POSTED 9:03 p.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 9:20 p.m. EDT, October 5, 2007
MARVIN WANTS A G.M.
Plagued for years by the inadequate devotion
of resources to the personnel department, the Cincinnati Bengals have no G.M.
and not enough scouts.
A league source now tells us that coach Marvin
Lewis is lobbying internally for the hiring of a General Manager who would
assume responsibility for shaping the team's personnel. Though we
assume that Lewis would want to maintain final say over the 53-man roster,
Lewis apparently realizes that not enough time, money, and/or effort has
been devoted to ensuring that the right players are added to the team.
The Bengals have developed a reputation for
drafting guys whom other teams take off of their boards. The problem,
as it's been explained to us, is that when players like Frostee Rucker and
Chris Henry and A.J. Nicholson are available in lower rounds than their
talent might otherwise dictate, the Bengals go for the talent not because
they don't care about bad character, but because they lack the confidence to
identify the best of the players who haven't slid down the board.
REID NOT GOING ANYWHERE
While watching NFL Network's
Total Access on my new Palm Trēo 755p on Friday morning, I heard Adam
Schefter explain that Eagles coach Andy Reid won't be stepping aside to
spend more time with his family.
Pointing out that Reid's
troubled sons are already grown, Schefter explained that "the die is cast"
regarding their development, and that Reid spending more time parenting his
twentysomething children would be the equivalent of the mothers of Britney
Spears and/or Lindsay Lohan devoting their full attention to making their
daughters something other than the train wrecks they have become.
Still, we doubt that this will
be enough to squelch rampant rumors that Reid will resign at the end of the
season or sooner. As we see it, the issue isn't taking time off to get
his kids right. It's a matter of burnout and overall effectiveness;
clearly, something is different in Philly this year, and it could be that
Reid's personal travails have changed him in a fundamental way.
We think that Reid's ultimate
fate will be driven by whether, moving forward, we see more of the Eagles
that dominated the Lions in Week Three -- or the team that was stifled by
the Giants in Week Four. If it's the latter, we suspect that Reid very
well could decide that he has had enough. If it's the former, enough
of the fire might come back to carry Reid into a ninth season as the head
coach of the team.
PFTV PREVIEWS
SEAHAWKS-STEELERS
One of the five new PFTV
segments focuses on the rematch of Super Bowl XL, which was played in the
Steelers' home away from home at Ford Field. This time around, the
Seahawks and Steelers meet in Pittsburgh.
For the PFTV preview of the
Week Five interconference battle, click on the box below.
And for exclusive video
previews of every single Week Five game, click on the NFL.com ads on this
site and follow your nose.
TURD WATCH UPDATE
Though we initially were not
inclined to treat leaving the scene of a single-car accident as a
turd-watchable offense, the fact that linebacker Lance Briggs was sentenced
to one year of Court supervision and, as NFL spokesman Greg Aiello has
confirmed, is now subject to potential sanction under the Personal
Conduct Policy, we've decided to dispense points for the charges in this
regard filed against Briggs and, more recently, Jags tackle Khalif Barnes.
It also requires us to re-set
the "days without an arrest" counter to September 29.
The
end result? Four points to the Bears for the charge and the recent
guilty plea. Three points, for now, to the Jags.
And those three points for
Jacksonville are enough to put the Jags back in second place, one point
ahead of the Falcons.
Miami still leads the parade
with 68. The game ends as of the morning after Super Bowl Sunday.
A league source tells us that the NFL has
determined the identity of the person whom the NFL believes leaked to FOX's
Jay Glazer the tape that was confiscated from Pats video assistant Matt
Estrella on September 9 at the Meadowlands.
But another source tells us that the name
that's currently on the grapevine isn't the person who leaked the tape to
Glazer.
The only fact we're consistently hearing in
this regard is that the NFL wanted very much to figure out how the tape
ended up in Glazer's hands, and that there's a real concern that the league
might end up blaming the wrong person.
The story regarding the NFL's desire in
detecting the leak was, for folks in the media, almost as big as the story
of the Patriots cheating scandal. It threatened to overshadow the fact
that Glazer's scored a major coup by landing the tape.
As to the person whose name is making the
rounds as the alleged leaker, we're not prepared to disclose his/her name.
Our decision in this regard is influenced in large part by the fact that
we're hearing from other sources that the person who has been supposedly
fingered as the leaker isn't the actual leaker.
Stay tuned. Maybe.
FRIDAY INJURY REPORT IS
DOUBTFUL -- I MEAN, OUT
It's Friday, the day that all
of that information about who practiced and who didn't and who sort of did
gets distilled into one of the time-tested (but at times incomprehensible)
labels regarding player availability for the weekend.
The most notable:
Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (elbow) is doubtful, Cards receiver
Anquan Boldin (hip) is doubtful, Rams receiver Isaac Bruce is out, Rams
running back Steven Jackson is out, Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall (ankle)
is questionable, Ravens tight end Todd Heap (thigh) is questionable, Ravens
receiver Derrick Mason (knee) is questionable, Pats running back Laurence
Maroney (groin) is questionable, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson (back) is
questionable, Redskins receiver Santana Moss (groin) is doubtful.
POSTED 5:01 p.m. EDT,
October 5, 2007
HENRY SAYS POSITIVE WAS A MISTAKE
It's become popular for athletes to explain
away chronic lifestyle choices that blow up in their faces as mistakes.
Another NFL player is now using the "M" word, but this time it really
applies.
If, of course, there really was a mistake.
Specifically, Broncos running back Travis
Henry denies that he had marijuana or evidence of any other prohibited
compound in his body. "There is no
valid reason why any unlawful substance would be in my urine," Henry said
Friday, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post."This
must be a mistake."
And while it appears that Henry
took the unusual step of filing suit to force the league to allow a
Henry-hired expert to monitor the testing of the "B" sample of his pee in
order to buy time before he's jettisoned from the game for a year with no
guarantee that he'll be able to return, it could be that Henry genuinely
believes that he's clean.
In discussing Henry's case with several league
insiders, we've detected a strong belief in some circles that there are
problems with the testing procedure. Whether those beliefs are valid
is a different issue; from a perception standpoint, the reality is that some
players and agents are concerned.
There also is a concern held by some that the
NFL Players Association doesn't do enough to help players fight back against
erroneous test results. But, again, these concerns don't mean that the
testing is erroneous in any way.
The testing protocol and procedure is the
result of collective bargaining between the league and the union. If
the union is serious about representing the interests of all players, the
union would be wise to listen to the ones who think that they're getting a
raw deal from the current testing program.
POSTED 4:49 p.m. EDT,
October 5, 2007
PETERSON, OKOYE NAMED ROOKIES OF THE MONTH
So much for those rumors that Texans defensive
tackle Amobi Okoye was destined to be a bust. Instead, he's the NFL's
rookie of the month for September.
Okoye notched 4.0 sacks and forced a fumble in
his first four NFL games, and also made 10 tackles. At only 20 years
of age, he was the No. 10 overall selection in the draft.
On the other side of the ball, Vikings running
back Adrian Peterson won the offensive rookie of the month award, thanks to
383 rushing yards and 549 total yards from scrimmage in his first quartet of
games. He was the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.
The other nominees for the offensive version
of the prize were Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe, Bills running back Marshawn
Lynch, Packers receiver James Jones, and Bucs guard Arron Sears.
Other nominees for the defensive prize were
Lions safety Gerald Alexander, Bucs safety Tanard Jackson, Bucs defensive
tackle Greg Peterson, and 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis.
POSTED 3:45 p.m. EDT,
October 5, 2007
PRICE GOES DOWN FOR BILLS
The rash of injuries suffered by the Buffalo
Bills continues.
Price is the ninth member of the Bills who
will be lost for the rest of the year.
The situation started as stiffness in his neck
on Wednesday. An MRI on Thursday revealed that there is a disc problem
in Price's neck.
Price became a star in the Buffalo offense as
the No. 2 option to Eric Moulds. Price was traded to the Falcons as a
franchise player after his rookie contract expired, and he later was cut by
Atlanta. Following a season with the Cowboys, he returned to Buffalo.
Price had been the No. 2 receiver across from Lee Evans.
POSTED 1:12 p.m. EDT,
October 5, 2007
VICK RULING EXPECTED BY OCTOBER 12
A decision on the legal battle between the
Falcons and quarterback Mike Vick regarding the question of whether Vick
will have to pay back upwards of $20 million is
expected to be issued by October 12.
The ruling will be made by special master
Stephen Burbank, who handles questions involving the interpretation of the
Collective Bargaining Agreement. Unlike typical grievance
arbitrations, which are final and binding, Burbank's rulings are subject to
appeal.
Regardless, we think that the Falcons and the
league won't win this argument. The bulk of the money that the team
seeks was paid out as a roster bonus, and the precedent set by the Ashley
Lelie grievance regarding his option bonus from the Broncos most likely
controls.
With that said, Vick will likely be required
to pay roughly $3.5 million in prorated signing bonus amounts.
The Thursday hearing was attended by Falcons
owner Arthur Blank but not by NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw. A
league source tells us that Upshaw was in Kansas City for one of his annual
team-by-team meetings with the players.
POSTED 10:26 a.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 11:16 a.m. EDT, October 5, 2007
KOREN EXPECTS ANSWER ON REINSTATEMENT
WITHIN THE WEEK
A league source tells us that Packers receiver
Koren Robinson expects to hear within the week whether he'll be reinstated
after a one-year suspension for multiple violations of the league's
substance-abuse policy.
Though many of the guys who run afoul of the
policy do so because of marijuana, Robinson's primary vice was alcohol.
His suspension arose from a DUI arrest that followed a high-speed car chase
while Robinson was with the Vikings.
Per the source, Robinson is eligible to return
as of October 17.
The addition of Robinson can't hurt the
Packers, who are one of the surprise teams in the league at 4-0. It
would be even better, however, if Robinson played tailback -- especially
since the Packers are sporting some impressive wideouts right now with the
trio of Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and rookie James Jones.
Robinson was the ninth overall selection in
the 2001 draft. The Seahawks gave up on him due to his off-field
problems and an inability to catch passes on a consistent basis. He
made it to the Pro Bowl in 2005 as a kick returner with the Vikings, and was
expected to become their No. 1 wideout in 2006.
The Vikings cut Robinson after his arrest in
August 2006, and the Packers thereafter signed him. At the press
conference regarding the move, a reporter raised with Green Bay G.M. Ted
Thompson the
possibility that Robinson might kill a local resident while driving
drunk or racing from cops.
FLORĒO GETS A TRĒO
Several weeks back, I declared
in this space my intention to purchase the MotoQ. I must now confess
that I never bought it.
Before I could close the deal,
I got my hands on a Palm Trēo 755p.
So I bought that one instead.
It . . . is . . . incredible.
As I type this, the device is propped up against the bottom of my monitor,
and it's displaying a live stream of NFL Network. (There's plenty of
other SprintTV content available, too.)
The features include full and
easy e-mail access (which is a must when 500-plus e-mails are popping up
each day), web browsing, Word and Excel document capabilities, and a phone
with a clear and easy to use speaker system.
It's also incredibly fast,
thanks to the Sprint network, which brings the heat even here in a
semi-rural area of West Virginia.
Though a little thicker than
other so-called smartphones, the Trēo is narrower and it feels compact and
solid. It is, without question, the best wireless device I've ever
encountered.
And, yeah, we say good stuff
every week about Sprint and/or products available through Sprint because
Sprint Nextel is the official telecommunications partner of ProFootballTalk.
But we couldn't do it if we didn't mean it. Devices like the Trēo on a
fast, consistent network like Sprint's make it very easy.
FRIDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB
ONE-LINERS by Michael
David Smith
Jaguars S Sammy Knight
knows what to expect in taking on his former team, the Chiefs.
The Titans are expecting to
have a hard time blocking Falcons DE John Abraham.
Says Broncos WR Javon Walker
of his injured knee, "I was
taking needles and pills the first three weeks. But now it's
something where time has to heal it."
The Chiefs have
narrowly
avoided the first local TV blackout since 1990.
The Elias Sports Bureau
credited Packers DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila with another sack, meaning he has
now passed Reggie White as the team's all-time leader.
Saints K Olindo Mare has a
strained groin, which could force P Steve Weatherford to
pull double duty.
Says Buccaneers coach Jon
Gruden of Sunday's opponent, Colts QB Peyton Manning: "He's
the best. What he does on game day at the line of scrimmage --
from the films I've seen and the games I've been in -- is unprecedented."
Rams WR Isaac Bruce
offered to buy a chunk of tickets to prevent a local TV blackout, but
the number unsold -- 3,500 -- was too high for him to manage.
LT Jonas Jennings
won't play for the 49ers Sunday, and coach Mike Nolan would only say,
"He's got a personal matter he's dealing with."
Says Steelers QB Ben
Roethlisberger of Seahawks LB Lofa Tatupu, "If you had a kid who was going
to play linebacker,
that's
who you want him to watch."
Steelers running back Najeh Davenport, who
will forever be remembered as the guy who pooped in a dorm room closet, has
a new domestic disturbance on his plate.
Per KDKA in Pittsburgh, Davenport recently was
involved in
a child custody situation in Cleveland. The mother of Davenport's
child pulled Davenport's son from his car and ran away after Davenport told
the woman that he plans to file for full custody.
It's unclear when the incident occurred, since
Davenport plays in Pittsburgh, not in Cleveland.
Witnesses said that there was a "physical
scuffle and assault." Davenport faces no charges, and there are no
reports of any bodily functions occurring during the altercation.
PFTV WONDERS IF THE BROWNS
ARE FOR REAL
We've got a fresh crop of PFTV
clips, and we'll be pasting them into the Rumor Mill one-by-one over the
next day or so.
First up, we look at whether
the Cleveland Browns are for real.
The rest of the clips for this
week are right here.
We've got some more details on the stunning
news that Broncos running back Travis Henry has tested positive for
marijuana and faces a one-year suspension.
First, Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports
that the lawsuit Henry filed in New York state court was intended to block
the league from testing the "B" sample, which is used to confirm the
positive result. ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports that Henry wanted
to have his own expert present to monitor the testing of the "B" sample.
Per Schefter, a temporary restraining order
was granted at the trial court level, but the order was overturned on
appeal. The NFL filed a federal action against Henry based on the
notion that any gripes or disputes are superseded by the Collective
Bargaining Agreement.
It was, in our view, a last gasp effort by
Henry to avoid the inevitable. He'll be suspended for a year if the
"B" sample confirms the preliminary positive result.
Second, the 2006 CBA contains a specific
procedure for the forfeiture of signing bonus money. Per published
reports, Henry received a $1 million signing bonus from the Broncos in March
as part of a five-year deal. If he misses a year, he will forfeit
$200,000. Also, his contract will be tolled.
But Henry can earn the money back, if he later
performs in the year that was tolled. In other words, his deal
currently runs through 2011. It will now be pushed until 2012.
If he plays for the team in 2012, he'll be entitled to recover the $200,000
that he'll soon forfeit.
In Henry's case, however, it's unlikely that
he will still be with the Broncos in 2012, at which time he'd be turning 34.
Henry's forfeiture amount will increase if he
isn't promptly reinstated next year at this time. And since
reinstatement is by all appearances a decision that falls within the
discretion of the powers-that-be on Park Avenue, it probably wasn't too wise
for Henry to antagonize the league by filing suit against it. If/when
Henry's application for reinstatement gets the Onterrio Smith and/or Ricky
Williams treatment, it really shouldn't be all that surprising to anyone.
Meanwhile, several readers have re-raised with
us the issue of why the NFL even cares about players smoking marijuana.
Sure, it's illegal to do so. But it's not a performance-enhancing
drug. If anything, it potentially undermines performance by putting a
chronic user in a constant state of mild impairment.
In the end, the motivations don't matter.
The rules are collectively bargained between the union and the NFL.
The players need to follow the rules, or face the consequences. For
Henry, the stakes were incredibly high -- if the "B" sample comes back
positive, he only has one person to blame.
There was no mention in the
ESPN.com story that the item was first reported by KDVR in Denver, or that
Newsday had broken the news regarding the lawsuit Henry filed.
Instead, Len's story reads as if he's the first one to tell the football
world about the entire situation.
Here's a shot of the first
paragraph from the story, which likely will be "updated" before too long:
It's wrong, and Len and his
editors should be ashamed.
But not everyone at ESPN bears
blame for this one. The network crawl, which is usually quick to
credit its own people for breaking news, properly attributes the report to
KDVR.
POSTED 8:56 p.m. EDT,
October 4, 2007
HENRY SUING TO BLOCK SUSPENSION
In a novel legal strategy that, for now, isn't
completely clear, Broncos running back Travis Henry
has been fighting in court since September 20 to keep the NFL from using
against him a urine sample that presumably tested positive for marijuana.
Per Newsday, Henry sought a restraining
order last month in Suffolk County, New York to prevent the NFL from using
the specimen against him.
The skirmish also has spawned a federal court
action -- possibly filed by the NFL to compel Henry to rely upon the
arbitration procedures set forth in the collective bargaining agreement.
Absent further details, the effort seems to be
a proactive Hail Mary pass from Henry aimed at preventing the league from
taking the inevitable step of suspending him. And with nine mouths to
feed and no other obvious marketable skills, we can't say we blame him for
trying.
The development subjects Henry to a one-year
banishment from the NFL, given that he was suspended for four games within
the past two years for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Henry has the right to appeal the positive
test. If the outcome is upheld, he'll be gone for at least a year.
He signed a five-year, $22 million contract
with the Broncos, including $12 million in guaranteed money, after the
Titans released him prior to the due date of a large roster bonus. The
substance abuse policy now controls the extent to which Henry will have to
pay signing bonus money back to the team.
Henry most recently drew headlines when it was
reported that he has fathered nine children with nine different women.
Once suspended, his ability to make those child-support payments will become
slightly impaired.
POSTED 8:08 p.m. EDT,
October 4, 2007
EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TAG FOR ROMO WILL COST
$14 MILLION
If the Cowboys can't work out a long-term deal
with quarterback Tony Romo, and if owner Jerry Jones chooses to restrict
completely Romo's ability to shop himself as a free agent, the one-year
tender will cost $14 million, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network.
That's the anticipated average value of the
five highest-paid quarterbacks in 2008, based on their 2008 cap numbers.
And, if Romo is going to be franchised, it's
very likely that the Cowboys will need to use the exclusive franchise tag.
Otherwise, the non-exclusive tender of $10.7 million will allow Romo to sign
an offer sheet with another team in exchange for two first-round draft
picks.
Sure, two first-round draft picks would be a
stiff price to pay. But when one first-round pick gives a team a 50-50
shot at best at finding a quarterback who can become a decent starter, two
first-rounders for a franchise quarterback is a no-brainer.
Under the rules of the franchise tag, Romo's
tender would shoot to $16.8 million if the Cowboys were to franchise him for
a second season. That's $30.8 million for two years.
Suddenly, $30 million in guaranteed money
doesn't sound too bad.
It's a good thing for the Cowboys that Romo
claims he doesn't want that much.
The Broncos are 2-2, stuck in a three-way tie
for first place in the AFC West. The Chargers, at 1-3, can climb back
into the race in a big way by knocking off the Broncos.
THURSDAY INJURY REPORT
The Week Five injury report is
updated to reflect the Thursday practices.
Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme
missed practice again on Thursday, which means that David Carr is likely
to get the start on Sunday against the Saints.
Carr was unimpressive as Delhomme's
replacement in a 20-7 loss to the Bucs at home in Week Four.
Though Delhomme has been described by the team
as day-to-day with an elbow injury, Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported
earlier in the week that Delhomme's condition if more accurately described
as week-to-week or, perhaps, month-to-month.
And that's very bad news for a Panthers team
that otherwise has the talent to be competitive in the NFC.
WELCOME, NFL.COM
From time to time, people ask what the
National Football League thinks of PFT. Though we're still not
completely sure about the answer to that one (and perhaps the NFL feels the
same way), we're genuinely humbled to introduce NFL.com as the newest
sponsor of ProFootballTalk.
Folks, this operation is, was, and always will
be a couple of guys with a couple of computers. In nearly six years
(the anniversary is coming on November 1), we've somehow grown into a
quasi-legitimate source of NFL news and information, despite our periodic
efforts to destroy any credibility that we might have developed floating
rumors of the "Bradshaw is dead" variety.
So just as Sprint Nextel is the official
telecommunications partner of PFT, we suppose that the NFL is now our
official professional sports league partner. (Chew on that,
WNBA.)
And we're making an official call to every
member of PFT Planet to show your appreciation of the NFL's sponsorship of
the site by visiting NFL.com every time you visit PFT. Every single
time.
To do so, click on the ads on the side of the
page, the top of the page, or embedded between some of the Rumor Mill
stories.
We'll be telling you more about the impressive
features of the new NFL.com over the next couple of weeks, and we're hoping
to hear the jaws at Park Avenue dropping as they see how much traffic we can
push through to the NFL.com site via our loyal base of readers.
So help us out by checking out NFL.com.
Now. And later. And every day.
POSTED 11:48 a.m. EDT,
October 4, 2007
BLANK PRESENT, UPSHAW ABSENT FOR VICK
HEARING
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reports that Falcons
owner Arthur Blank is present for a special master hearing regarding the
question of whether and to what extent the Falcons can recover million of
dollars in previously paid bonus money.
Paolantonio also reports that NFLPA executive
director Gene Upshaw is not present, which possibly suggests that the union
regards the issue to be a slam dunk.
On the question of whether the Falcons can
recover roster bonus money that was converted to guaranteed payments, we
agree. If the Broncos couldn't recover option bonus money from Ashley
Lelie, the same reasoning that prevented that maneuver will likely block the
Falcons. At best, then, the Falcons can expect to recover the portion
of the initial $7.5 million signing bonus that had not yet been charged to
the salary cap.
We're far more intrigued by the fraud argument
that the Falcons are pursuing through a separate litigation track.
Basically, the content is that Vick should have to repay money because at
the time he signed his December 2004 contract extension he failed to
disclose that he was engaged in illegal activities.
Though we don't know what Vick's contract
specifically said on this point, fraud would arise only if Vick made an
affirmative misrepresentation of no involvement in criminal conduct.
Thus, it would be very wise for teams to include in player contracts the
following language: "Player represents and warrants that he is not
currently engaged in any conduct, and that he has not been engaged in any
conduct, that violates any state, federal, or local laws. Player also
acknowledges that Club is entering into this agreement in reliance upon the
fact that Player is not currently engaged in any conduct, and has not been
engaged in any conduct, that violates any state, federal, or local laws."
Though it's not impossible to prove fraud
without such language in the contract, having it makes proving fraud a lot
easier.
THURSDAY MORNING
ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith
Coach Dick Jauron seems to be
the only person in Buffalo not talking about the Bills' quarterbacks: "There's
not a whole lot to say about that position right now because J.P.
[Losman] isn't able to practice," Jauron said.
The Dolphins expect to get LB
Zach Thomas and LB Channing Crowder
back from
injuries.
Says Giants WR Plaxico Burress
of his quarterback, "Eli's
doing a phenomenal job. It's up to us to catch the balls. We
just have to help him out a little bit more."
Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden
says Cadillac Williams will eventually
get back on the field and says his surgery was "a success."
It's
still not clear whether Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin and RT Levi Brown
will play on Sunday; if they can't go, Bryant Johnson and Elton Brown will
start.
The Rams' game Sunday will be
blacked out on local TV for just the second time since the team moved to
St. Louis.
Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, who missed
three games with an MCL injury, is ready to roll. And he's willing to
share the load with Derrick Ward, who has performed well in Jacobs' absence.
"Just
look around the league," Jacobs said on Wednesday, according to the
New York Daily News. "Every team has two backs. D-Ward is a
very good back. We're going to utilize both of us when things are right.
[The coaches] see that D-Ward is capable of being very productive.
They know that I can go out and do the same thing. Why waste talent?
Why waste the talent we have?"
If that's what happens, Ward surely won't
complain.
"Brandon was the starter coming in," Ward
said. "It's an unwritten rule that you don't lose your spot to an
injury. But, you know, I showed the coaches what I could do, that they
could rely on me if the situation were to happen again. They know they
have another back they can rely on."
Jacobs was supposed to become the every-down
guy in the wake of the retirement of Tiki Barber. But there were
concerns regarding whether Jacobs could carry the load on his own without
breaking down. The fact that he didn't even make it through a single
game tends to confirm those worries.
Still, Jacobs has the ability to be very
effective. He was a touchdown machine last season as the Giants'
short-yardage option. If sharing reps keeps him healthy, it makes
sense to conserve him.
PFT PICK CHALLENGE IS
PICKING UP STEAM
The PFT Pick Challenge is
moving forward, with improvements every week.
But as we take two steps
forward, we took two steps back Week Four. As many of you advised us
via e-mail (and as we insisted was not accurate), the picks were not saved
last week.
We apologize for this glitch.
With that said, everyone will
be entered into the drawings for the four weekly prizes, and everyone will
give 14 additional "tickets" for the end-of-season drawing for the two seats
at a certain game to be played at a certain date at a certain stadium in a
certain state that is hosting a certain game widely known via certain Roman
numerals.
The good news is that the
problem is fixed, and that the game is improving each week. So get in
there and play. Prizes are based on each week's performance, so it
doesn't matter if you haven't signed up yet. And you can enter as late
as Week Seventeen and still win the grand prize.
Every correct pick that you
make results in an entry into the grand-prize drawing. The tickets to
the certain game are provided to us at face value by our friends at
NFL.com.
Weekly prizes are awarded based on three categories. First,
it's the "Meathead of Fathead?" game, where everyone who gets more total
game picks correct than yours truly is eligible for a random drawing. The
winner of the drawing gets a free Fathead product.
Next, the folks with the highest total number of correct
picks per week will be entered into a separate drawing, the winner of which
will receive a free one-year subscription to Sporting News.
Under our "Refer A Friend" program, every reader who (duh)
refers a friend who plays in Week Five is entered into a drawing for a free
online 2008 fantasy draft guide and season pass package from our friends at
Rotoworld.com.
Also, every contestant who correctly predicts the outcome of
the Steelers game (this week, it's the Steelers hosting the Seahawks) will
be entered into an additional drawing, and the winner will get a free copy
of the
The Bus: My Life In And Out Of A Helmet.
The books have been made available to us at no charge by
Jerome Bettis
and by Doubleday Books.
So click this link,
and make your picks for Week Five. I'll be posting my picks soon.
POSTED 9:32 a.m. EDT,
October 4, 2007
VICK COULD ESCAPE VIRGINIA CHARGES
The knee-jerk reaction by many to the notion
that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick is being prosecuted under Virginia law
for dog fighting is that the state-level charges violate the constitutional
ban against double jeopardy. But double jeopardy does not apply in
this case, since Vick was prosecuted under different statutes by different
sovereign bodies.
At the federal level Vick was charged only
with conspiracy to violate federal gambling and federal dog fighting laws,
and not with actually violating those gambling and dog fighting laws.
At the state level, Vick is charged with violating Virginia dog fighting
laws.
We've done a little research, and we've found
the law in question. It's Section 19.2-294 of the Virginia Code, and
it reads as follows:
"If the same act be a
violation of two or more statutes, or of two or more ordinances, or
of one or more statutes and also one or more ordinances, conviction
under one of such statutes or ordinances shall be a bar to a
prosecution or proceeding under the other or others.
Furthermore, if the same act be a violation of both a state and a
federal statute, a prosecution under the federal statute shall be a
bar to a prosecution under the state statute. The provisions
of this section shall not apply to any offense involving an act of
terrorism as defined in § 18.2.46.4. For purposes of this
section, a prosecution under a federal statute shall be deemed to be
commenced once jeopardy has attached."
In the case of Slade v. Commonwealth, the Court of Appeals of Virginia
reversed a conviction for animal cruelty because the defendant
previously had been convicted of discharging a firearm in city
limits. Because the animal cruelty charge arose from the fact
that the gun was shot at a dog (the dog wasn't killed), the Court of
Appeals found that later prosecution on animal cruelty charges was
prohibited.
Said the Court:
"[T]he Commonwealth could successfully prosecute Slade for cruelty
to an animal only by proving, as charged in the indictment, that
Slade shot an animal. This same act of shooting was the basis
for the earlier discharging a firearm conviction. Accordingly,
the conviction for cruelty to an animal violates Code [Section]
19.2-294 and cannot stand."
In this case, Vick has
been convicted under federal law for conspiracy to engage in dog
fighting. The indictment against him listed in exhaustive
detail his involvement in dog fighting. Thus, if Anthony Davon
Slade couldn't be convicted for animal cruelty for shooting a dog
because he'd already been convicted separately for illegally firing
the gun with which he shot the dog, Vick has a strong argument that
he previously has been prosecuted for establishing and maintaining a
dog fighting operation, and therefore can't be charged now with
fighting dogs.
It's a decision that
ultimately will be made by a trial court judge, and then likely
reviewed by appellate judges. Though there was much discussion
in the media about the judge who presided over the federal case, we
can't even find the name of the judge who'll handle the Virginia
prosecution. In that person's hands will rest the initial
outcome as to the application of Section 19.2-294 -- and it makes
sense for the media to start getting some information about that
judge's reputation in criminal matters.
We're not saying that
this one is a slam dunk for Vick, but it's pretty close to it.
We can come up with a technical argument to navigate the specific
language of Section 19.2-294, but we don't want to bore you any more
than we already are. The key for now is that there's a clear
and strong Virginia law on the books that supports Vick's position,
and that a judge will have to decide as a preliminary matter whether
to throw the charges out.
POSTED 8:51 a.m. EDT,
October 4, 2007
BANNER SAYS FAMILY ISSUES DON'T AFFECT
REID'S PERFORMANCE
Possibly in response to rampant rumors that
Eagles coach Andy Reid could be stepping down at the end of the current
season if not sooner, Eagles president Joe Banner said on Wednesday that
Reid's family issues have not affected his performance.
"There's two
separate questions from where I sit," Banner told the
Philadelphia Daily News. "The first is whether it has
affected him. The obvious answer is, how could you not be
affected by it? But the separate question is what impact
is it having on the other thing you're doing in your life.
And I don't think it's having any.
"There are really
strong people out there -- CEOs of massive companies, doctors,
lawyers, coaches, players, cabdrivers -- who are able to both
deal with the challenges they face in their life and still
continue to be excellent at what they do. Working with him
every day, seeing him every day, that's the category he's in for
me.
"It would be
foolish to try to say it isn't on his mind and doesn't weigh on
his mind. The same is true of all the other categories of
people I mentioned. Some of those people do get to a point
where the weight is too heavy and starts to trickle down to the
other parts of their lives. But that's not been the case
with Andy.
"I respect
people's right to have that perspective [that Reid's family
issues are affecting his job performance]. But drawing
that as an explanation [for the 1-3 start], I think, is going in
the wrong direction."
Still, at a time
when NFL head coaches are fully consumed by their jobs --
especially when some of said coaches also have full control over
the personnel functions of the operation -- any distraction
arising from their personal lives is necessarily going to affect
their performance in some way.
It could be
problems with children, the illness of a spouse, a tax audit,
anything. If it prevents the coach from staying in that
every-waking-moment zone of work and preparation, then it's
going to have an impact. It will generally be difficult if
not impossible to trace the impact back to the distraction, but
sooner or later there will be some type of a consequence.
The only way to
avoid such an outcome is for the coach to truly delegate a
portion of his authority to others in the organization who can
and will step up and perform -- without fear that, when the boss
re-focuses, he'll chew on someone's butt for doing something
differently than the way the boss would have done it.
And when things go
wrong and the head coach hasn't been able to focus as much on
his team as the other 31 NFL head coaches are focusing on their
teams, the absence of total focus becomes the most obvious
explanation for the lapse.
As to the 2007
Eagles, misadventures with punt returners caused one loss, and
the outright failure to provide left tackle Winston Justice with
any meaningful help against the Giants contributed to another
one. Banner addressed the punt miscues on Wednesday.
"If
you want to call that a mistake, we're certainly not
the first team that's had a less experienced guy or
rookie who wasn't secure with the ball and ended up
making a mistake that cost his team a game," Banner
said. "It wasn't an unprecedented error.
"In
Tom [Heckert] and Andy, we have the benefit of what,
for most teams, is the caliber of two general
managers. I don't think we've missed anything
[because of Reid's family issues]. That's not
to say we don't ever make mistakes. We
obviously don't get everything right and have never
pretended that we do.
"But
when we do get something wrong, it's not because of
a lack of time or attention. It's just the
nature of what we do. You're going to be wrong a
certain percentage of the time even if you're really
good at it."
Again,
the obvious, superficial connection between these
two apparent failures of personnel evaluation and
coaching is that the person with the ultimate
authority over personnel and coaching is trying to
balance serious family issues with his work.
Though we agree with Banner's suggestion that many
other workers can and do successfully juggle such
concerns, the fact remains that Reid is plying his
trade in the ultimate fish bowl, against 31 others
who as far as anyone knows is able to fully focus on
the task at hand.
Right
or wrong, fair or unfair, folks are going to assume
that mistakes on the field flow from Reid's
inability to devote his full and complete attention
to the job.
POSTED 10:48 p.m. EDT,
October 3, 2007
COLTS TO BE WITHOUT THREE KEY PLAYERS?
The 4-0 Colts face on Sunday the franchise
that fired Indy coach Tony Dungy -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But
Dungy might have to pursue a measure of revenge without three of his key
players.
Potentially absent for the Colts could be
receiver Marvin Harrison, running back Joseph Addai, and safety Bob Sanders.
Though Harrison and Addai are key parts of
that high-powered offense, the Colts' defense routinely was shredded against
the run when Sanders was out with injury in 2006. His return helped to
galvanize the unit, and propelled the team to its first Super Bowl win since
leaving Baltimore.
POSTED 10:01 p.m. EDT; LAST
UPDATED 10:18 p.m. EDT, October 3, 2007
PETRINO TO AUBURN?
A year after one NFL head coach bolted to
Alabama, could another one be bolting to Auburn?
Per our new guy who'll soon be unveiled as the
dude to carry the flag for CollegeFootballTalk.com, there are rumors that
Falcons coach Bobby Petrino is very dissatisfied with his NFL gig and that
he could be eyeing the Tigers job if coach Tommy Tuberville is gone after
the 2007 season.
Let's be clear -- this is pure rumor.
But so was talk last year that the Nicktator was unhappy with the Fins, and
possibly planning an exit back to the NCAA.
Saban was able to bolt without consequence
because his contract with the Dolphins allowed him to do so. It's
unknown whether Petrino has the ability to flee the Falcons absent any
limitations.
MORE ON THE REID RUMORS
Our pal A.J. Daulerio of
PhillyMag.com has some details as to the rampant rumors that Eagles coach
Andy Reid might pack it in with the team after eight-plus years on the job.
Here's what Daulerio has to
say: "It's been a constant rumor all year, but after Sunday night's
loss to the Giants, sources close to Andy
Reid and the team say there's a strong possibility Reid may get off
the sidelines sooner than expected. All year, Reid's family troubles
have been taking a noticeable toll, and many of his players are biding their
time until Big Red makes an announcement. With
Marty Mornhinweg already assuming
much of the offense, Reid's a lame-duck coach at this point, just poking
around on the sidelines to keep his mind off of his woes. The likely
scenario is inserting Mornhinweg in the coach's seat so Reid can ride out
the rest of his contract as Executive Vice President of Football Operations,
leaving him more time with his fractured family."
Daulerio's article suggests
that the move could come as soon as this week, since the Eagles are on a
Week Five bye.
Though we haven't heard that
anything immediate could happen, the pervasive talk in league circles is
that Reid's return for 2008 is, at best, a toss-up.
WEEK FIVE WEDNESDAY INJURY
REPORT
It's Wednesday. So that
means it's time to take a look at the first injury report of the week.
Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa
Press-Democrat reports that the San Francisco 49ers formally have
disputed the ESPN report that quarterback Alex Smith will get a second
opinion from Dr. James Andrews, which could result in season-ending surgery
on his injured shoulder.
As one reader pointed out to us, it's been a
bad month for shoulders at ESPN. After Week One, Chris Mortensen
reported that Giants quarterback Eli Manning would miss a month with a
shoulder injury. Manning started the next game, and has played in
every game since then.
POSTED 4:00 p.m. EDT,
October 3, 2007
ESPN REPORT ON SMITH IS DISPUTED
Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee
writes that, contrary to a report from ESPN, 49ers quarterback
Alex Smith is not expected to need surgery to repair a shoulder injury
suffered on Sunday against the Seahawks.
Barrows also reports that Smith isn't getting
a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews.
Here's the full text of Barrow's post:
"Don't panic about
that ESPN report regarding Alex Smith's shoulder. Smith is not
seeking a second opinion from noted orthopedic surgeon James Andrews
at Stanford as ESPN reported last night. Instead, the team's
head trainer, Jeff Ferguson, is friendly with Andrews and has sent
Andrews a copy of Smith's MRI results, which were taken Monday.
It's standard procedure at this level.
"I thought the ESPN
piece seemed funny when it mentioned the serious tendon damage Smith
had suffered. Instead, Smith suffered torn ligaments, which
are expected to scar over and heal on their own. Smith
certainlly suffered a serious injury and his collarbone is detached
from his shoulder. But the collarbone is essentially in the
right spot -- if it weren't, there would be a need for surgery --
and Smith is expected to make a full recovery."
POSTED 3:50 p.m. EDT,
October 3, 2007
LANG, COUCH SUSPENSIONS EXPIRE AFTER WEEK
EIGHT
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello has confirmed that
defensive end Kenard Lang and quarterback Tim Couch have been suspended for
six weeks for violation of the policy against anabolic steroids and related
substances.
Aiello explained via e-mail that the
suspensions are effect from Week Three through Week Eight of the 2007
regular season.
With that said, Lang (as we hear it) is
retired, and Couch has no real prospects.
POSTED 2:54 p.m. EDT,
October 3, 2007
SILVER STANDS BY LEINART QUOTES
On Monday, Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports!
reported that Cardinals "starting" quarterback Matt Leinart questioned the
manner in which he was being removed from and reinserted into games.
"I
just want them to ride or die with me," Silver said Leinart said. "If I'm the franchise quarterback,
play me and let me stumble, because I'll fight through it, and that will
help me and our team in the long run. I know coaches want to win now,
and I guess they have their reasons. But I don't understand it, and
this switching back and forth is almost worse than getting benched."
So we asked Silver about the situation (we
know him from when he told us to that he was "too much of a big shot now" to
participate in the PFT Media Fantasy Challenge -- am I taking that out of
context?), and here's what he said via e-mail on Wednesday:
"Obviously,
I did a pretty lousy job of communicating with Matt, because I thought it
was clear that I'd be using his quotes in the column. I like Matt, and
it bums me out that he's upset. I also think it's amusing that he got
so much grief about the quotes in the first place -- as if a quarterback
wouldn't be mad about getting pulled . . . or that his bosses or fans would
want someone who WOULDN'T get mad as their future franchise QB."
Very diplomatic, Mr. Silver.
(Unfortunately.)
But while Silver has taken the high road, the
more we think about Leinart's effort to back away from the comments, the
more it bothers us. In one breath, he says he didn't say it.
Then he says his quote was taken out of context. Well, which is it?
And if the quotes were taken out of context,
what was the proper context? Was he reminiscing about getting benched
in Pee Wee football as a lumpy, cross-eyed kid? It makes no sense to
us, and it's not the kind of maturity that a guy who hopes to be a franchise
quarterback needs to have.
POSTED 12:09 p.m. EDT,
October 3, 2007
FALCONS SEEK $16 MILLION
FROM VICK
by Michael David Smith
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN is reporting that the
Atlanta Falcons have asked Michael Vick to
return more
than $16 million in bonus money, saying his guilty plea to federal
conspiracy charges put him in violation of his 10-year, $130 million
contract with the team.
Per Paolantonio, a hearing before the NFL's
special master, Stephen Burbank, will take place Thursday. At that hearing,
the Falcons will argue that Vick owes them a refund of money paid in
bonuses. But the NFL Players Association will say the money was paid to Vick
as roster bonuses, and that the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement
with the players does not permit teams to get back money already earned.
Complicating matters in this case is that Vick
signed his contract before the current CBA went
into effect.
Burbank ruled last year that Broncos wide
receiver Ashley Lelie's option bonus fell under the "salary escalators
already earned" category of payment, and therefore ruled for Lelie, who also
won an appeal.
The Falcons have also filed a grievance to be
heard by the league's non-injury grievance arbitrator, and in that grievance
the Falcons are seeking damages in excess of $22 million. Paolantonio
reports that part of the Falcons' case will be an argument that Vick knew at
the time that he signed the contract that he was in violation of it, and
therefore he defrauded the Falcons. That grievance will not be heard until
after the case that begins with Thursday's hearing has reached a conclusion.
The Falcons have paid Vick a total of $37
million in bonuses.
POSTED 11:24 a.m. EDT,
October 3, 2007
VICK'S NEXT COURT DATE:
NOV. 27
by Michael David Smith
D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution reports that a trial date in Michael Vick's
Virginia dog fighting case will be set at
a Nov. 27 court appearance.
The Nov. 27 date was set at a hearing today in
Sussex County, Virginia. Vick was represented by attorney Lawrence Woodward
and did not attend the hearing, but he did turn himself in for pretrial
processing in Surry County and have
his mug shot taken last week. (Today's hearing was in Sussex because the
Surry County courthouse is closed for renovations)
Vick faces two felony counts
in Virginia, one for beating or killing a dog and one for engaging in or
promoting dog fighting. He has already admitted, when he pleaded guilty to
federal conspiracy charges, that he and his co-defendants killed dogs and
engaged in dog fights.
Vick is due for sentencing in
federal court on December 10. If convicted on the state charges, he could face
an additional 10 years in prison.
POSTED 10:54 a.m. EDT,
October 3, 2007
WILFORK UNHAPPY WITH FINE
by Michael David Smith
Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork says
he is appealing the $12,500 fine the league slapped him with for a low hit
that put Bills quarterback J.P. Losman out of commission.
On the play, Wilfork was rushing Losman, was
blocked to the ground, and appeared to stick his elbow out directly into
Losman's knee after Losman released his throw.
"I've sent it back to the league and I'm going
to appeal it, hands down,
I'm going to appeal it," the Boston Herald quotes Wilfork saying
during a radio interview on WEEI. "The only thing people have against me is
they question my arm. A lot of people want to question why my arm went out. I tell them the same thing. If I sit here and push you from behind, see what
your arms do?"
Most people who have viewed the replay of the
hit think a better description than "my arm went out" would be "I gave
Losman a forearm shiver to the knee."
Wilfork said he's being unjustly labeled a dirty player and that the fine
was too severe. He might not be a dirty player, but it was a dirty play, and
when a dirty play causes another player to miss significant playing time,
the player who commits the dirty play should be happy he got off with a
$12,500 fine.
UPDATE: Maybe Wilfork
should argue that he has a condition that causes his elbow to jerk
uncontrollably.
WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS
by Michael David Smith
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has plans to ask the state legislature for money for
a new stadium, but he insists that the idea that he'll get rich off public funds
is "a fallacy."
Dolphins DT Keith Traylor's message to his teammates who have had to fill in
for injured starters: "If you're in there, you ought to be able to step up and
play to the level of a starter.
This is called professional football, not semi-professional football."
Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson will
face the Broncos Sunday for the first time since breaking the NFL
single-season touchdown record against them last year.
