were involved. Per WBBM, police said it doesn't
appear that anyone was injured in the crash. When and if police determine who
was driving, the driver could face misdemeanor charges for improper lane usage
and leaving the scene of the accident. POSTED 12:29 p.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 JETS CUT TIM DWIGHT
by Michael David
Smith The Jets announced today that they
are releasing several players, including wide receiver/kick returner Tim
Dwight, who had been on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Even if he were fully healthy,
Dwight, who joined the Jets last year, may have been expendable because the Jets
have an abundance of guys who can play the slot receiver and return kicks.
Dwight is 32 years old and heading in his 10th NFL season, and it's possible
that his career is over. POSTED 11:59 a.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 MICHAEL VICK SPEAKS
by Michael David
Smith Michael Vick made a public
statement this morning, an hour after he officially became a felon when he
entered his guilty plea to federal conspiracy charges. Vick's statement was much more
contrite than anything he had said previously, but that's not saying much. Vick
spoke without any notes and began by apologizing to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, and his Falcons
teammates. He also described himself as "ashamed" and "totally disappointed in
myself." Although he didn't make any
specific references to his own role in dog fighting, he did say, "dog fighting
is a terrible thing." Starting off by apologizing and denouncing dog fighting
was the right thing to do. But then Vick moved on, and it's
hard not to be extremely cynical of his next statement: "Through this situation,
I've found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God,
and that's the right thing to do right now." If Vick thinks he's going to buy
sympathy with a jailhouse conversion, he must think everyone watching is an
idiot. And then the statement took an odd
turn, when Vick said, "In this entire situation, I never pointed the finger at
anybody else." What? Does Vick think we've all forgotten that the first thing he
did when the cops showed up at his Virginia property was point the finger at his
cousin? Overall, it was not a performance
that is likely to do much to change Vick's image. He's got a long, long way to
go for that. POSTED 10:51 a.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 VICK CAMP MUST BE REALLY
WORRIED
by Michael David Smith
ESPN's Len Pasquarelli has been
criticized, here and elsewhere, for providing the pro-Michael Vick spin whenever
he has reported on the dog-fighting investigation that began four months ago. So after what Pasquarelli said
when he appeared on ESPN First Take this morning, there can only be one
possible conclusion: The Vick camp is really, really worried. Pasquarelli began his appearance
by saying that he "spoke with the people in the Vick camp" last night.
He was then asked about a report
from Steve Wyche of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who wrote this
weekend that the
Falcons will attempt to recover $22 million in previously paid bonus money.
Pasquarelli responded, "I've actually got the contract sitting right next to me"
and then added, "I believe they could probably go after closer to $28 or $29
million." It might not be that grim, in the
view of Vick's representatives, as Pasquarelli later said, "They might not
technically be able to go after much more than the initial $7.5 million signing
bonus." But whatever the dollar amount, if even Pasquarelli believes that Vick
is going to be on the hook for millions of dollars, there must not be any way to
reasonably spin it otherwise. [Editor's note:
Thanks, Len, for confirming our belief that the worst-case scenario for Vick
is having to repay more than $28 million. We're glad we're not the only
ones who think that, even if the only other one is you.] POSTED 9:20 a.m. EDT;
LAST UPDATED 10:13 a.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 JAGUARS CUT WIGGINS,
SORENSEN
by Michael David Smith
PFT has learned that the
Jacksonville Jaguars have cut tight end Jermaine Wiggins, safety Nick Sorensen,
and linebacker/defensive end Jorge Cordova. Wiggins was a free agent signing
who played for the Vikings last year. S orensen was heading into his fourth
season with the Jaguars. Cordova was the Jags' third-round pick in 2004.
Jaguars assistant head coach Mike
Tice had previously coached Wiggins when Tice was the head coach in Minnesota,
and Tice was said to have pushed for the signing of Wiggins to a
one-year, $1 million contract this off-season.
Wiggins was
shaken up
after a big hit in the Packers' preseason game at Green Bay last week and
was reported to have
suffered a
concussion. He also had a
key drop in the
game.
MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
by Michael David
Smith Falcons coach Bobby Petrino likes
the way rookie CB David Irons is
contributing on special teams. Panthers backup QB Brett Basanez
will miss the
season with a wrist injury. Saints QB Drew Brees says WR Lance
Moore should
win the training camp MVP award. The Bucs know their first-team
defense
needs some work. The Rams have two defensive ends,
Trevor Johnson and Eric Moore,
competing for one roster spot. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt
isn't concerned about preseason miscues. Coach Mike Nolan says of the first
quarter of the 49ers' preseason loss to the Bears, "By the time the quarter was
over, there were 35 plays.
I had written down 23 plays where we messed up." The Seahawks will
keep
six linebackers on the roster, meaning backups Kevin Bentley, Niko
Koutouvides, Lance Laury, and Will Herring all need to be worried. Aussie punter Sav Rocca appears to
have
solidified his spot on the Eagles' roster. A foot injury to Cowboys CB
Terence Newman is
causing concern. As the Giants play without DE
Michael Strahan, his replacement, Justin Tuck, is
playing well. Although he'll be
demoted out of the starting lineup once the newly acquired Pete Kendall is
ready to go, the Redskins' coaching staff loves G Mike Pucillo. Bears C Olin Kreutz is
tired of being asked about QB Rex Grossman. The Lions
still aren't sure what to do with injured RB Kevin Jones. Packers RB Brandon Jackson
suffered a blow to the head in Sunday's practice and
was in a fog as
he went from his locker to the training room. The Vikings
may be
interested in trading for Eagles backup QB Kelly Holcomb. Third-year WR Vincent Jackson is
looking like a legitimate No. 1 receiver in San Diego. Raiders rookie RB Michael Bush,
still recovering from a leg injury suffered at Louisville last year, says "I
have no idea at all" what's next for him. Chiefs RB Larry Johnson will
play in the
final preseason game. WR David Terrell is
among the Broncos getting
cut. Titans CB Reynaldo Hill is
likely to lose his starting spot. Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich says of
his shaky play in the preseason, "It
don't matter until Week 1." (Then why do fans pay full price for tickets?)
Colts coach Tony Dungy says his
defense is tackling better. The Texans are trying to decide
whether to
put OT Charles Spencer on the physically unable to perform list, which would
ensure that he's out for the first six regular-season games. The Steelers' offense appeared to
be heading in the
right direction in the preseason game against the Eagles. Browns WR Joe Jurevicius says QB
Brady Quinn is
as good as advertised. Bengals CB Keiwan Ratliff is
worried he's about to get cut. Ravens rookie OT Jared Gaither
had a bad night in Baltimore's preseason loss Saturday. Now that Pete Kendall is gone, the
Jets
need to find a starting left guard, and fast. Patriots FB Heath Evans is
making an impact, both on offense and on special teams. Rookie QB John Beck is
looking good in Miami.
Bills RB Fred Jackson is
getting
closer to earning a roster spot as he continues to impress in the preseason.
POSTED 8:15
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:40 a.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 BRIGGS' LAMBORGHINI FOUND
CRASHED, ABANDONED WSCR radio in Chicago reports that
a black Lamborghini owned by Bears linebacker Lance Briggs has been found
crashed and abandoned. Briggs reportedly was seen running
from the scene of the one-car accident. Though we don't know whether
Illinois law imposes hit-and-run liability for a one-car crash (and we invite
any members of the Illinois bar to let us know what the rule is there), Briggs'
motivation to leave the scene was greater than was his desire to remain with a
car that costs slightly more than the average horseless carriage. Video of the wrecked car, which
Briggs supposedly bought right before the start of training camp, is
right here.
WILL BLANK CLEAN HOUSE? As Falcons quarterback Mike Vick
prepares to formally enter a guilty plea on Monday morning, setting the stage
for a sentencing hearing that likely will occur in December, some league
insiders are wondering if/when team owner Arthur Blank will turn his eye
toward the folks who were in a position to know (or, at a minimum, to find
out) whether Vick was a disaster waiting to happen. At a minimum, Falcons' in-house
security officials should explain in detail to Blank their failure to have an
inkling that Vick was living a Bizarro Superman-style double life right under
their noses, playing the superhero for the public and reverting during private
moments to a cruel and inhumane torturer (and killer) of dogs. In October 2004, Vick was
involved in a strange incident at an airport, where two guys who were
traveling with him (including Quanis Phillips) allegedly lifted a watch
belonging to a luggage-screening employee. Two months later, the Falcons
gave Vick a contract extension containing $37 million in bonuses. So did anyone bother to ask
whether Vick and his association with guys like Quanis Phillips was cause for
concern before printing out the check for the initial $7.5 million
installment? Should the team have looked more carefully at Vick's
overall lifestyle before paying him that much money? The easy answer is "hell yes."
But the bigger issue is whether
someone should have raised these questions in advance, and whether anyone
actually did. Rich McKay, the Falcons G.M., wasn't on the job when the
team drafted Vick, and Blank wasn't the owner. So shouldn't someone have
suggested a full background check on the guy before giving him that much
money? Maybe they did, and maybe the
security staff couldn't find anything. Or maybe they did, and maybe
there were red flags that McKay and/or Blank ignored. Even if the ultimate reason for
not taking a serious look-see into off-field habits of Vick, or for not paying
attention to any warning signs that were found, is that Blank was sufficiently
smitten with Vick to ignore the problems, someone should have told the emperor
that he was butt-naked. In our view, that responsibility ultimately fell
to McKay. But McKay might have been reluctant to make waves, or might
have been distracted by his desire at the time to politick for the
Commissioner's job. Though we doubt that the Falcons
will be flapping their dirty laundry to the press regarding one of the most
embarrassing episodes in league history, we think it makes a lot of
sense to keep a close eye on the front office over the next few months,
because we're convinced that someone is gonna get fired over this. It might just be McKay. POSTED 1:02
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:22 a.m. EDT, August 27, 2007 SAMUEL EXPECTED TO REPORT ON
MONDAY Shalize Manza Young of the
Providence Journal reports that Patriots cornerback
Asante Samuel is expected to report for duty on Monday, signing his
one-year, $7.79 million franchise tender and joining the team. Citing an unnamed source close to
Samuel, the veteran corner flew to Boston Sunday night and is expected to report
before the team's 8:00 a.m. meeting. Samuel could have delayed his
arrival even losing without losing any of that $7.79 million salary, which
becomes fully guaranteed the minute his signature is added to the tender offer.
In the past, some franchise players have reported only days before the
regular-season opener. The decision of Samuel to report
now is encouraging for the team, since it's a sign that he's serious about
contributing to the overall effort this season, and not inclined to be pouting
about the fact that the organization didn't give him Nate Clements money.
If Samuel were planning to adopt such an attitude, he would have waited as long
as possible to report, making him useless to the team for the first
regular-season game, and maybe for the second one, too. It's in Samuel's own interests to
have a strong 2007 season, so that he'll be in high demand come 2008. With
that said, the Patriots retain the right to slap the franchise tag on him again.
And though Young deserves credit for breaking the story, her formula regarding
the franchise tender owed to Samuel in 2008 is wrong. She says that he'll
be entitled to the average of the five highest-paid players at the position,
plus 20 percent. Actually, the rule is that the player gets the average of
the five highest-paid players at the position or 120 percent of his own salary
form the prior season. In Samuel's case, the tender will jump from $7.79
million to $9.348 million, unless the 2007 average of the five highest-paid
corners is more than $9.348 million. 12 OF THE VICK DOGS WEREN'T PIT
BULLS We'd always been confused about
the total number of dogs removed from Mike Vick's property in April. Some
reports had the number at 66 dogs; others said there were 54. Based on a nugget buried in the
latest ESPN.com item regarding the Vick saga is an indication that the correct
number is 66 total dogs, and only 54 pit bulls. Writes Elizabeth Merrill: "Approximately
12 other dogs were seized from the Vick residence.
Some are believed to be beagles, and animal activists hope they are adoptable.
It's unclear why Vick had them." Here's why Vick had them, Liz --
they were practice dogs. Canines of weaker breeds intended for use in
testing sessions. You know, the same testing sessions that 6-8 pit bulls
failed that same month, prompting Vick and his cohorts to conclude that, if the
pit bulls weren't able to fight, there was no point continuing to spending money
feeding and caring for them. After all, Mike had committed to giving
$10,000 to the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings; he needed to reduce that
Alpo line on the 1915 Moonlight Road budget. Thus, maybe some of those beagles
were the dogs that exposed some of the 6-8 pit bulls as pussycats. We apologize for being so frank
about this, but we believe candor on the present topic is required so that folks
don't lose sight of what this operation was all about. It had nothing to
do with "loving" dogs; the dogs were the vehicles for Vick's "love" of watching
two animals fight. As one reader wrote on Friday
after reading about Vick's insistence that he didn't game on dog fights:
"Now I
understand. Mike Vick didn't run a dog fighting operation and go to dog fights
to gamble. Because he's not a gambler. It says it right on his plea
agreement. He just went to see the dogs rip each other to shreds.
Not for the excitement of winning or losing few bucks but for the blood, guts,
gore, suffering, and death. So at least he's not a gambler, just a
sadistic, sick mofo. I feel much better now. For a minute I thought
he had some awful character flaw like gambling." POSTED 9:09
p.m. EDT, August 26, 2007 LENWHALE ON HIS WAY? Titans running back LenDale White,
to whom we lovingly refer as LenWhale due to his propensity to go portly in the
offseason, could be on the verge of becoming the starting running back for the
Titans. It was presumed that White would
continue to be a backup when Chris Brown re-signed with the team after testing
the free-agent market. But White was the starter in the Titans' Friday
night preseason game against the Bills, and carried 11 times for 51 yards. "We
have a good problem either way we decide," Fisher said over the weekend,
according to the AP. "We're going to be good." By the sounds of it, Fisher plans
to try a two-headed approach, at least early in the season. "When we want to keep
our running backs fresh in the game early in the season when you're dealing with
some heat issues and things, both of them have shown they can make the plays,
which is good. We'll be in a good situation," Fisher said. Good for the Titans, bad for
fantasy owners who crave workhorses like White craves hamburgers. NO. 12 IS UP We begin the top dozen teams in
the NFL, as of right now, with . . . well, hell, you've got to
click the link to find out. No. 11 is coming on Monday.
No. 10 is coming on Tuesday. You get the idea. POSTED 5:23
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 5:49 p.m. EDT, August 26, 2007 CHIEFS NAB DRUMMOND The Kansas City Chiefs have signed
free-agent receiver/kick returner Eddie Drummond, days after Drummond was cut by
the Lions. Drummond already has been
installed as the starting punt returner and kick returner. He fills a void that was created
by the offseason trade of Dante Hall, the so-called "Human Joystick" who took
the league by storm with his highlight-reel returns in 2003. But Hall
never developed into a pass-catching threat, and his numbers had diminished over
the past couple of years. Drummond was a Pro Bowler in 2004,
but also has had trouble developing as a receiver. He signed a one-year deal with the
Chiefs, presumably for the league minimum. KEEP BUYING THE ROTOWORLD DRAFT
GUIDE A reader reminded us that we
haven't pimped the Rotoworld Fantasy Draft Guide in a couple of days. And so we shall. Buy the guide. You can get
it
right here. We get a piece of the action for
ever unit sold. And, more importantly (maybe), it's a great product.
So buy it. Meanwhile, we need to buy one of
our own, since we've decided to launch a media-only fantasy league. We'll
soon unroll the impressive list of folks who write and talk about the NFL for a
living who'll be managing teams. One guy who has publicly declined is
Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports. (But we're still working on him, and
we're trying to decide whether to use compliments or insults. In the end,
we'll likely go with insults. Not because we think it will be more
effective, but because we think it will be more fun.) SUNDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS Colts DE Dwight Freeney
won't play in the preseason
finale due to a bruised thigh. The Jags have taken
LB Chris Claiborne out of mothballs. (Who's next? Jack Ham?) The Titans
might sign DT Corey Simon -- but first they have to find a uniform big
enough to fit him. The Falcons
will pick over other teams' scraps before pursuing a trade to bolster the
quarterback position. The Commish wisely
pulled the plug on the Ravens-Redskins preseason game, which was delayed
twice by thunderstorms. Panthers LB Dan Morgan
had no problems in
his return to the field after missing nearly a year following a concussion. One of our sponsors apparently has
been
training with the Mandelbaums. Bengals CB Johnathan Joseph (foot)
is
expected to make his preseason debut on Monday night.
So much for all that optimism in Dallas. The Broncos' defense
has a long way to go. If he
continues to
improve, Packers S Atari Bigby might have to eventually change his name to
Wii. The Texans
might have gotten their Reggie Bush one season and two rounds later. POSTED 4:56
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 5:16 p.m. EDT, August 26, 2007 SAVAGE SAYS QUINN WON'T START
THE SEASON OPENER Browns G.M. Phil Savage said on
Saturday night that Browns rookie quarterback
Brady Quinn won't be the starter for the regular-season opener on September
9 against the Steelers. But Savage's comments reportedly
came after the first quarter of Saturday night's preseason game against the
Broncos. We wonder whether Savage feels any differently after Quinn's
performance against the Broncos' starting defense? Also, we didn't realize that the
influence of the G.M. extends to the coaching staff. Apparently, Savage
considers himself another Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson, who as several readers have
told us makes it clear in that Hard Knocks show on HBO that he's the
boss, and that coach Herm Edwards is at best a compliant lieutenant. Look, Savage and/or "coach" Romeo
Crennel can say what they want about whether or not Quinn is ready, but the
excitement is building among the fans and the local media. Unless Charlie
Frye or Derek Anderson are undefeated, the pressure to use Quinn will be
intense. WHAT'S WRONG WITH BERNIE KOSAR? As several readers have advised
us, and as we've heard with our own ears on NFL Network's broadcast of Saturday
night's Browns-at-Broncos game, preseason analyst Bernie Kosar doesn't sound
right. We're not suggesting that he was
under the influence of any legal or illegal substances while working in the
booth,
but his voice sounded like the voice of a person who has some type of
impairment. Maybe he had a cavity filled before the broadcast, and the Novocaine hadn't worn off. Or maybe he had jet lag. Or maybe he had
just heard Mary Hart's voice. Whatever the cause, he didn't
demonstrate the kind of vocal clarity that you'd expect a broadcaster to have, and we can't
remember Bernie ever sounding that way when interviewed during his playing days. A media source says that Kosar is
actually more understandable this year than last year. If that's the case,
we can't imagine how bad he must have sounded a year ago. POSTED 2:00
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:40 p.m. EDT, August 26, 2007 FALCONS TO MAKE A PLAY FOR
BONUS MONEY Steve Wyche of the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution reports that the
Falcons will attempt to recover $22 million in previously paid bonus money
to suspended quarterback Mike Vick. It's our understanding based on
the type of bonus recovery language that the Falcons were using in 2004 that the
maximum number pursued could have been much higher, since the Falcons' formula
was based on spreading the bonus money equally over every regular-season game
covered by the the contract. Since Vick's contract runs through 2013,
there is more bonus money for which he has not already received credit.
But the Falcons apparently are
operating under the assumption that they must use a formula that focuses not on
the total years of the deal, but on the total years of bonus proration. In
Vick's case, the remaining years of bonus proration are 2007, 2008, and 2009,
and the total amount of unallocated bonus money is $22 million. As we previously explained (but as
Wyche's story ignores), the grievance will hinge on the question of whether the
prorated portion of $29.5 million paid to Vick as roster bonuses that were
converted at the team's option to guaranteed payments are exempt from
forfeiture. The NFLPA and Vick will argue that money from converted roster
bonuses can't be touched; the NFL and the Falcons will argue that it can be
recovered. The precedent established by the Ashley Lelie claim (which
resulted in a finding that option bonuses are not subject to forfeiture) and the
pending Jake Plummer grievance could go a long way toward resolving the Vick
situation. If the roster bonus money is
exempt, the Falcons will be able to recover, based on our calculations, only
$3.75 million, which represents half of his initial $7.5 million signing bonus. Wyche also reports that the
Falcons will not release Vick until the bonus issue is resolved. But if
the ultimate finding is that the Falcons' right to recovery accrues each year in
which Vick is unavailable, they might have to hold his rights through 2009 in
order to get all of the money, regarding of whether the amount is $3.75 million,
$22 million, or some other figure. And Vick and the NFLPA would be
wise to argue that the Falcons must keep him on the roster in order to get all
of the money back. Since a player usually has to be on a team roster to
serve a suspension, it is Vick's interests to be a member of the Falcons if, for
example, he is unable to play due to incarceration in 2007 and 2008 and is
suspended for all of 2009. If the Falcons are required to hold his rights
through 2009 in order to get all of their money, Vick would serve his suspension
as a member of the Falcons, and then would be able to sign free and clear with
someone else in 2010. Such analysis possibly reflects
wishful thinking on Vick's part, however, since it ignores the possibility of
incarceration for state-level charges in Virginia or either (or both) of the
Carolinas, and it presumes that Vick would only get a one-year suspension from
the NFL after getting out of prison. Regardless of how all of this
works out, it is a complex question, which will keep the lawyers busy killing
trees while Mike is busy making license plates. THE GREEN DOT HAS GOT TO GO Nearly three weeks ago, on the day
after the Hall of Fame Game, we reported that the green dot on the back of the
quarterback's helmet is a new thing aimed at helping the officials ensure that
only one player on the field has a radio receiver in his helmet. The green
dot is on every helmet with a receiver in it; thus, there should be only one
player on the field at any time who is sporting the green dot -- which
for signal-callers is the NFL equivalent of the AIDS ribbon. We realize the practical
importance of ensuring that only one guy has a receiver in his helmet.
But, surely, there has to be a better way of tracking the magic helmet than by
slapping on the back of it a sticker that clashes with the color schemes of 31
of the 32 NFL franchises. (We couldn't say that it clashes with every
team, since it's actually the same nauseating shade of green as the stripe in
the sleeves of the Seahawks' jersey.) Why not use a white sticker for
all teams with dark helmets (or dark stripes down the middle of white helmets),
or a black sticker for all teams with white helmets (or white stripes down the
middle of dark helmets)? The fact that the sticker is the
same color as the background screens used in weather reports and in the movies makes us wonder
whether the NFL is exploring with new technologies that would allow corporate logos to be superimposed over those green circles by the television
networks. A couple of years ago, a reader raised this theory when the NFL
used for a weekend a "Futbol Americano" sticker that had the same green
background. It would be the most innocuous way
possible for advertising to invade the field of play. And, frankly, the
innovation would be welcome. We'd much rather see a Sprint or Budweiser or
Sprint or GM or Sprint logo than that ugly green circle. POSTED 1:27
p.m. EDT, August 26, 2007 BOSTON VIDEO SHOWS CONFUSION,
LACK OF COORDINATION, SOME BELLIGERENCE We've received plenty of e-mails
over the past few days from folks who think that the video of the field sobriety
test imposed on Bucs receiver David Boston shows nothing that would give rise to
suspicion of DUI, and that his arrest was the result of an overly zealous cop
(not to be confused with an
over-officious jerk). So we decided to
watch the whole thing,
and here's what we believe. Boston wasn't clearly under the
influence, but he wasn't acting like a sober person would act, in our view.
He was more than a little belligerent with the officer, resisting at first the
field sobriety test that the officer was attempting to impose. It was
almost as if Boston was trying to buy some time in the hopes that he would
emerge from a possible fog so that he could demonstrate that there was no fog
from which to emerge. He also was trying to offer an advance excuse for
any perceived lack of balance, mentioning that he has had surgery on both knees
and recently rolled an ankle. Also, Boston was not following the
officer's instructions when performing basic maneuvers like walking heel-to-toe.
For example, the officer wanted him to count out his steps as he walked.
Boston did not comply, possibly because he had to focus so hard on the
heel-to-toe walking that he couldn't do both at once. When Boston was directed to stand
with his eyes closed and touch his nose with his left and/or right index finger,
he moved far more deliberately than a fully sober person would. With all that said, the cop was
being a bit of a jackass, treating Boston at times with condescension.
Still, given that Boston was found passed out at the wheel of a running car and
in light of the manner in which he performed the field sobriety test, we think
there was more than enough cause to take him in for testing. Maybe if someone had acted on such
suspicions with Rams defensive end Leonard Little, Susan Gutweiler would still
be alive today. POSTED 7:28
p.m. EDT, August 26, 2007 QUINN FORCING CRENNEL'S HAND It was one thing for Brady Quinn
to complete 13 of 16 passes that he actually tried to complete against a prevent
defense during the fourth quarter of the Browns' second preseason game against
the Lions' scrubs. It was quite another for Quinn to
complete
seven of 11 passes for 81 yards in two drives against the Broncos'
first-team defense. The first drive ended with a missed field goal; the
second drive resulted in a Quinn touchdown pass. The Quinn highlights, available
for now on the front page of NFL.com, are
impressive, even if Quinn's military-style buzz cut isn't. Quinn's performance could make it
harder for coach Romeo Crennel not to make the kid the starter sooner rather
than later. Charlie Frye was 7-for-9 for 74 yards as the first guy up on
Saturday night, and Derek Anderson was 5-for-7 for 68 yards in relief. One
of those two guys will have to play extremely well in the regular season to keep
Quinn on the bench. If Frye and Anderson struggle at
all, Crennel likely won't have any other choice but to roll out the team's
second first-round draft choice. It'll be interesting to see
whether Crennel resists. We've heard some rumblings that Crennel, the
former defensive coordinator in New England, and Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis,
the former offensive coordinator with the Patriots, are currently feuding a bit
because Weis was under the impression that Crennel's new team would take Quinn
with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. The thinking is that Quinn could
be caught in the middle, and the Crennel might be influenced to sit Quinn this
season due to the friction with Weis. In the end, however, Crennel needs
some excitement and optimism in order to save his skin. The best way to
generate it is for the Vince Young effect to take root in Cleveland. A
6-10 record might not be enough to rescue Romeo if the quarterbacks are Frye
and/or Anderson. But six wins from Quinn could create just enough buzz
from the Browns' fans to get Crennel another year to continue the progress. SUNDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS The performance of Jets rookie CB
Darrelle Revis in his first preseason game
made coach Eric Mangini smile, which could be the first time Mangini has
smiled since he took the job. Bears WR/KR Devin Hester
suffered a shoulder injury during Saturday night's preseason game against
the 49ers. Cowboys CB
Aaron Glenn was
toasted on Saturday night by Texans WR Andre Johnson. Jets DE Andre Wadsworth is
expected to be released soon; if he is, his final play with the Jets was a
forced fumble. Cowboys K Martin Gramatica
suffered a strained
hamstring on Saturday night. Dog fighting is a
pretty
big deal in California. Mike Vick's mom says that her son
"is
not a criminal" on the eve of the formal entry of his guilty plea to a
crime. The Bengals are
having trouble finding a third receiver to replace Chris Henry during his
coming eight-game suspension. Packers DT Justin Harrell
has been inconsistent in his first NFL training camp and preseason. POSTED 8:43
p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:38 p.m. EDT, August 25, 2007 BOSTON BUST NO BIG THING FOR
BUCS The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have
issued a statement regarding the recent arrest of receiver David Boston. Said G.M. Bruce Allen, according
to our friends at PewterReport.com: "We have investigated the David Boston
situation and feel that we have an understanding of the facts. At this
time, we
have seen no objective evidence to support the charges that were brought
against him." So a guy passed out at the wheel
of a running car isn't "objective evidence" to support a belief that the guy was
under the influence of something other than Mr. Sandman? The team's reaction shouldn't be
surprising to anyone. First of all, with coach Jon Gruden and Allen on the
hot seat this year, character concerns will not get in the way of talent.
Besides, what a DUI among friends?
Tight end Jerramy Stevens was signed as a free agent despite pending DUI
charges, and Gruden's brother
Jay was busted for DUI in 2005 and retained his position as an assistant
coach with the team. The younger Gruden is still an offensive assistant
with the Bucs. UPDATE:
Jon Gruden was charged with DUI in 1998. Thanks to the reader
who pointed it out. NO. 13 IS UP We continue to post one team per
day as we work our way through the league, ranking them top to bottom in our
preseason power rankings. So who's No. 13? The full list is
right here. Click it and find
out. POSTED 8:35
p.m. EDT, August 25, 2007 REID'S SON JAILED A day after being detained on
suspicion of DUI, the son of Eagles coach Andy Reid
has been sent to
jail for violating the terms of his bail on a prior charge. Britt Reid was free on bail while
awaiting sentence on a guilty plea to drug and gun charges. On Thursday,
33 pills were found in Reid's possession, including hydrocodone, as part of the
DUI arrest. Reid also underwent a blood test for drugs; the results have
not yet been returned. The Eagles coach took a leave of
absence earlier this year after his sons Britt, 22, and Garrett, 24, were
arrested in separate incidents on the same day in late January. It's unlikely that Reid will take
more time off as the 2007 regular season approaches. But these ongoing
issues should at least give rise to the question of whether Reid will resign his
position after the season, and then return to the NFL in 2009 or thereafter. POSTED 6:39
p.m. EDT, August 25, 2007 HUARD HAS THE JOB The position of starting
quarterback in Kansas City was Brodie Croyle's to lose. And he lost it. After
completing only five of 17 passes with no touchdowns and one interception on
Thursday night against the Saints, Croyle will not be the starter, and
Damon Huard will. It's the right move, in our view.
Huard played well when Trent Green was out with a concussion last season, and
Croyle is untested. Prior to Thursday, it was believed
that a leg injury to Huard had cost him the job, especially in light of a strong
belief that coach Herm Edwards was trying to include Croyle within the whole
youth movement thing that Edwards is implementing in K.C. But no coach has so much job
security that he can consciously go with a guy who's not ready, especially when
he has a veteran who is. So Huard gets the call, and it will make the
Chiefs better right now. POSTED 2:57
p.m. EDT, August 25, 2007 TRAVIS HENRY STARTING HIS OWN
TEAM? Pats quarterback Tom Brady's first
child was born this week. But to be a true Hall-of-Famer in this endeavor,
Brady needs to get back to work. Otherwise, he'll never catch Broncos
running back Travis Henry,
who has fathered nine children with nine different women. Two more and he can field a
football team. For one of the children, Henry
recently was ordered to pay $3,000 per month in support, and to fund by next
spring a $250,000 trust to ensure that ongoing payments will be made. Dude, condoms are sooooo
much cheaper than that. The quarter-million-dollar fund
was ordered because of concerns that Henry spends his money recklessly,
including $100,000 on a car and $146,000 on jewelry. VICK'S RETURN TO NFL LOOKS LESS
AND LESS LIKELY Though much of the talk this week
has centered on whether Mike Vick should get another chance to play football in
the NFL, we think that it's all premature until his various incarcerations and
suspensions have ended. By the time Mike is free and clear to return, he
might be too old to play. Even if he isn't, there are
indications that Commissioner Roger Goodell might never let Vick back in. The statement of facts signed
Thursday by Vick contains enough evidence to permit Virginia authorities to
easily convict him for violation of three different gambling statutes, including
sections
3.1-796.124(A)(2),
18.2-326,
and
18.2-328. The first and the third statutes provide that violations are
Class 6 felonies, which under Virginia law entail a prison term of 1-5 years
each. The statement of facts also
includes enough admissions to permit prosecution of Vick for multiple counts of
violating Virginia dog-fighting laws, and at least six counts of animal cruelty
resulting in death. Again, these are Class 6 felonies, with 1-5 years per
count as the penalty. Vick likewise has exposed himself
to prosecution in North Carolina and South Carolina by admitting to traveling to
both states to conduct dog fights. Assuming that the legal dust
settles while Vick is still young enough to be attractive to one or more NFL
teams, the bigger question is whether Commissioner Roger Goodell will allow him
to return. Ever. We've gotten our eyeballs on the
letter sent by Goodell to Vick, which actually was addressed to him in care of
his agent, Joel Segal. It contains some ominous statements, and it's easy
to conclude that Goodell never wants to see Vick wearing a helmet or jersey that
bear the shield. "[Y]our conduct plainly merits a
significant sanction by the NFL," Goodell said. In the final paragraph, Goodell
said, "You are now justifiably facing the consequences for the decisions you
made and the conduct in which you engaged. Your career, freedom, and
public standing are now in the most serious jeopardy." Vick's career is in "the most
serious jeopardy." In other words, Vick likely will never play again. But we think that Goodell will
continue to take a wait-and-see approach, deferring any firm decisions on Vick
until such decisions need to be made. He will be in the custody of the
federal government for most if not all of 2008, and beyond that he might have an
extended stay in Virginia and/or one (or both) of the Carolinas. So it might be that Goodell never
has to make any other decisions about Vick. If/when Goodell has the
occasion or the necessity to act, we suspect that Vick won't like the outcome. Finally, Goodell has given Vick an
opportunity to appeal the current indefinite suspension. But since the
suspension has been imposed pursuant to the Personal Conduct Policy, any appeal
will be heard by Goodell, who we think won't be inclined to change his mind. Besides, Vick has far bigger
problems in the near term than trying to lift an indefinite suspension,
especially since no team would touch him while he's awaiting incarceration, or
during his imprisonment. POSTED 10:51
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 12:37 p.m. EDT, August 25, 2007 NIKE DUMPS VICK On the day that Mike Vick reduced
to writing his guilty plea on federal conspiracy charges relating to gambling
and dog fighting, his biggest endorser
finally cut ties with him. Per Darren Rovell of CNBC.com, the
folks at Nike could have cut Vick without penalty
as soon as he was indicted.
So why did Nike wait more than a
month to move? By the time he signed the paperwork admitting to his
crimes, it was a no-brainer. If the company had the right to move on
(sorry, but we're done with the "or move out" thing, at
least for a few days) as of July 17, why didn't it? Our guess is that Nike was trying
to strike the delicate balance between its customers who might have been turned
off by the company not cutting ties with Vick quickly and those who might have
been angered by the perception that Nike turned its back on him too soon.
We suspect that the P.R. folk at Nike were doing some discreet polling to figure
out which group would be more upset and when, and eventually decided to dump him
the moment that his guilt was clearly expressed in some type of a written
document. Let's face it. Nike wants
all people to buy its shoes, and the Vick issue had become sufficiently divisive
to require Nike to devise a strategy that minimized the number of lost sales.
Some might view that as shallow and unprincipled. Others might view it as
good business. GREAT TAKE FROM OUR NEW
FAVORITE ONLINE MAGAZINE So while we were admiring on
Friday the front-page headline link on Slate.com that read "The Best Football
Web Site in America" and trying to figure out how we could keep everyone fooled
into continuing to think that, we noticed that there's some pretty damn good
stuff on the online news mag with the name that always makes us think of Fred
Flintstone's boss. One item that had us nodding in
agreement was from Harlan Protass (sorry, but I am compelled to snicker in
pre-adolescent fashion anytime someone's name has "ass" in it), who suggests
that Mike Vick should report
right now for federal prison. "If Vick wants to get out of
prison by the start of the 2008 season," Protass writes (yeah, I snickered
again), "he should surrender to federal authorities before he gets sentenced.
Any time that he serves prior to sentencing will count toward completion of the
prison term he'll ultimately receive. The sooner he goes in, the sooner
he'll get out." It's a great idea, and we're glad
we thought of it. With Vick not likely to be sentenced until December and
his prison term not likely to start until January 2008, why not get a four-month
head start? Though getting the federal sentence out of the way early won't
affect Vick's potential legal problems in Virginia or his issues with the NFL, a
release from federal custody by the start of the 2008 football season could mean
that, in the end, he'll be back in the NFL one year sooner than he otherwise
would have been. If, of course, he isn't suspended
for life by the NFL, or sent up the river (or is it down the river?) for 10 or
more years by the Commonwealth. SATURDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS
Jeff Schultz of the AJC nails it regarding Mike Vick's effort to come
clean without coming clean. Mike Wilbon wants to see
Mike Vick in a cage with 6-8 pit bulls. The Giants are still trying
to pick a kicker. Packers RB Vernand Morency, out
since July 28 with a knee injury, is
expected to miss
another week. Steelers first-round rookie LB
Lawrence Timmons is
catching up after missing time due to a groin thing. Willie Colon could be the Steelers
starting right tackle, and Sean Mahan
could be the
starting center. Raven K Matt Stover
has some Rain Main tendencies.
Nick Novak is waiting for someone like Stover to screw up, or die. Redskins QB Jason Campbell
will miss the third preseason game with a knee injury.
Will the Bucs cut David
Boston after his DUI arrest? Folks, they signed Jerramy Stevens
after his. Man, we really hope that
the Governor's Cup is actually some sort of a trophy. Agent Tim DiPiero says that the
return of WR Randy Moss for the Pats' regular-season opener is within "the
realm of possibility." (So is the Falcons winning the Super Bowl.)
Pats QB Tom Brady
left after the preseason game in Charlotte to return to California to be
with his newborn son. Pats RB Laurence Maroney is
back on the bike. The
poison pill
pissing match resumes on Saturday night.
Back spasms could cut into Jon Kitna's ability to not throw 50 touchdown
passes this year for the Lions. The
Rams' offense is sputtering in the preseason. When the NFL wants teams to treat
preseason games like the "real" games that they aren't, how can a guy like Rams
RB Steven Jackson
bow out after only one play? Colts TE Ben Utecht missed
practice on Friday after having "heat-related
problems" on Thursday. (We've never seen a condition so serious
explained so innocuously.) Undrafted rookie
Ed Johnson is replacing the Booger on the Colts defensive line. Chiefs G
Brian Waters
was pissed off after the team got spanked on Thursday night. POSTED 9:08
p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:50 p.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 FALCONS SPEAK ON VICK
SUSPENSION The Atlanta
Falcons have issued a statement regarding the statement of facts and plea
agreement filed by quarterback Mike Vick on Friday. Here's what the team
had to say: "Today, Michael Vick admitted his
guilt to very serious charges related to his earlier indictment. His
admissions describe actions that are incomprehensible and unacceptable for a
member of the National Football League and the Atlanta Falcons. "We respect and support the
Commissioner’s decision today to place Michael Vick on an indefinite
suspension. As with other actions he has taken this year, the Commissioner is
making a strong statement that conduct which tarnishes the good reputation of
the NFL will not be tolerated. "We hope that Michael will use
this time, not only to further address his legal matters, but to take positive
steps to improve his personal life." The AP report regarding the
Falcons statement reiterates that the
Falcons will now try to recover $22 million in bonus money from Vick.
We believe that the best-case scenario for the team exceeds $28 million.
At a minimum, the Falcons will be able to get $3.75 million -- but they might
have to keep his rights through 2009 in order to get it all. NO. 14 IS UP And so it continues.
Our preseason power rankings
continue, with only 13 left. Who is number 14? The list
is right here. FRIDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS Packers G.M. Ted Thompson says
that the injury to the foot of WR Donald Driver
isn't serious. Ravens S Gerome Sapp is
getting
positioned all over the place in the defense. BuffaloBills.com hands out some
training camp
awards. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is
pulling a Paterno
on Monday night. Browns TE Ryan Krause is
trying to win a
spot on the team. Broncos RB Selvin Young
will be
getting plenty of work against the Browns. Asked
whether he
considers his career a success, Broncos QB Patrick Ramsey deftly avoided the
question. Texans coach Gary Kubiak is
raving about
his receivers. Colts S Bob Sanders is
expected to make his preseason debut on Saturday night. Despite a strong preseason by
David Garrard, Jags coach Jacl Del Rio says that QB Byron Leftwich is
still the starter. Chiefs DE Jared Allen on the
shellacking that the team took at home against the Saints: "It was
embarrassing to be honest with you.
I think we embarrassed ourselves in front of our home crowd."
(Decisively losing a preseason game isn't embarrassing; get arrested multiple
times for DUI is.) The starting tailback job in Miami
is up in the air. The NFL's original Titans
will be coming back this year.
Could this be the year
that WR Walter Young sticks in Pittsburgh? Some
words of
wisdom from Chargers FB Lorenzo Neal: "Never take a vacation when the
boss is around because they’ll realize how much they don’t need you."
(It's not bad, but we prefer: "Never chew tobacco while getting a prostate
exam.") The Cards
aren't handing
starting jobs to their big-money free agents. The Falcons' first teamers
will play into the third quarter on Monday night. POSTED 8:42
p.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 BILLS EXTEND SCHOBEL Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Buffalo Bills have signed defensive end Aaron Schobel to a
contract extension. Ripping up a deal that ran through
2009, the Bills have given Schobel a seven-year deal with $21 million in
guaranteed money and a total value of $50.5 million. Included within the guarantee are
the full base salaries in 2007, 2008, and 2009, along with $6 million in salary
in 2010. Under his prior contract, Schobel
was scheduled to earn base salaries of $2.5 million in 2007, $2.5 million in
2008, and $3 million in 2009. Schobel was a second-round draft
pick in 2001, and has 60.5 career sacks. He has started in every game
since the 2002 season. Though Schobel arguably was worthy
of a new deal, the decision to re-do the contract with three seasons remaining
could cause other players with multiple years remaining on their own contracts
to ask for more money sooner. POSTED 7:21
p.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 FIRST CUTS ARE THE EASY ONES With the initial deadline for
trimming NFL rosters down to 75 coming on Tuesday, the consensus in league
circles is that the first cuts won't involve many surprises. The Packers, for example, have
trimmed 11 players
less than 24 hours after finishing their third preseason game. Other than
quarterback Ingle Martin, none of the names are even recognizable. The tougher cuts come next
weekend, when the 53-man rosters are set. In those moves, there likely
will be some surprises. Still, making the "final 53" isn't time for guys
on the bubble to exhale, since guys released by other teams might come in and
bump out a player who thought he was in the clear. POSTED 6:37
p.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 VICK SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY On the same day that a signed plea
agreement and statement of facts was filed regarding Mike Vick's admission of
guilt regarding federal conspiracy charges relating to gambling and dog
fighting, Commissioner Roger Goodell placed Vick on an indefinite suspension. "Your admitted conduct
was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible," Goodell wrote in a
letter to Vick. "Your team, the NFL, and NFL fans have all been hurt by
your actions." As to the gambling angle, which
much of the media has overlooked or ignored, Goodell said, "Your plea agreement
and the plea agreements of your co-defendants also demonstrate your significant
involvement in illegal gambling. Even if you personally did not place
bets, as you contend, your actions in funding the betting and your association
with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL Player Contract and
expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental
responsibilities of an NFL player." A final decision on Vick's status
won't be made in the near term. As Goodell explained to Vick, "I will
review the status of your suspension following the conclusion of the legal
proceedings. As part of that review, I will take into account a number of
factors, including the resolution of any other charges that may be brought
against you, whether in Surry County, Virginia, or other jurisdictions, your
conduct going forward, the specifics of the sentence imposed by Judge Hudson and
any related findings he might make, and the extent to which you are truthful and
cooperative with law enforcement and league staff who are investigating these
matters." In other words, Goodell will
continue to monitor the developments and to study Vick's actions. We have
a feeling that Thursday night's P.R. charade (with which ESPN gladly complied,
possibly in the hopes of getting the first exclusive Mike Vick interview) has
not helped Vick's cause. Integrity is something that can be
lost only once; Vick has proven himself to be a liar, and one of the persons to
whim he lied with a straight face was Roger Goodell. How can Goodell trust
anything that Vick says in the future, especially when his legal representatives
are funneling phony scoops to unknown reporters? Goodell also has given the Falcons
the green light to take any actions against Vick that they see fit under his
contract and the CBA. Our guess is that the Falcons will file a grievance
promptly, since Vick will be in default under his contract as soon as he misses
a single practice or game. They could be able to recover more than $28
million, but the number also could be as low as $3.75 million. It's also possible that the
Falcons will cut Vick after filing the grievance. Though releasing him
could undermine the team's ability to recover bonus money previously paid to
him, owner Arthur Blank will have to ask himself whether it's more important to
chase Vick for a refund, or to get Vick's name off of the books. POSTED 5:24
p.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 IS DMX MIKE'S FIRST VICTIM? With Mike Vick pleading guilty to
federal conspiracy charges and agreeing to "provide all information known to
[him] regarding any criminal activity as requested by the government," is it a
coincidence that one day after Vick signed the papers the house of rapper DMX
was raided, and 12 "distressed" pit bulls were removed? If Vick truly was a dog fighting
"heavyweight," would Vick not know about other celebrities who engage in the
sport? It's possible that it really was a
coincidence. But it's also possible that any and all high-profile sports
and entertainment figures will soon be getting a visit from guys with guns and
badges. POSTED 4:55
p.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 REID WALKS OUT OF PRESS
CONFERENCE Gary Cobb reports that Eagles
coach Andy Reid walked out of a
Friday press conference after reporters began asking him questions about his
son, Britt, who was taken into custody on Thursday for suspicion of DUI. Reid had said in the press
conference that he would not answer any questions about his son. On one hand, we think that the
troubles of Reid's adult son are unrelated to Reid's job, and should not be
discussed at a press conference or anywhere else. On the other hand, the
fact that Reid took an unusual leave of absence after his sons encountered legal
troubles in January makes the topic fair game. As Cobb points point, fans and the
media are entitled at a minimum to know whether Reid is considering taking more
time off. There are only 32 NFL
head-coaching jobs, and a certain amount of scrutiny goes with the territory.
Reid should be willing to provide basic information about his own plans in the
wake of this latest development, and under no circumstances should he be
offended by the fact that reporters are asking basic questions about the issue.
POSTED 1:48
p.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 VICK ADMITS EVERYTHING We've reviewed in detail
the plea agreement signed by Michael Vick on Thursday, along with the
statement of facts. Notwithstanding the anonymous
source who told the anonymous reporter at ESPN that Vick would not admit to
killing dogs or to gambling, Vick admits to everything. In paragraph 1, Vick pleads guilty
to conspiracy to establish, maintain, etc. an interstate gambling enterprise and
conspiracy to engage in interstate dog fighting. In paragraph 2, Vick admits that
the Surry County property to which he initially said he never goes was the main
staging area for housing and training pit bulls for fighting. In paragraph 3, Vick admits to
being involved in dog fights at the Surry County property, and to participating
in dog fights in other states. In paragraph 4, Vick admits that
the enterprise involved gambling activities in violation of Virginia law.
Vick denies that he placed side bets on any fights, or that he received process
from the purses. (However, he admits that he was the primary source of
funds for the operation. If the winnings went only to his co-defendants,
then that's less money Vick had to give them to get them to continue to tend to
the operation while he was "at work" for the Atlanta Falcons.) In paragraph 9, Vick admits that
he began acquiring dogs for the operation in "2001-2002," and that the "Bad Newz
Kennels" were established in 2002. In paragraph 12, Vick admits that
he knew the other defendants "killed a number of dogs" that did not perform well
in testing sessions in 2002. Vick denies killing any dogs at that time. In paragraph 32, Vick admits that
in April 2007 -- the same month in which he say face-to-face with NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell and denied that dog fighting was occurring on his
land -- he agreed with Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips to kill six-to-eight
dogs that did not perform well in testing sessions. Here's the key
passage: "[A]ll of those dogs were killed
by various methods, including hanging and drowning. VICK agrees and
stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of
PEACE, PHILLIPS, and VICK." Case closed. He admits to
gambling, and he admits to killing dogs. Someone at ESPN has some serious
explaining to do. POSTED 10:42
a.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 COSSACK DOUBTS ESPN REPORT We're not alone in our skepticism
regarding the ESPN report that Mike Vick will not admit to killing dogs or to
gambling as part of the guilty plea he enters on August 27. The network's legal analyst also
doesn't buy it. "It's
hard for me to believe," Roger Cossack said on the air, according to our own
Michael David Smith in a FanHouse post. The problem, as Cossack explained,
is that if the ESPN report is accurate the statement of facts signed by Vick
will contradict the statement of facts signed by his codefendants. The implication, Cossack said,
would be that "somebody has lied in that courtroom," and Judge Henry Hudson
won't appreciate it. We've heard from our own sources
in the Virginia legal community that Hudson will not react favorably to any
effort by Vick's lawyers and prosecutors to reel in Vick's plea in a manner that
conflicts with other pleas and defies common sense. In fact, such
shenanigans could prompt Hudson to increase Vick's sentence, or to reject the
deal altogether. And MDS is as disturbed as we are
by the fact that ESPN has not attributed the report to any specific reporter.
Why wouldn't the reporter want or get the credit for this one? Maybe the reporter knows that the
report is specious, and the reporter is merely doing a favor for Vick or his
lawyers or his agent, who also happens to represent a player known widely as
Todd Stinkston. POSTED 10:20
a.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 ARREST COUNTER NARROWLY AVOIDS
HITTING 20 Only once since the inception of
the "days without an arrest" counter has the number extended beyond 20. As
of Friday morning, it was at 19 and counting. That's all changed. Bucs
receiver
David Boston was arrested Thursday night on charges of driving under the
influence. Boston was found passed out at the
wheel of a Range Rover with the engine running. After conducting a field
sobriety test, police officers decided to arrest him. But a breath test reportedly
showed no alcohol in his system. Results of a urine test are pending.
It's possible that he was under the influence of something other than alcohol.
Some NFL observers might think
that the arrest will mar Boston's attempt to make the 53-man roster in Tampa.
But with coach Jon Gruden needing to win this year in order to save his job,
Gruden won't sweat the incident all that much. After all, the Bucs signed
Jerramy Stevens. POSTED 9:34
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:48 a.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 NEW VICK STRATEGY COULD BLOW UP
IN HIS FACE We continue to be confused by the
Thursday night report from ESPN, which it curiously has attributed to no
specific reporter, that Mike Vick will not admit to killing dogs or to gambling
when he enters a guilty plea on Monday. The initial report ignored
completely the question of whether federal prosecutors agreed to the limitation
on Vick's acceptance of responsibility. An update posted at 5:02 a.m. EDT
notes that Vick's
attorneys believed that they struck an agreement with prosecutors regarding
Vick's limited plea. Still, the report makes little
sense to us. As to the killing of dogs on his
Surry County property, Vick will admit that he was present but that he did not
kill dogs. Vick obviously is splitting hairs on this in an effort to avoid
liability for animal cruelty under Virginia law. So Vick has gone from saying "I
never go there" to "I never kill dogs there." We didn't believe Vick the
first time, and we don't believe him this time, either. Besides, Vick's limited plea
doesn't exonerate him from scrutiny under Virginia law. Section
3.1-796.122 of the Virginia statutes does not apply only to people who actually
kill dogs. If a person "instigates,
engages in, or in any way furthers any act of cruelty to any animal"
resulting in death, the person is still guilty of a Class 6 felony, which means
up to five years in jail per count. And, really, should the fact that
Vick was merely supervising the dog killing make any difference? If the
mob boss who watches his capo put a bullet in the guy is just as guilty of
murder as the person who pulled the trigger, why isn't Vick responsible for the
killing of dogs that he owned when the killings occurred on his
property while he was present? (A reader tells us that Chris
Mortensen of ESPN articulated a similar view last night.) As to the report that Vick will
plead only to conspiracy to engage in interstate dog fighting, we continue to
believe that there's no way this one will fly, since omission of the interstate
gambling component reduces his maximum sentence to one year. Also, the
notion that Vick wasn't in it for the gambling is simply not credible. Regardless of whether Vick's
lawyers think that they have an agreement, there's simply no way (in our view)
that the prosecutors will allow the conspiracy to engage in interstate gambling
charge to fall out of this case, since to do so would greatly reduce Vick's
ultimate sentence from the current recommendation of 12-to-18 months. So why is Vick taking this
approach? It's a three-pronged goal of getting back to the NFL sooner by
making it harder for Surry County, Virginia prosecutor Gerald Poindexter to
convict him under Virginia law, reducing the likelihood that the NFL will
suspend him for gambling, and avoiding the stigma of killing dogs as he tries to
muster enough public support for his eventual return. Plain and simple, the Vick lawyers
are trying to pull a fast one. On Monday, they created the impression that
Vick will admit to everything, causing many to proclaim that coming clean is his
first step toward getting a second chance. On Thursday, the universe of
"everything" to which he will admit has been restricted significantly, all in
the name of accelerating the timetable for his second chance. The only problem is that
Commissioner Roger Goodell "gets it," and will regard for what it is this
transparent attempt by Vick to force his way back onto the field. And it
will influence, in our opinion, the ultimate penalty that Goodell imposes. It would be one thing for Vick to
accept responsibility and plea for mercy. Such an approach could prompt
Goodell to go easier on him. But with Vick now trying to dictate the terms
of the responsibility that he will accept where his version of the events
contradicts other evidence and common sense, we suspect that Goodell will not be
inclined to show mercy, and could conclude in the end that Vick indeed gambled
and then persistently tried to cover it up even after supposedly agreeing to
plead guilty. And that could prompt Goodell to ultimately throw the book
at Vick, suspending him for a period far longer than he would have been
suspended if he had followed through on his commitment to admit to what he has
done. FEDS FAILED TO FOLLOW THROUGH
WHEN VICK WAS CRYING "UNCLE" If ESPN's report is accurate, the
bizarre glitch that has arisen in the Mike Vick prosecution has resulted from
one thing and one thing only: The failure of federal prosecutors to
insist, as part of the plea offer, on the language that would be included in the
"statement of facts" that Vick will sign when he pleads guilty. On Monday, August 20, Vick was
trapped. Guilty as charged, he knew that the government would now likely
be able to prove it with the testimony of Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips.
And with a grand jury poised to hit him with more charges, Vick's only choice
was to take the deal. And that would have been the time
for the feds to ensure that Vick will also agree to a "statement of facts" that
is consistent with the documents signed by Peace and Phillips. Both
claimed that Vick financed the gambling side of the operation, and both claimed
that Vick not only was present but also participated in killing of eight dogs in
April 2007. By giving Vick 72 hours to feel
emboldened by the voices of support that seem to be willing to brush this matter
aside as an issue involving "just dogs," Vick's "I can do what I want" mentality
has quickly re-emerged. If prosecutors merely had insisted
on the language of the statement of facts as part of the plea discussions, this
problem would have been avoided. And, hopefully, the prosecutors have not
agreed to consent to demands made by the Vick team without the benefit of
leverage. As we explained earlier on Friday
during a bout of insomnia, the prosecutors should prepare their own statement of
facts, present it to Vick, and tell him that he either signs it or the grand
jury re-convenes to issue new charges for which there will be no option cut a
deal. POSTED 12:15
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 1:18 a.m. EDT, August 24, 2007 REPORT: VICK WON'T ADMIT
TO KILLING DOGS OR GAMBLING On Monday, lawyers for Mike Vick
said on his behalf that he plans to plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges
relating to dog fighting, and that he is accepting responsibility for his
actions. But his acceptance of
responsibility apparently goes only so far. ESPN reports that
Vick will not
admit to killing dogs or to gambling. Citing an unnamed source, ESPN
says that Vick's legal team met with federal officials on Thursday to hammer out
the statement of facts that Vick will sign on Monday when he enters a guilty
plea. Vick reportedly maintains that he never killed a dog and never
gambled on a dog fight. The tactic isn't surprising, since
refusing to admit to killing a dog or to gambling on a dog fight will enhance
Vick's ability to avoid Virginia charges and a lengthy NFL suspension. As a result, we don't buy it.
Why would Vick devote so much money to the pursuit of an illegal endeavor that
is a conduit for gambling if he wasn't going to "make it interesting"?
Otherwise, it's like playing poker for pistachio shells. While we have tremendous respect
for what the federal government has done in this case, and at the risk of
getting "randomly" selected for an audit, why are prosecutors letting Vick's
people dictate the terms of the statement of facts? More specifically, why didn't the
feds prepare the statement of facts when extending the plea offer and advise
Vick that this is the document that he will sign if he accepts the plea? Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips
admitted to killing eight dogs in April 2007, and they both said that Vick
participated. For the feds to allow Vick to avoid this critical fact is,
in our view, extremely unfair to the two guys who pleaded out before him.
Especially since the statements of fact that they signed can now be used against
them by prosecutors in Virginia. We think that the federal
prosecutors should give Vick two options: sign the same document that
Peace and Phillips signed, or go to trial. Anything else will undermine
the reputation that federal prosecutors currently enjoy. MUNSON CLEARS THINGS UP A BIT In a video link appearing in the
ESPN.com story, legal analyst Lester Munson explains exactly what we're
thinking: There's no way that the feds will agree with Vick's attempt to
avoid admitting to gambling or to killing dogs. And Munson believes that, if
Vick's people push this angle too far, the plea deal will be off the table. We disagree with one thing that
Munson said, however. If Vick pleads guilty only to conspiracy to engage
in interstate dog fighting, the maximum sentence no longer will be five years.
Instead, the maximum sentence will be the same as the maximum sentence for the
underlying offense of interstate dog fighting. Since dog fighting was not
yet a felony at the federal level when Vick's Surry County, Virginia property
was raided, the maximum sentence for conspiracy to engage in interstate dog
fighting could be only one year. Thus, there's no way that the feds
will agree to omit from the guilty plea an acknowledgement that Vick conspired
to engage in interstate gambling. So what are Vick's people up to?
We think they're hoping to capitalize on the fact that the media hasn't really
focused on the gambling angle, and hope to propagate among the general public
the notion that Vick didn't gamble. After all, at a time when Vick has
found an unexpected number of sympathetic voices who are willing to overlook the
mental images of the fallen star killing canines, a little misinformation can't
hurt the long-term P.R. effort aimed at getting Vick back on the football field
as soon as possible. As we explained on Thursday, the
ultimately ability of Vick to return to the NFL will be driven by market forces.
The public's attitude toward Vick after he gets out of jail and serves his
suspension will be a key factor. By planting the seeds that Vick's crimes
weren't as barbaric as they appear to have been, the lawyers are empowering the
pro-Vick base, and also trying to influence those who are currently undecided
about whether Mike should be able to return to the NFL. As a result, it's even more
important that the media report the developments in this regard accurately.
Though Munson's on-air explanation puts this development in the right
perspective, the text of the ESPN.com article is vague at best regarding the
question of whether the feds agree with Vick's position that he won't admit to
killing dogs or to gambling. MAYBE WE ARE PART OF THE "REAL"
MEDIA NOW Over the years, there have been
periodic items written about PFT by the "real" media. Patrick Hruby penned
an item in the Washington Times nearly three years ago. Last month,
Jason Leiser of the Palm Beach Post
gave us plenty of pub in an item about the growing influence of sports blogs.
Most recently, Robert Weintraub of
Slate.com has published an article titled "NFL Confidential: How A One-Man
Web Site Became the Best Source for Pro Football News." Writes Weintraub: "The
[Mike] Vick imbroglio is the perfect story for Pro Football Talk, combining an
oft-troubled target, complicated legal matters, and a scandal the mainstream
media was slow to comprehend. While ESPN has done a solid job covering the
case of late, the Worldwide Leader was slow to catch on at the outset.
From beginning to end,
PFT's reporting on Vick has been the
finest, most thorough coverage online or off." We appreciate the positive
attention, and we're glad that more and more folks enjoy what we do.
Still, we're somewhat uncomfortable with the fact that this kind of stuff pulls
us closer to the mainstream, because we don't intend to ever be "mainstream." Though we haven't changed over
nearly six years of wearing out keyboards, we've made some tweaks in appearance
and content in the hopes of expanding the business without selling our souls.
And that process will continue. So maybe we are part of the "real" media.
Or maybe we aren't. Either way, we'll continue to adhere to the one
guiding principle that has applied since day one -- we've tried to make this
into the kind of site that we would want to visit, every day. And although Weintraub describes
us a one-man show, I never, ever could have built or maintained this thing
alone. Though Larry Mazza's name doesn't appear often in this space, he is
doing some heavy lifting behind the scenes, working with potential advertisers
and traveling to places like New York and Boston to establish and maintain the
relationships that will unlock the kind of revenue streams that might eventually
allow me to do this on a full-time basis. Also, Michael David Smith
recently has become a key member of the team. He does a great job of
pinch-hitting when the law practice comes calling, and he helps add content even
on days when I otherwise have time to devote to the site. Then there's
Taco Bill, whose efforts at putting together phony pictures via PhotoShop are as
good or better than anything that we've seen anywhere else. More recently, our partners at
Rotoworld.com and WDTV have helped to further enrich the content, via the
Fantasy Mill and the PFTV video segments. Holy crap. We really are
becoming the "real" media. POSTED 11:00
p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:39 p.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 SAMUEL REPORTING TO PATS We've said all along that
cornerback Asante Samuel would not miss a paycheck, notwithstanding his threat
to hold out until Week Ten of the regular season. And, as Adam Schefter of NFL
Network reported earlier on Thursday, Samuel will be showing up soon, signing
his one-year, $7.79 million tender, and getting ready for the regular season.
As soon as he signs the tender,
the $7.79 million salary becomes fully guaranteed. At $458,000 per game check, Samuel
would have been giving up roughly as much per week as he made in salary for the
entire 2006 season. By skipping all of training camp, he lost only the
low-dollar per diem and preseason pay that the players receive. Because he
was not under contract, he was not subject to fines. Samuel's one-year deal will leave
him eligible for unrestricted free agent again in 2007. The Patriots,
however, retain the right to use the franchise tag on his again. By rule,
his minimum one-year pay for 2008 will be 120 percent of his 2007 salary, which
equates to $9.348 million. ALL PFTV CLIPS OF THE WEEK
AVAILABLE FOR RIDICULE A few readers have asked us to
re-post the PFTV AFC West Preview, since we replaced it on Thursday with the
PFTV NFC West Preview. All of the PFTV clips for the week
are available right here. The message? Your wish is
our command. As long as it doesn't require us to do very much. NO. 15 IS UP And so it continues. Eighteen down. Fourteen to
go. Unbelievably, we've yet to miss a day in our preseason previews, done
in a power rankings format. The full list is
right here. POSTED 9:11
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:24 p.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 REVIS DEAL SETS BAD PRECEDENT? There's plenty talk in league
circles that the contract signed by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, the No. 14
pick in the draft, will make it very difficult for teams who want picks taken in
the top half of round one to sign six-year contracts in the future. Under the CBA, the maximum length
of the contracts signed by the first 16 selections in round one is six years.
For the second 16 picks, the cap is five. For each round thereafter, the
limit is four years. This year, many of the picks in
the top half of round one signed five-year deals, or six-year contracts that
easily void to five. But the Jets insisted on a six-year deal for Revis.
To get it, they agreed to a structure that started as six, voided to four, and
included a buy-back for the final two seasons that, if exercised, will pay Revis
an additional $16 million in guaranteed money. Teams are upset, and agents are
happy, since this device will now be used for any player beyond the first four
or five in the draft if/when teams want a six-year contract. As a
practical matter, it means that five-year deals will now be the norm for all but
the very top of the draft. Though we've yet to get our eyes
on the 50-plus-page contract, one league source believes that the Jets tried to
make the documents complex in order to conceal its simple truth -- that G.M.
Mike Tannenbaum got what he wanted, but gave up way too much to get it. JETS SAVE A LITTLE FACE ON
KENDALL DEAL Despite being taken to the
cleaners as part of the Darrelle Revis deal, the last week or so wasn't a
complete disaster for the New York Jets. After all, they traded a guy they
didn't want, and who didn't want to be there, for a fifth-round pick in 2008
that could upgrade to a fourth-round pick in 2009. The move has league insiders
questioning the wisdom of the Redskins' decision to send to New York so much for
a guy who might have been cut. But, as we see it, buying Kendall's
below-market contract was worth the pick, even if the Redskins give Kendall the
extra $1 million in 2007 salary that he so desperately wanted. Besides, the Redskins have decided
that they would rather acquire veterans than develop draft picks. Fifth-rounders
and fourth-rounders get cut all the time; Kendall is a known commodity who will
help the line make up for the departure of Derrick Dockery in free agency. The only downside is that Kendall
is likely to eventually get a stick up his butt about something in D.C.,
especially as the market for offensive linemen continues to increase.
POSTED 5:48
p.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 REID'S SON IN TROUBLE AGAIN WPVI-TV in Philly reports that
Britt Reid, the son of Eagles coach Andy Reid,
has been
taken into police custody on suspicion of DUI. Per WPVI, Reid was
taken to Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown, Pennsylvania for drug and
alcohol testing. Reid, 22, pleaded guilty last
month to drug and gun charges arising from a January 30 road-rage incident.
He is out on bail pending sentencing, and the presence of any alcohol or illegal
drugs in his system could trigger immediate incarceration. After Reid and his brother,
Garrett, were involved in separate incidents on the same day in January, the
elder Reid took a leave of absence from the team. The NFL calendar was
relatively open at that point, making it easier for him to step away.
But with the regular-season opener
only 16 days away, it will be difficult if not impossible for Reid to devote
significant time to this situation, and it will potentially be a major
distraction for him as he prepares for another NFL campaign. POSTED 5:41
p.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 FREE MARKET SHOULD DECIDE
VICK'S FATE At a time when plenty of folks are
arguing that Mike Vick should never be allowed to play again in the NFL and
others are taking the position that once he has paid his debt to society he has
every right to return, a league source summed up the situation for us as best as
we've seen or heard it. After a certain stay in federal
prison, a possible incarceration in Virginia, and any suspension imposed on him
by the NFL, Vick's fate should be decided by the forces of the free market. He will, at that point, have every
right to seek employment anywhere he wishes. And prospective employers
will have the right to decline to offer him employment, if they so choose. There will be, and should be, no
entitlement to return to the NFL. Just as some teams will take a guy off
of their draft boards due to crimes committed in college, some teams will choose
to never do business with Vick, under any circumstances. Contrary to the beliefs of some,
the fact that Vick played in the NFL while committing his crimes doesn't provide
him with the right to return once he has paid for them. Some teams will
decide that they don't want Vick because of his one-dimensional skill set.
Some won't want him because of the possibility that his presence will disrupt
locker room harmony. Some won't want him for fear of alienating fans or
losing sponsors or facing pickets. If, once Vick is able to return, a
team chooses to sign him, that team has the right to do so. And people who
disagree with the move have a right to voice their opinions. Such people
also have a right not to buy tickets to the team's games or to watch the team on
television. Such people also have the right to express their views to
others, by any lawful means. This isn't about whether a person
who has been in jail has the right to work. He does. They all do.
But this doesn't mean that Dr. Kevorkian has the right to become the U.S.
Surgeon General. And it doesn't mean that Mike Vick has a right to
return to the National Football League, in any capacity. There are people who believe that
the concept of forgiveness requires Vick to regain a seat at the table of pro
athletics. There are people who believe that Vick can be forgiven without
being reinstated. The ultimate outcome will be driven by many factors; in
the end, the market will decide whether Vick can return. If, of course, he gets out of jail
and off of suspension before his 40th birthday. POSTED 4:37
p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:57 p.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 RUSSELL, RAIDERS MAKING
PROGRESS Amid reports that the Oakland
Raiders and the agents for No. 1 overall selection JaMarcus Russell
have engaged in at least one face-to-face meeting of late, we're told that
progress is being made between the two sides. Whether that leads to a deal
in the short term remains to be seen. A source with knowledge of the
situation said that there have been multiple face-to-face and phone
conversations of late. But the source declined to characterize the
discussions as reflecting a sense of urgency by either side. Still, talking is significantly
better than, you know, not talking. We continue to hear that the
Raiders are willing to pay to Russell nearly $31 million in guaranteed money,
and there's a sense that Russell's agents are starting to realize that the
team's position regarding the points of contention are no quite so unreasonable.
It previously has been reported that the Russell camp wants to maximize the
amount of money that is paid as an option bonus, since option bonuses are
insulated from forfeiture. However, Calvin Johnson received no option
bonus as the No. 2 pick in the draft. Recently, we heard that Raiders
owner Al Davis was not going to rush the process because he believes based on
offseason workouts that Russell won't be ready to play in 2007. PRESEASON FANTASY PODCAST IS UP We're pleased to roll out our
first fantasy podcast of the 2007 season, with special guest Gregg Rosenthal of
Rotoworld.com. Join Gregg and Florio for a
30-minute discussion of draft strategies and related
concepts. We plan to do one per week, just
like last year. LIONS DUMP DRUMMOND Adam Schefter of NFL Network
reports that the Lions have released receiver/kick returner Eddie Drummond.
Drummond was expected to be a long
shot to make the team. He was cut five days before the initial cut-down
date, giving him more of a chance to land elsewhere. The five-year veteran was an
undrafted free agent out of Penn State. He was named to the Pro Bowl as a
return specialist in 2004. Drummond was due to earn base
salaries of $595,000 in 2007, $650,000 in 2008, and $740,000 in 2009.
Troy Walters currently is listed
as the team's top punt returner, and Aveion Cason is listed as the top kick
returner. POSTED 1:54
p.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 VICK COULD OWE FALCONS ONLY
$3.75 MILLION Michael Vick's December 2004
contract extension included $37 million in bonuses. Although the money was
characterized as a signing bonus, a league source has explained to us that it
wasn't. At least not completely. The signing bonus was only $7.5
million. The remaining $29.5 million was paid out as two roster bonuses. But the Falcons had the right to
convert the roster bonuses to guaranteed amounts, making them the equivalent of
signing bonuses for the purposes of proration under the salary cap. The problem, however, is that the
payments were not initially characterized as signing bonuses, and therefore
might not be treated as such in a forfeiture effort. The Ashley Lelie case resulted in
a finding that option bonuses are not subject to repayment. Some believe
that the next step in the overall NFL labor relations process in this regard is
a finding, if/when the issue is presented in a grievance, that roster bonuses
are also untouchable, even if the team has the right to treat the payment as a
signing bonus in order to manage cap costs. Think of it this way. Roster
bonuses are paid out in a given year, and are charged under the cap only for the
year in which they are paid. After the year ends, a default is irrelevant
because the money has been paid, and earned. Why, you might ask, didn't the
Falcons just give Vick a $37 million signing bonus? The problem is that
such a payment would have required 1/6th of the amount to have been counted
against the 2004 salary cap. Since the Falcons likely didn't have more
than $6 million left in 2004 cap space at that time, it wasn't a realistic
option. By paying only $7.5 million as a signing bonus, the Falcons were
required to carry only $1.25 million in 2004. So the Falcons deferred $22.5
million of the money into a roster bonus due in March 2005, and $7.5 million to
a roster bonus due in March 2006. The conversion of the roster bonus to a
guaranteed payment was a no-brainer, since there was no way that the Falcons
were going to show under the salary cap an extra $22.5 million in 2005 or an
extra $7.5 million in 2006 when the money could be spread out over time. The only alternative would have
been to use two option bonuses, and the fact that the roster bonuses that became
guaranteed payments operate no differently, as a practical matter, than option
bonuses could influence the outcome. The device the Falcons used is no
different than an option bonus. Thus, if an option bonus can't be
recovered, roster bonuses converted to guaranteed payments are protected, too. If the converted roster bonuses
don't count, Vick likely owes the Falcons only (only?) $3.75 million, which is
the remainder of the proration on his original signing bonus. The bonus
forfeiture formula that the Falcons were using in 2004 could push that number
higher, since it attempts to spread the bonus money beyond the six seasons of
cap proration. But if it's determined that the 2006 CBA retroactively
restricts forfeitures to the amount of the signing bonus that has yet to be
allocated as wages under the salary cap, the amount owed will be $3.75 million. The other potential twist here is
that the Falcons might have to keep Vick on the team (via a reserve/suspended
and/or a reserve/in-the-hoosegow list) for the next three seasons (or maybe
longer) in order to get the full amount of whatever they are owed. Owner
Arthur Blank might be more interested in simply getting Vick's name off of the
books than Blank is in chasing money that might not ever be collected anyway. PLUMMER GRIEVANCE COULD SETTLE
THE ISSUE If/when the Falcons attempt to
recover money from Mike Vick, our guess is that they'll aim as high as possible.
Though some folks are describing the potential debt as $22 million, the maximum
number that can be pursued (based on the Falcons' bonus forfeiture formula) is
in excess of $28 million. Regardless of the team's best-case
scenario, the precedent for its ultimate recovery could be set by the Jake
Plummer grievance. The Bucs and the Broncos currently
are pursuing more than $7 million in bonus money due, to his premature
retirement. But it's our understanding that at least some of that money is
the result of other payments being converted to guaranteed amounts. Thus,
if it is determined in Plummer's case that a salary cap accounting device that
spreads money due in a current year over multiple seasons doesn't mean that the
money can be recovered later, that same ruling would likely apply in the Vick
case. And, to the extent that securing
forfeiture rights could result in a cap credit to the Falcons, the Bucs might
want to ask themselves whether the wiser move in the grand scheme of things is
to screw up the Plummer grievance, so that their rivals in the NFC South won't
be able to pick up as much as $28 million in additional money that can be spent
on players. ANOTHER SHAMELESS PLUG FOR THE
ROTOWORLD DRAFT GUIDE When mentioning earlier in the day
our revamped fantasy coverage, we forgot to squeeze in another reference to the
Rotoworld Fantasy Draft Guide. So we'll do it now.
PFT Planet is going bonkos for
this thing. If you don't buy it, you really might be at a disadvantage in
your fantasy league. You can get it
right here. POSTED 10:19
a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:15 a.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 KENDALL SENT TO 'SKINS A league source tells us that the
Jets have sent guard Pete Kendall to the Washington Redskins. It is
believed that Washington sent a fourth-round pick to the Jets in exchange. Rich Cimini of the New York
Daily News reported on Thursday
that a deal to an unnamed team was close. Our source says that a deal
to D.C. is done. Cimini also reports that Kendall
will get, in his new NFL city, the $1 million raise that he craved for the
coming year, pushing his salary from $1.7 million to $2.7 million. It had become increasingly clear
that a divorce was needed. Cimini devoted a recent item to
Kendall's history of using painkillers to allow himself to play.
Though Kendall stopped short of saying that he wouldn't continue to use
medications in order to be able to suit up and perform, a source with knowledge
of the situation made it clear to us that Kendall would not be using any pain
medication if the team didn't adjust his contract. The root of the problem, as we
understand it, is that when Kendall restructured his deal in 2006 at the team's
request, the team verbally promised to re-adjust the deal if he performed well.
Kendall's perspective was that he fulfilled his end of it, and then the Jets
reneged on a commitment that necessarily was unenforceable. Kendal and the team traded barbs
in training camp, with Kendall being relegated to the second team and assigned
initially to the rookie dorm. Kendall loudly complained, piping down only
when it seemed that the organization was getting ready to suspend him for
conduct detrimental to the team. Last week, the Jets had him play
center in a preseason game, a position that he strongly dislikes. There
were suspicions that two bad snaps in the game were influenced, consciously or
otherwise, by Kendall's unhappiness. BETTIS IS LYING ABOUT LYING, OR
THE STEELERS DOCTORS ARE INEPT Regarding the disclosure by former
Steelers running back Jerome Bettis that he faked a knee injury in order to
avoid getting cut, an industry source had made an interesting point. Specifically, Bettis says in a
coming book that, during training camp in the 2000 season, he concealed a
lingering left knee injury until he could pretend that he hurt it in practice,
because he feared that the team was planning to cut him. This put the team
potentially on the hook for his full salary that year. "Man,
did I do a nice job of acting,'' Bettis writes in a new book. "The
thing is, I wasn't faking that I had an injury. was just
faking that the injury happened on that short-yardage play. I had to fool
the coaches and the team's medical department into thinking the injury had
occurred on that play. Otherwise, the Steelers would have had their reason
to cut me and my salary." But, as the source points out, if
Bettis had a pre-existing knee injury, how in the hell did he pass a preseason
physical? The only possible explanations are
that Bettis is lying about being a liar in order to sell books, or that the team
physicians flat-out missed the injury when they cleared him fit to practice and
play. The doctors would have had to be
extremely Nick Riviera-ish to miss the injury, if Bettis is correct in his
belief that the team was looking for a way to get rid of him. Flunking a
guy on his physical is the time-honored NFL strategy for cutting a guy without
really cutting a guy. "Hey," the team can say, "it wasn't our decisions.
The doctors said he can't play." We also wonder whether Bettis has
let his desire to sell a few more books get in the way of the need to preserve
his otherwise pristine reputation among Steelers fans. Though criticizing
former coach Bill Cowher might now be acceptable given the manner in which Coach
Chin left the franchise in a lurch, admitting to being dishonest isn't the best
way to stay in the good graces of the hard-working folks in the 'Burgh, who like
their beer cold, their sausage spicy, and their sports heroes honorable. PFT'S FANTASY COVERAGE EXPLODES In addition to the PFT Fantasy
Mill, powered exclusively by Rotoworld.com, we've got plenty of other offerings
as the fantasy season approaches. For starters, our first Fantasy
Podcasy of the season is coming on Thursday, featuring special guest Gregg
Rosenthal of Rotoworld.com. Also, we'll be featuring two
columns per week from
fantasy expert Matt
Pitzer. One will be
of the start/sit ilk and the other will feature fantasy observations from the
week that was. Yes, it's true. Our
affiliations with the "real" media are increasing. (It's actually kind of
fun for us to periodically reach up from the gutter and touch the suede on
someone's shoe.) Finally, we'll update our
positional rankings each week. The full list is on the
front page of the site. We've
got every position except kicker. And we've decided as a philosophical
matter to ignore kickers, even for fantasy purposes. POSTED 9:33
a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:51 a.m. EDT, August 23, 2007 TROTTER RELEASE SPARKING LOCKER
ROOM REVOLT? We're hearing rumblings that the
release of linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has sparked a locker-room revolt against
management. Trotter was regarded as a T.O. guy
-- an in-house supporter of the talented but troublemaking wideout who disrupted
the team in 2005 as he tried to get more money. And, as we hear it, some
of the guys on the team who are the most upset about Trotter's release are the
other T.O. sympathizers. But it's not just the remaining
pro-T.O. crowd that is unhappy about Trotter being gone. Quarterback
Donovan McNabb has expressed his own questions about the move. "The
decision that was made was from the ones upstairs," McNabb said at a press
conference on Wednesday. "But as a player, I just didn't see it at all.
And I don't think any of us saw it. "Sometimes when you get injured
people may say you lost a step. But as you get older you get wiser and you
understand more about the game. You begin to understand more about your
strengths and weaknesses and you play to your strengths and [Trotter] continued
to do that. He played well. "It's unfortunate what happened
but I think this is a test for not only the older guys but a test for the
younger guys." It would be easy to assume that
McNabb is speaking out because he knows that he could be the 2008 version of
Trotter. Maybe there are multiple motivations at work here, with McNabb
thinking about about his own interests down the road, and the team's interests
right now. There is some suspicion that the
release of Trotter was driven by coach Andy Reid's desire to justify keeping
linebacker Matt McCoy, a second-round pick in 2005 who has been unable to stay
in the starting lineup. If Trotter had stayed, McCoy could have been the
odd man out. McCoy currently is listed as a backup at the weakside
linebacker position. Regardless of the motivation,
folks who wear the uniform apparently aren't pleased. Whether it affects
the team's performance in any way is a different issue. We doubt that it
will, but we think that Reid needs to do some in-house damage control in order
to get past this one. SUSPENDED VICK CAN'T GO TO THE
CFL We mentioned last night the
possibility that Mike Vick will try to resume his football career after he gets
out of jail in Canada. His criminal record, we explained, could be a
barrier to entering the country. Which would tend to prevent him from
playing in the CFL. We also suggested that the CFL might not want to
become the safe haven for the NFL's miscreants. Our own MDS noted in a FanHouse
post on Wednesday that
the CFL already has in place a rule that prevents a player who has been
suspended by another league to play the game north of the border. The rule
was implemented after the Ricky Williams experiment. So the question is whether Vick
would look to Canada after the expiration of any NFL suspension, if Vick simply
can't find an NFL team that is interested in his services. He'd still have
to get special permission to enter the country, and he'd still have to find a
CFL team willing to take the P.R. hit in the name of winning. But we still think that Vick could
end up being a target of the coming UFL, which plans to use cut-rate players to
compete with the NFL by playing on Friday nights during the fall. Vick's
notoriety would provide non-stop media coverage of the site, and the new league
could attract some NFL fans who believe that the "real" pro football league has
been too harsh with Vick. And that's why we think that the
NFL would be inclined to ask the Falcons to squat on Vick's rights during any
incarceration and ensuing suspension. To be clear, Vick wouldn't be paid
-- his contract would be tolled and it would cost virtually nothing to keep him
on the payroll. But it would allow the Falcons and the NFL to prevent Vick
from playing for anyone else while still under contract with the NFL. This reality could push Goodell to
impose a multi-year suspension to be served after Vick gets out of jail, which
would mean that Vick would be well over the age of 30 when he is able to return
to the NFL or any other league. And, by that time, the UFL could be long
gone. 
''When it happened, the first thing I did was, obviously, I panicked,'' Briggs
said, per the Associated Press. ''I didn't want there to be a big scene
there. And so I left the scene. When I left, I called the tow truck. I also was
startled, and
I called to report that my car was stolen.
''Within probably 10 minutes, I called back and accepted responsibility for what
I did because it was ridiculous in the first place.''
Illinois Police charged Briggs with leaving the scene of an accident. They have
apparently not charged him with any crime related to filing a false police
report.
This is all, to say the least, suspicious behavior on Briggs' part. It's strange
that at a time when NFL teams are saying they have learned the importance of
checking up on the off-field lives of their players, the Bears -- especially
head coach Lovie Smith -- are acting as though there's nothing suspicious at all
about crashing your car, abandoning it and reporting it stolen.
Couch acknowledged in an interview with Yahoo! Sports that he took HGH (which is
banned by the NFL but not tested for) under a doctor's care as he tried to
recover from shoulder surgery. But he denied using steroids and said he had
never seen the documents that Yahoo! Sports obtained.
A Jaguars spokesman said the team was unaware of allegations that Couch had used
steroids and HGH and that the decision to release Couch was based only on the
fact that he wasn't good enough to make the team.
Couch said he passed a drug test during his brief comeback attempt.
"If I took that much steroids I wouldn't have passed the steroid test in
Jacksonville," Couch said. "There's no way in hell. It doesn't matter what that
(steroid regimen) says. It matters what I took. I know what I took and what I
didn't take."
Peter reports that the steroids listed on the regimen include Stanozolol,
Oaxndrolone and Testosterone Cypionate, as well as estrogen suppressant Nolvadex
and the antidepressant Fluox.
After Week Six, the Browns a three-week window within which to allow Bentley to
start practicing. Once Bentley has taken the practice field, the Browns have
three more weeks to let him practice before they have to decide his roster
status for the rest of the season.
"At any point following the sixth week of the regular season through the
expiration of the player's three-week practice window, the club can add the
player to the 53-man roster or place the player on Reserve-Injured," Walcoff
writes. "Additionally, at the expiration of the practice window, the club can
allow the player to remain on Reserve/PUP for the remainder of the season."
Bentley has participated in team meetings throughout this year's training camp
and has watched some practices from the sidelines, but he still has not
participated in any practice since that first one in 2006.
"How did we get to that?" Smith asked. "We have a one-car accident, and now
alcohol is involved? I think that's stretching it a little bit."
Suffice to say that Simon's contract with the Titans is nothing close to the
five-year, $30 million contract he signed with the Colts in 2005. Simon didn't
play at all last year, sitting out with a knee injury and an undisclosed
illness, and the Colts terminated his contract on August 4.
Gaither has been a pleasant surprise in the preseason, but losing Ogden would be
a huge problem for the Ravens and quarterback Steve McNair. Although the
33-year-old Ogden is a bit past his prime, he'd still give McNair a lot more
comfort than Gaither.
Dolphins coach Cam Cameron didn't come across as quite as optimistic about
Porter's availability, saying he wanted to see how Porter's knee feels this
morning, but Porter appears to have at least a fair chance of playing 11 days
from now.
The 30-year-old Porter has had two arthroscopic surgeries on his right knee in
the last 16 months, and he also had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two
years ago.
I chose for a long time to shut up, when the media
would ask me about religion, politics and sexual orientation. With animal
cruelty it is different.
I am so disappointed and shocked by the lifestyle of my former teammate Michael
Vick.
He was quiet and polite in the locker room and always addressed me with respect. I had a good relationship with Michael and felt I had a decent notion of who he
was and what he stood for.
What makes this so shocking is that most of the team didn't have any idea what
was going on with Michael outside of football.
He was also reserved and difficult to get close to, but that was probably caused
by his popular status on the team, and that he simply had to keep distance to be
allowed to breathe.
But when your actions outside the football field involves organized dog fighting
followed by execution of dogs, then you lose that right.
Michael Vick has had a different upbringing than I, no doubt about that.
It hasn't always been easy for him. Because of his amazing abilities on the
football field, he has managed to create a privileged life for himself and his
family. It is all crumbling now, and for what? Because he chose to stay truthful
to his old friends and involve himself in something as sick as animal cruelty.
Get yourself together, Michael, and to all your so-called friends, who now have
thrown you under the bus, what were you thinking and how are you guys sleeping
at night?
Best Kicks
Morten
"This is tough no matter who it is. It's hard to tell someone they're not making
the team," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "Tim, having a relationship and knowing
him for a while, knowing the type of person he is, the character he has, it's
always that much more difficult."
The Jets also released defensive end Darrell Adams, defensive tackle Zarnell
Fitch, running back Tony Hollings, cornerback Rayshaun Kizer, wide receiver
Dante Ridgeway, offensive lineman Nick Smith, and wide receiver Juan Wong. The
Jets have now reached tomorrow's mandatory limit of 75 active roster players.
