In an unrelated
development, Sundquist is out as the G.M. of the Denver Broncos.
The team announced the
move on Wednesday night, saying that he is "no longer with the team,
effective immediately."
Said coach/de facto G.M.
Mike Shanahan in a statement released by the Broncos:
"I
am grateful to Ted for all his hard work and efforts on behalf of the
Broncos for the past 16 years. Now is the time for our
organization to move forward and look at new directions. We are
prepared to do so, starting with our ongoing draft planning, and along
with continuing preparations for our mini camps and training camp."
The
back end of the rumor that we heard back in November was that Mike
Lombardi, who worked for the Broncos as a volunteer in 2007, would take
over the job.
Our
guess? Given that the Broncos dumped Sundquist before the draft,
the Raiders might quickly come calling, if for no reason other than to
find out what Denver is planning for the rookie selection weekend.
POSTED
8:33 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
STEELERS SNAG A FOX
Stop the presses . . . .
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed another free agent.
Fox was a third-round
draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004. He's getting a
one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $605,000 under the CBA quirk
that encourages teams to pick veterans over youngsters by charging the
team something in the range of $450,000 in real dollars and cap dollars.
However, if the Steelers
like what they see from Fox, they won't be able to re-sign him until the
start of the 2009 league year, which means that he'll have to be allowed
to become a free agent before he can re-up in the 'Burgh.
POSTED
8:25 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
BROWN OUT OF TENNESSEE?
Running back Chris Brown
hit the open market a year ago after completing his rookie contract with
the Titans. After finding not much interest, Brown returned to the
Titans.
And after making jaws drop
with 175 yards in Week One against the Jaguars, Brown disappeared.
Over the balance of the year, he didn't rush for more than 46 yards in
any game, and he finished the season with only 464 yards.
So this time around Brown
might not be going back to Tennessee. He has visited the Texans,
and there is now a report that
the Bears might be interested.
Chicago needs help at the
position, with Cedric Benson still not making good on the potential that
made him the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2005. With Thomas Jones
traded away in 2007, Benson couldn't get it done as the go-to back.
With all that said, Adam
Schefter of NFL Network reports that Brown could sign with the Texans as
soon as Thursday.
POSTED
8:12 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
SPIKES TO SAN FRAN?
Linebacker Takeo Spikes,
cut last week by the Philadelphia Eagles, is making his first visit ever
as an unrestricted free agent.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, Spikes will visit the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday.
Spikes initially entered
the league as a first-round pick of the Bengals in 1998. Cincy
placed the transition tag on him in early 2003, and he signed an offer
sheet with the Bills, which the Bengals opted not to match. Last
year, Buffalo traded Spikes to the Eagles. When the Eagles
released him, it marked the first time in Spikes' ten-year career that
he was on the open market, no strings attached.
In San Fran, Spikes would
join a defense that features 2007 NFL defensive rookie of the year
Patrick Willis.
POSTED
6:16 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
RAIDERS SIGN ANOTHER
The Oakland Raiders'
offseason assault on the free-agent market continues.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, the Raiders have agreed to terms with receiver Drew
Carter, formerly of the Carolina Panthers. Terms are not yet
known.
Carter was a fifth-round
draft pick of the Panthers in 2004. He started seven games in
2007, catching
38
passes for 517 yards and four touchdowns -- all career highs.
POSTED
5:29 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
BARNETT COPS A PLEA ON
2007 CHARGES
Packers linebacker Nick
Barnett was charged last year with two counts of disorderly conduct
arising from an incident at a night club. He's now a big step
closer to putting the incident behind him.
According to media
reports,
Barnett has pleaded no contest to one of the counts of disorderly
conduct. If he has no further incidents through July, pays a $500
fine, and completes an anger management course, the charge of disorderly
conduct will be reduced to an ordinance violation, and the other charge
will be dropped. Barnett reportedly has undergone the anger
management course, through the NFL.
Speaking of the NFL, the
plea exposes Barnett to discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy.
The move also gets points for the Packers in Turd Watch II,
which has been
updated to reflect all recent off-field developments.
POSTED
4:57 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
CARR PARKS IN NEW YORK
The Giants now have two
No. 1 overall draft picks on the roster.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, quarterback David Carr has agreed to terms on a
one-year, $1 million deal. He can earn more in incentives.
Carr was the first overall
selection of the Texans in 2002. He'll work behind quarterback Eli
Manning, the first overall selection of the Chargers in 2004, who then
was promptly traded to New York.
The former Texan spent
five years in Houston before being released in 2007. He signed as
a backup with the Panthers, but was cut again after only one year there.
POSTED
4:47 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
TENNESSEE REUNION
CONTINUES
Though it's unclear
whether the development will help to remove the stick from defensive
tackle Albert Haynesworth's personal sausage factory, the Tennessee
Titans have spent a little more of their salary-cap bulge.
McCareins is the second
former Titan to return since the start of the 2008 league year.
Last week, defensive end Jevon Kearse came back to Nashville after a
four-year detour to Philly.
The Titans selected
McCareins in the 2001 draft, and traded him to the Jets in 2004.
He generally was a disappointment there, and was released earlier in the
year.
McCareins' deal reportedly
is for one year, with a base salary of $730,000 and incentives that
could push it to $1 million.
POSTED
4:25 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
FINS SIGN A KICKER
Here's a certain sign that
the flow of the free-agent signings has slowed.
We're mentioning the
signing of a kicker.
The Miami Dolphins have
announced that they have added Dave Rayner, a three-year NFL veteran who
spent 2007 with the Chiefs and Chargers and all of 2006 with the
Packers.
Rayner was a sixth-round
draft pick of the Colts in 2005.
POSTED
1:09 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
HACKETT GETTING AROUND
Free-agent receiver D.J.
Hackett, who played through 2007 with the Seahawks and who is still on
the shelf nearly two weeks after the 2008 marketplace opened, might be
getting closer to a new deal.
Or maybe not.
According to Adam Caplan
of Scout.com, Hackett is scheduled to meet with three teams in three
days.
First up are the Redskins,
on Wednesday. Tomorrow, the Bucs. Friday, the Panthers.
UPSHAW SEES A LOCKOUT
COMING by Michael David Smith
NFL Players Association
Executive Director Gene Upshaw says he believes the owners are setting
the stage for a lockout that could threaten the 2011 NFL season.
The Collective Bargaining
Agreement is set to expire after the 2010 season, and the owners and the
players appear far off from any type of negotiations that could lead to
an agreement to extend labor peace beyond 2010. The owners think they
gave up too much during the last round of negotiations.
"They think [the current
deal] is too rich for the players, and they want to take some back,"
Upshaw said.
Adds union attorney
Jeffrey Kessler, "The problem is that the owners could not agree among
themselves on how they would share their revenues. The high-revenue
teams do not want to share money they earn in their markets, and the
low-revenue teams are unhappy about everything. So they find a place to
agree -- they try to get it back from the players."
The 2011 season might feel
like it's a long way off, but the owners and the union should be
addressing these issues now to avoid a labor stoppage.
POSTED
10:33 a.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
AYANBADEJO SUES
SUPPLEMENT MAKER by Michael David Smith
Former NFL player Obafemi
Ayanbadejo, who has not played since he was suspended four games last
year for violating the policy on steroids and related substances, has
filed a lawsuit against a supplement company that he says is responsible
for his positive drug test.
"I took
a supplement that had a banned substance in it that was not listed
on the bottle," Ayanbadejo told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I
know a lot of guys have been using that excuse. But I said from the
beginning that I was going to sue the company and make sure that whoever
was responsible would face the music."
Ayanbadejo, who says that
even after serving his suspension the stigma of having failed a drug
test kept other teams from signing him, is suing ALR Industries, the
maker of the supplement that he says was tainted, and the Nutrimart
store where he says he bought the supplement. The Union-Tribune
could not reach either defendant. The supplement Ayanbadejo says he
took, Max LMG, has been discontinued, and the Nutrimart is closed.
Although other NFL
players, including Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, have blamed
their positive drug tests on tainted supplements, Ayanbadejo is believed
to be only the second to file such a lawsuit. The first, former Patriots
running back Mike Cloud, settled out of court.
Ayanbadejo's lawyer, Jim
Miller, says it is not clear whether the banned substance was
intentionally added to the supplement or whether it was a result of an
accidental contamination.
The NFL and the NFL
Players Association encourage players to educate themselves about which
supplements have been approved via the
Supplement Certification Program. That program certifies certain
supplements as not containing any banned substances, and containing only
the ingredients listed on the label. Ayanbadejo apparently did not avail
himself of the program.
The NFL does not view a
tainted supplement as a valid excuse for a positive test. League policy
says, "a positive test result will not be excused because a player was
unaware that he was taking a prohibited substance."
POSTED
9:15 a.m. EDT, March 12, 2008
TITANS ASSISTANT CECIL
COULD FACE NFL DISCIPLINE by Michael David Smith
Tennessee Titans assistant
coach Chuck Cecil
could face league punishment after pleading guilty to reckless
driving Monday.
Paul Kuharsky of the
Tennessean reports that league spokesman Greg Aiello said NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell could discipline Cecil. The NFL says it holds
coaches and team staffs to higher standards of personal conduct than
players.
Cecil, who was arrested
and charged with drunken driving
about 12 hours before the Titans played the Colts in September,
entered the guilty plea Monday. He was sentenced to 24 hours in jail,
six months probation, a $500 fine and alcohol safety classes.
Cecil played five seasons
with the Green Bay Packers, one with the Phoenix Cardinals and one with
the Houston Oilers. Cecil is best known to most fans for a Sports
Illustrated cover that asked whether he was "too
vicious for the NFL."
BILLS HOLDING ON TO
LOSMAN? by Michael David Smith
The conventional wisdom
around the NFL has been that Bills quarterback J.P. Losman, who lost his
starting job to rookie Trent Edwards last season, will not return to
Buffalo in 2008.
But the Bills are saying
publicly that they want to keep Losman around.
"I know he's frustrated,"
Bills quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said in a story on the team's
official web site. "I know he wants to go somewhere where he feels like
he could be the starter. But we love him and
we'd
love to have him."
The Bills' coaching staff
has made clear that Edwards is the starter for 2008, but Losman may be
the best option available as a backup. Or it could be that the Bills
simply want to make it look like they want to hold on to Losman in an
attempt to gain leverage with potential trading partners.
Losman started seven games
in 2007, completing 63.4 percent of his passes, with four touchdowns and
six interceptions.
WEDNESDAY MORNING
ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith
Said former Cowboys WR
Michael Irvin of being inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in
the Tom Landry Theatre Tuesday, "The first thing I saw when I walked in
was the picture of Coach Landry. When you see that,
you know what kind of an honor it is."
Former Titans TE Frank
Wycheck, who now serves as the team's radio analyst, is surprised the
Dolphins gave so much money to free agent DT Randy Starks, who "has
never been consistent" in Tennessee.
The Giants
are meeting with free agent LB Danny Clark.
Says Patriots S Tank
Williams of attending Stanford with Chelsea Clinton, "She'd be riding
her bike back to the dorm and the secret service would be riding like 20
yards behind her.
That was neat to see."
Says new Broncos LB Boss
Bailey, "I talked to coach [Mike] Shanahan personally, and he was
telling me we had some players around that
weren't willing to work for success and now those players are gone
and they're bringing in players who are willing to work."
The Buccaneers are
still shopping for a free agent wide receiver.
EXTENSION COMING FOR
SAVAGE by Michael David Smith
Cleveland Browns General
Manager Phil Savage took over a team coming off a 4-12 2004 season, and
he's now running a team coming off a 10-6 2007 season. The result? He's
close to getting a new contract.
"It's something we've been
talking about on and off since December," owner Randy Lerner said, per
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We've kept the
dialogue going, and
we hope to have something done soon."
Savage has two years left
on the five-year deal he signed in 2005, and the contract extension will
go through at least the 2011 season. Head coach Romeo Crennel, offensive
coordinator Rob Chudzinski and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker have all
signed extensions through 2011 as well.
Lerner told the Plain
Dealer he was excited about the future of the team because "It's
been a great off-season," but it seems a little premature to make such a
declaration. The Browns' roster has more recognizable names on it than
it did in 2007, but the Browns have also traded away their top three
draft picks.
Savage appears to have the
Browns headed in the right direction, but Lerner is putting an awful lot
of faith in people who haven't yet led the team to the playoffs.
POSTED
11:17 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
DELICATE SITUATION IN
SEATTLE
One of the things that we
do here at PFT is keep a keen eye on the intriguing business issues that
can arise in the business of the sport we love. And one of the
more compelling twists and turns that can come up relates to the concept
of conflict of interest.
With agencies merging and
combining and agents representing players and coaches and front-office
people, there are plenty of eyebrow-raising circumstances that come up
from time to time.
Here's one to ponder.
Many league observers believe that the signing of running back Julius
Jones by the Seahawks means that Shaun Alexander will be traded or
released. (Given his high salary and declining production, the
more likely outcome is that he'll be cut.)
Alexander is represented
by CAA. And Jones is represented by (you guessed it) CAA.
So, basically, one CAA
agent was recently negotiating a free-agent contract for one firm client
under circumstances that any reasonable person with basic knowledge of
the NFL business should have realized would result in the inability of
another CAA client to continue to get paid.
We're not sure what if
anything the NFLPA should do to protect players from this type of a
situation. At a minimum, Alexander should
consider
advice that recently appeared on the union's web site regarding
knowing when the time has come to make a change.
WILSON TO VISIT THE
BROWNS
After more than a year out
of football, veteran linebacker Al Wilson continues to explores
opportunities for a comeback.
Last month, he visited the
Lions. Now, we're told that he's getting a look from the Browns.
The Browns are in the
process of upgrading a defense that was mediocre (at best) in 2007.
Wilson last played during the 2006 season, and due to a neck injury
didn't play at all last season.
POSTED
10:30 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
ANQUAN BOLTIN'?
Now that the Cardinals
have locked up receiver Larry Fitzgerald at a more affordable (or, as
the case may be, less unaffordable) price over the next four seasons,
they might have to deal with another thorny issue at the position.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, Anquan Boldin could want more money and/or a trade in
the wake of Fitzgerald's $10 million-per-year contract.
Per Schefter, some in the
Cardinals organization actually regard Boldin as the better wideout.
But Boldin will make far, far less than Fitzgerald over the next three
seasons -- he's due to earn base salaries of $2.5 million, $2.75
million, $3 million.
In our view, Fitzgerald
and Boldin together is a luxury that the Cardinals don't need,
especially with coach Ken Whisenhunt presumably trying to bring a
Pittsburgh-style power running vibe to the desert.
Assuming that the
Cardinals have a plan (which could be a dangerous assumption because
we're talking about, you know, the Cardinals), the huge deal given to
Fitzgerald should be regarded as evidence that they've opted to keep
Fitzgerald over the long haul, and to get what they can for Boldin.
Throw in the fact that
Boldin is represented by Drew Rosenhaus, and the stage is set for Boldin
to start making noise about moving on.
Possible destinations are
Philly, Dallas, and the Redskins.
POSTED
10:05 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
CARTER TO RAIDERS?
At a time when many league
observers presume that defensive lineman Kevin Carter eventually will
re-sign with the Buccaneers, Carter is throwing the folks in Tampa a
curve ball by
visiting the Raiders on Wednesday, according to the St.
Petersburg Times.
Carter was cut late last
month, prior to earning a $2 million roster bonus.
The 13-year veteran has
spent 2007 with the Bucs. He also has played with the Dolphins,
Titans, and Rams. He perhaps is best known by football junkies for
taking himself out of Super Bowl XXXIV during a last-minute, potential
game-tying drive by the Titans -- to the amazement of Rams coach Dick
Vermeil.
POSTED
6:04 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
FALCONS SIGN NEW
CENTER, OLD QUARTERBACK
The Atlanta Falcons has
announced the addition of
free-agent center Alex Stepanovich. He was a fourth-round
draft pick of the Cardinals in 2004, and he signed with the Bengals in
2007. He has 34 career starts.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, the Falcons also has brought back quarterback Joey
Harrington, whom the team dumped last week.
Harrington was the third
overall pick of the Lions in the 2002 draft. He was traded after
four mediocre seasons to the Dolphins, and he signed with the Falcons as
a free agent in 2007.
POSTED
5:55 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
PANTHERS HACK HARTWIG
The Carolina Panthers have
continued to move toward a dramatically revamped offensive line in 2008
with the release of starting center Justin Hartwig.
The Panthers had signed
Hartwig to a five-year, $17 million contract in 2006, after he spent the
first four seasons of his NFL career with the Titans. The move
creates more than $2.15 million in 2008 cap room.
Hartwig most likely will
be replaced in the starting lineup by Ryan Kalil, a second-round draft
pick in 2007.
POSTED
5:42 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
SPYGATE II CASE WASN'T
SETTLED
We've heard from a few
readers and friends of the site today speculation that the Spygate II
lawsuit was dismissed on Monday because it was confidentially settled
out of court. (We're getting even more inquiries along these lines
in the wake of our own speculation that Randy Moss might have paid a
settlement to the woman who dropped a restraining order against him.)
Because the case was filed
as a class action, it couldn't have been settled without approval of the
court. In cases like this, where the rights of individual persons
are resolved without their active involvement in the case, the judge
must give his or her blessing to any proposed resolution in order to
effectively extinguish the rights of the class members.
And even if a deal is
reached between the Patriots and the named plaintiffs following the
dismissal, the other members of the class could still sue on their own,
either with the same lawyers or other counsel.
POSTED
4:40 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
MOSS RESTRAINING ORDER
DISSOLVED
One of the rare off-field
issues involving a Patriots player disappeared for good on Monday, when
a restraining order previously entered against receiver Randy Moss was
dropped.
The reason for the move is
unclear. It's possible that Moss and Washington entered into a
financial settlement of her potential battery/negligence claims against
him. In his public comments on the matter, Moss suggested that
something happened, but characterized it as an accident. Under
the law, Moss would be legally responsible for any accidental injury
resulting from his own negligence. Absent a settlement of the
potential civil claims, Washington could still sue Moss in court for
monetary damages.
Coincidentally, Moss
signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Patriots last week.
After the papers were
initially filed in January, agent/lawyer Tim DiPiero said that
Washington's lawyer
had demanded a $500,000 payment prior to filing for the restraining
order.
POSTED
4:28 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
FITZGERALD DEAL CREATES
$8.8 MILLION IN CAP ROOM
The good needs for the
Arizona Cardinals? Their contract extension with receiver Larry
Fitzgerald has
created
roughly $8.8 million in 2008 cap room, according to John Clayton of
ESPN.com.
The bad news? His
cap number for 2008 is still $7.6 million.
In all, Fitzgerald has $30
million in guaranteed payments over four years, which equates to an
average amount of cap space of $7.5 million per season, just for the
guaranteed money. There's another $10 million in non-guaranteed
money, and Fitzgerald is likely to earn every penny, barring a
career-limiting injury or an unexpected plunge in performance.
And in four years or less
he'll get another crack at a new contract. At the ripe old age of
27.
POSTED
2:16 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
KEITH DAVIS
SIGNS WITH DOLPHINS
The Dolphins
have added another former Cowboy.
Free-agent
safety Keith Davis, a six-year veteran who
has played his entire career in Dallas, has
agreed to terms with the Dolphins.
The move reunites him with, among others,
Dolphins secondary coach Todd Bowles, who
coached the secondary in Dallas the last
three years, and Dolphins front office boss
Bill Parcells, who was Davis’ head coach for
three seasons in Dallas.
Davis has
started 22 games at safety in his NFL
career, including 15 starts for Parcells in
2005. But he will likely make his
greatest contribution to the Dolphins'
special teams. He was the Cowboys'
special teams captain last year.
Fitzgerald's site says
that he'll get $30 million guaranteed, and $33 million over the next
three years.
He had been scheduled to
earn more than $14 million in salary in 2008 and more than $17 million
in salary in 2009 based on eight-figure escalators for which he
qualified based on his performance during the first four years of his
career.
The deal also supposedly
contains a clause that permits Fitzgerald to block any trade without his
consent (which protects him from being traded to one of the really bad
franchises . . . like the one he currently plays for).
POSTED
11:36 a.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
ALL'S NOT WELL FOR
OSGOOD
Chargers special-teams ace
Kassim Osgood wants to play receiver. And he's ready to make a
statement to that effect.
"There is
no reason to come to the [offseason coaching sessions] and run routes
all day and run my body down and not be a receiver," Osgood said.
Osgood is signed through
2009, but doesn't want to wait until March 2010 to look for a new team.
He reportedly has asked for a trade in the past year.
But G.M. A.J. Smith
claims that he wasn't aware that Osgood is unhappy. "This
is a total surprise," Smith said, adding that no one previously has
indicated to him that Osgood wants out.
The problem was compounded
a year ago, when the Chargers drafted Buster Davis and Legedu Naanee.
During the season, the Chargers acquired Chris Chambers via a trade.
"I'm
getting typecast into being a special-teams guy,” Osgood said.
"That's not what I am. I'm a receiver who plays special teams.
People are starting to doubt I can play. They're believing I play
special teams because I'm not good enough."
Actually, Osgood got a
chance to play receiver at this year's Pro Bowl. But
only two balls were thrown his way, neither was caught, and one was
intercepted.
POSTED
10:42 a.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
DWAYNE JARRETT ARRESTED
FOR DWI
As a rookie, Panthers
receiver Dwayne Jarrett was a bust. And now he's been busted.
According to the web site
of the Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Sheriff's Office,
Jarrett was arrested on Tuesday for driving while impaired.
Widely expected to be a
first-rounder out of USC, Jarrett was a second-round pick of the
Panthers in 2007. His arrival made Keyshawn Johnson expendable.
POSTED
10:11 a.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
DECISION TO DROP
SPYGATE II SUIT SEEMS ODD
We've had a chance to
ponder the curious decision of lawyer Eric "We
Have a 90 Percent Chance of Winning" Deters to drop the lawsuit that
he brought against the New England Patriots based on allegations that
the team videotaped the final walk-through practice of the St. Louis
Rams prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, and we're officially confused.
The Monday filing that
abandoned the case (for now, supposedly) was based on a contention by
Deters that Matt Walsh, the key witness in the lawsuit, is expected to
invoke his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.
But if the key question is
"Did you videotape the Rams' walk-through?", would Walsh be admitting to
committing a crime if he says, "Yes I did"? The closest we could
come to finding a potential law that possibly was violated is the
Economic Espionage Act of 1996. But if there were to be a
criminal investigation in this regard, Walsh would surely secure
immunity in exchange for cooperation aimed at allowing the Department of
Justice to nail whoever higher on the totem pole might have told him to
do it.
Besides, why abandon the
case based simply on the belief that one of the key witnesses will try
to invoke his constitutional rights against self-incrimination in a
civil lawsuit (where, generally speaking, such protections aren't
available)? If we were handling the case, we'd force Walsh to take
the Fifth and then try to compel him to answer the question or force a
finding of contempt of Court. Even if Walsh eventually doesn't
talk, the fact that Walsh would essentially be admitting that he
videotaped the practice likely would cast enough of a dark cloud over
the Patriots' case to persuade the presiding judicial officer to allow
the action to proceed long enough for Deters and company to turn every
stone in search of evidence -- including putting John Tomase of the
Boston Herald in the position of possibly having to choose between
disclosing the source(s) for the February 2 article that spawned the
lawsuit or eating his bread from a tin plate and drinking his water from
a tin cup until he decides to do so.
In our view, there are two
possible explanations for this development. First, the Patriots
might have made it known to Deters that if he proceeds with the lawsuit
absent some evidence to support the allegations, the Patriots will
unleash its team of lawyers against Deters personally. Though what
we've seen and heard about Deters suggests to us that such tactics
wouldn't work on him, it's possible that he decided that the smarter
course of action would be to take a wait-and-see approach as to what
Walsh might say.
The other possibility is
that Deters and Walsh lawyer Michael Levy agreed among themselves to put
more pressure on the league to finalize an arrangement that will allow
Walsh to tell his story by including in the dismissal notice an
eye-opening suggestion that Walsh would invoke the Fifth Amendment,
which strongly implies that Walsh will tell Commissioner Roger Goodell
and/or Sentator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) that Walsh taped the walk-through.
Rule 41 dismissals of lawsuits don't usually set forth the reason for
the action; the gratuitous inclusion of a reference to Walsh taking the
Fifth could have been done to further the mutual goals of Deters and
Levy to put Walsh in a position where he can talk.
And that's what it all
comes back to. This thing isn't going away until Walsh talk.
TUESDAY MORNING
ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith
Cowboys executive vice
president Stephen Jones says the team has focused on keeping its own
players because "[w]e feel like our resources are better spent keeping
those young players than
going out and overpaying for what at best is a good player on the
market."
If Titans CB Pacman Jones
is reinstated and traded to another team, the
new team would be on the hook for base salaries of $1.29 million in
2008, $1.74 million in 2009, and $2.19 million in 2010.
The Jets are
taking a look at free agent TE Ben Utecht, who is unlikely to
re-sign with the Colts.
The special issue of
Sports Illustrated on Brett Favre's retirement is
flying off the shelves in Green Bay. [Editor's note:
And John Madden is buying 28 percent of them.]
The Texans re-signed TE
Mark Bruener and S Glenn Earl to
one-year contracts.
Vikings WR Bernard Berrian
will receive a $5 million signing bonus, an $8 million roster bonus, and
a
$605,000 base salary in 2008.
The Colts have to account
for
$6 million in dead money for DT Corey Simon on their 2008 salary
cap. [Editor's note: The good news is that the
team will save $6 million in food costs buy not having to feed him.]
The Falcons
have re-signed DT Tim Anderson and C Alex Stepanovich.
If any team signs Broncos
restricted free agents Chris Myers or Hamza Abdullah to offer sheets,
the Broncos are
likely to match the offer.
Buccaneers RB Warrick Dunn
said coach Jon Gruden "told me to just go out and play my game and have
fun.
That's what he wants me to do."
Despite concerns that
stalled contract negotiations would keep him away, DE Jared Allen
showed up to a ceremony to receive the team's most valuable player
award. [Editor's note: In the end, free beer
always trumps principle.]
The Seahawks seem likely
to designate RB Shaun Alexander a post-June 1 cut, which would make his
cap hit $2.3 million this year and
$4.6
million next year.
POSTED
9:01 a.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
GIANTS TAKING A LOOK AT
CARR
With the No. 1 overall
pick in the 2004 draft fulfilling his potential by winning the Super
Bowl for New York Giants, the team could soon be giving the No. 1
overall selection from two years earlier a chance to make something out
of his train wreck of an NFL career.
According to Ralph
Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, former Texans and Panthers
quarterback
David Carr will visit the Giants, and could be signed to be the
primary backup to Eli Manning.
It would be bad news for
Jared Lorenzen, who would then have to try to fend off Carr during
offseason workouts, training camp, and the preseason.
In New York, Carr would be
reunited with Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer, who was the
offensive coordinator in Houston for the first four years of Carr's
career.
Lost in the sudden decline
of Carr's career is that the Texans decided in 2006 to pick up an option
on his rookie contract, taking them out of the running to select Houston
native Vince Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft that year.
Only the continued development of defensive end Mario Williams into a
modern-day Reggie White will save the Texans from a revolt, especially
if Vince Young becomes one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
POSTED
8:42 a.m. EDT, March 11, 2008
COMPETITION COMMITTEE
BRACES FOR WALSH FALLOUT
With the NFL and former
Patriots employee Matt Walsh closing in on a deal that will allow Walsh
to talk comfortably about what he knows (or what he thinks he
knows) about cheating allegations involving the Patriots, a source tells
us that one or more members of the NFL's Competition Committee are
bracing for the potential consequences of Walsh's evidence.
Although there's a growing
belief/suspicion in some circles that Walsh doesn't have a videotape of
the final walk-through practice of the St. Louis Rams prior to Super
Bowl XXXVI, the concern is that if Walsh has any credible evidence of
activities to which Patriots coach Bill Belichick hasn't previously
confessed, Commissioner Roger Goodell will take swift and decisive
action against him.
The problem at that point
would become bigger than cheating. Belichick would separately be
in trouble for not coming fully clean when the Commissioner demanded in
September 2007 that he do so.
Per the source, the
thinking is that it would be a one-year suspension. Whether
Patriots owner Robert Kraft would welcome Belichick back after a year
out of the game remains to be seen.
As we understand it, mere
evidence that Walsh taped defensive coaching signals of opposing teams
would not constitute evidence of activities to which Belichick hasn't
already admitted. For Belichick to be in jeopardy, Walsh would
need to have something more.
As to the team's apparent
intention to claim that Walsh was acting on his own as to anything he
did beyond taping defensive coaching signals, the term making the rounds
at the upper reaches of the league is "institutional control." Put
simply, it might not be enough for the Patriots to contend that Walsh
was a rogue agent who cheated on his own while the powers-that-be
maintained plausible deniability.
In the end, everything
hinges on what Walsh can show and/or tell the Commissioner, and whether
Walsh is credible.
POSTED
9:39 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
RUMOR OF RUSSELL WEIGHT
GAIN DISPUTED
In response to our posting
of a rumor from Don Banks of SI.com that Raiders quarterback JaMarcus
Russell is closing in on 300 pounds, a league source says that Russell
isn't close to 300 pounds, and that his weight is south of 275.
Russell's listed weight is
255.
Last year, Russell caused
a mini-stir at the Scouting Combine when he weighed in at
a flabby 265 pounds.
POSTED
9:23 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
LAYOFFS STRIKE NFL
FILMS
The autumn wind, as it
turns out, is a pink slip.
Layoffs have struck NFL
Films, with
21 of 283 employees recently let go. Steve Sabol, who founded
the company with his father, Ed, in the 1960s, personally delivered the
news to the affected employees.
"It was very difficult,"
Sabol said. "One of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.
These people were like family."
Sabol says that the recent
cancellation of Inside the NFL was a big reason for the move.
An unnamed NFL General Manager told the Philadelphia Daily News
that the "ongoing struggles" of NFL Network played a role as well.
"The network is making
money, but not nearly as much as the owners want," the G.M. told the
Daily News. "And that's primarily because of this standoff
with Comcast and Time Warner. The subscription number [for NFLN]
is nowhere near what they expected at this point."
NFL spokesman Brian
McCarthy denied that issues with NFL Network influenced the move.
"Films is facing economic challenges just like
any other media company, including the newspaper
industry," McCarthy said. "Ongoing
technological changes also forced us to
re-evaluate the way we operate to remain
competitive."
POSTED
8:52 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
ANTONIO RETURNS
After one year and two
games out of the NFL, receiver Antonio Bryant is returning to the NFL.
Per various media reports,
Bryant has agreed to terms with the Buccaneers. According to a
league source, it's a one-year deal worth a little more than the
minimum, and Bryant is not currently subject to any suspensions.
The last we heard from
Bryant, he had filed suit against the league, challenging the
prohibition against alcohol use on personal time under the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act. Though the facts aren't clear,
our guess is that Bryant's eligibility to return to the NFL was part of
a negotiated settlement of the claim.
Bryant has played for the
Cowboys, Browns, and 49ers. The Buccaneers have shown over the
years a willingness to give guys with past suspension/legal troubles a
second chance -- e.g., David Boston, Jerramy Stevens.
Hopefully, Bryant will
finally get some game pants that will stay up during games.
POSTED
8:34 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
SPYGATE LAWSUIT
DISMISSED
A reader has tipped us off
to a strange development in the so-called (by us) Spygate II lawsuit,
which was filed by a loose-cannon (in our opinion) Kentucky lawyer on
behalf of former Rams employee Willie Gary and others who allegedly were
damaged by supposed cheating by the Patriots in conjunction with Super
Bowl XXXVI.
But the decision didn't
come on the merits. Instead, the plaintiffs voluntarily have
dismissed the action.
"Plaintiffs filed this
action in part on the basis of the public reports that the St. Louis
Rams walk through the day before the 2002 Super Bowl was videotaped by
the New England Patriots," the filing states. "These reports
included Matt Walsh's own public comments."
Um, that statement is just
wrong. The only public report of videotaping of the walk-through
practice was in the February 2 Boston Herald, and Walsh was not
quoted in the item -- even though he widely is believed to be the source
of the story.
"These allegations came to
light on February 2, 2008, the day before the 2008 Super Bowl," the
document reads. "Bill Belichick did not publicly deny the
allegations after the Super Bowl. . . . [T]hree days after the
lawsuit was filed, on February 18, 2008, Bill Belichick publicly denied
the allegations. In addition, the Patriots publicized that Matt
Walsh was fired for taping conversations."
Here's the kicker -- the
plaintiffs are under the impression that Walsh plans to plead the Fifth
Amendment if/when he is deposed.
The dismissal has been
made without prejudice, and the plaintiffs suggest that they will
re-file the lawsuit if/when Walsh's knowledge comes to light.
POSTED
7:22 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
DUNN RETURNS TO TAMPA
Veteran running back
Warrick Dunn will finish his career where it started.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, Dunn has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
the team that made him a first-round draft pick out of Florida State
back in 1997.
It's a two-year, $6
million deal, and it pays $2 million in guaranteed money. Dunn is
scheduled to earn $3 million in the first year of the deal.
He joins a backfield that
includes Earnest Graham, Michael Bennett, and Cadillac Williams.
But Williams, a top-five pick in 2005, is rehabilitating from a ruptured
patellar tendon and there are rumors that he might not be able to play
in 2008, if ever. The arrival of Dunn will do nothing to quell
those rumors.
Dunn spent five seasons
with the Bucs before signing with the Falcons.
The Texans were
interested, and Dunn reached out to the Cowboys since he was released
last Monday, a day after the Falcons signed running back Michael Turner
to a long-term, big-money deal.
Blackstock was a
third-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. The
Cardinals opted not to utilize the one-year restricted free agency
tender on Blackstock, making him an unrestricted free agent even though
he has only three years of service.
He played college football
at Virginia with Ahmad Brooks, who was selected by the Bengals in the
third round of the 2006 supplemental draft.
Seven seasons after
leaving St. Louis, quarterback Trent Green is returning to town.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, Green has agreed to terms with the Rams. Jay
Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that it is a three-year, $9 million
contract.
Green was a
high-profile signing of the Rams in 1999. But Rodney Harrison,
then of the Chargers, hit Green low during the preseason, setting the
stage for the unlikely ascension of Kurt Warner. Green, who missed
all of 1999 with a torn ACL, stayed with the Rams through the 2000
season. He started five games that year as an injury replacement
for Warner.
In 2001, Green landed with
the Chiefs, where he was reunited with former Rams coach Dick Vermeil.
Green stayed in Kansas City until last year, when he was traded late in
the offseason to the Dolphins.
In St. Louis, Green will
be reunited with Al Saunders, the former offensive coordinator in Kansas
City who then moved to Washington and now has the same gig with the
Rams.
With Marc Bulger
entrenched as the starter, Green likely won't be higher than No. 2 on
the roster. The only other quarterback currently on the team is
Brock Berlin.
POSTED
4:36 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
JAMARCUS NEARING THREE
BILLS?
Kudos to the reader who
pointed out to us a riveting nugget buried in a free-agency review from
Don Banks of SI.com.
He's officially listed on
the team's web site
at 255.
If Russell is indeed up to
300 pounds, he'd take over the crown of heaviest NFL quarterback from
Giants backup Jared Lorenzen,
who is listed at
285.
Then again, if the Lord of
the Ring Dings is officially listed at 285, our guess is that he's
already north of 300.
POSTED
3:44 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
MORE VETERANS LOOKING
TO RESTRUCTURE? by Michael David Smith
Even after the flurry of
free agent spending that has taken place in the first week and a half of
the league year, most NFL teams are under the salary cap by more than
$10 million.
But with few high-profile
free agents still available, it raises the question of how that
remaining salary cap space will be spent. And Jason Cole of Yahoo!
Sports reports that some agents believe that more veteran players will
seek to renegotiate their contracts.
Most teams have
significantly more money available under the 2008 salary cap than
they'll need to use to sign the rookies they draft next month, and that
means still more salary cap space will be available. Veteran players and
their agents will certainly take note.
Specifically, Cole
mentions Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is making $3 million
a year for the next three seasons, as a player who could seek a new
deal. If he does, it could be the second straight year that a
high-profile Giants veteran skips training camp, after defensive end
Michael Strahan sat out camp last year.
Ultimately, though,
players don't have much leverage in such negotiations. Just because
teams are under the cap doesn't mean they have to tear up deals they've
already agreed to and give more money to players who are already under
contract.
POSTED
1:58 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
BILLS ADD COURTNEY
ANDERSON by Michael David Smith
The Buffalo Bills have
signed free agent tight end Courtney Anderson, the team announced on its
web site.
"It's a
great organization and a great coaching staff," Anderson said.
"There are a lot of great players here. I just look forward to coming in
and working hard and trying to get us over the hump in terms of
competing in our division."
The 27-year-old Anderson
played for the Raiders from 2004 to 2006 and started 28 games. But he
spent the 2007 season moving from team to team, playing two games for
the Lions and two for the Falcons without ever starting a game or
catching a pass.
Despite bouncing around
the league in 2007, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Anderson could get
substantial playing time for the Bills in 2008, as new offensive
coordinator Turk Schonert has said he'll improve the Bills' red zone
offense by getting the tight end more involved in the passing game. The
other tight ends on the Bills' roster are Teyo Johnson, Robert Royal and
Derek Schouman.
POSTED
12:43 p.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
TATUM BELL STAYS WITH
LIONS by Michael David Smith
Tatum Bell was unhappy in
Detroit last year, but he's returning for another season.
Nicholas J. Cotsonika of
the Detroit Free Press reports that Bell, a free agent running
back, has agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million contract to stay with the
Lions for the 2008 season.
Bell spent the final 11
games of the 2007 season watching the Lions from the sidelines, and he
said publicly during the season that he was hoping to get traded. But
when Jim Colletto replaced Mike Martz as the Lions' offensive
coordinator, and when free agent running back T.J. Duckett left to sign
with the Seahawks, coach Rod Marinelli said Bell's chances of returning
had improved.
"Our offensive staff sat
down and said, 'He
fits what we're trying to do,'" Marinelli said. "It's not as much
coming out of the backfield for him and maybe as many different runs,
just a few basic runs. I think he's got a chance to fit some of that."
Bell ran 44 times for 182
yards in 2007. In his best NFL season, 2006, he carried 233 times for
1,025 yards for the Denver Broncos.
POSTED
11:33 a.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
TAYLOR WANTS OUT OF
MIAMI by Michael David Smith
Armando Salguero of the
Miami Herald reports that Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor
wants out of
Miami -- but that he has resigned himself to the fact that it's not
his decision.
Per Salguero, Taylor would
like to leave town and play for a team that's not in a rebuilding phase.
But considering that he has two years left on his contract, Taylor
understands that he might not have that option.
And although Taylor could
try to make waves publicly in an effort to convince the Dolphins to
trade or release him, Salguero reports that agent Gary Wichard has
convinced him that any type of public confrontation with new Dolphins
boss Bill Parcells would be unlikely to achieve Taylor's desired result.
However, while the team he
plays for in 2008 is not Taylor's decision, he does have the right to
make the decision not to play for any team at all. If Taylor chooses to
retire, there's nothing the Dolphins can do to stop him. And as he gets
set to appear on Dancing With the Stars, Taylor may also be
getting set for a post-football career in television.
At a time when most of the
media hasn't been focusing on the guy who supposedly knows something (or
thinks he knows something) about allegedly questionable practices
of the Patriots prior to his termination in 2003, the Boston Globe
has spent the last month
getting to know more about Matt Walsh.
In a long but informative
(and, in our view, mildly pro-Patriots) item in Monday's edition, Bob
Hohler of the Globe shares some details about Walsh. Here
are some of the highlights.
To no surprise, the team
is poised to contend that Walsh acted on his own, if it turns out that
he has in his possession a tape of the St. Louis Rams' final
walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. (But, as we've
previously mentioned, we don't think Walsh has a tape of any
walk-through practice, and that the eventual explanation he might give
will be viewed by many as implausible.)
Also, one of the items
that Walsh might have in his possession is end-zone video of Adam
Vinatieri's game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI. The
Globe suggests that it's possible that Walsh also used that camera
to videotape defensive coaching signals during the game.
Indeed, Walsh reportedly
was one of three employees who was responsible for game-day taping of
opponents' defensive coaching signals. It was an assignment he
acquired when Bill Belichick became the head coach in 2000.
As to the incident that
got Walsh fired (i.e., allegedly tape-recording conversations
with V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli), the Globe reports
that Pioli was alerted to the situation by a co-worker, and that Pioli
retrieved the tape from Walsh's desk after Walsh had left the office,
listened to the unauthorized recording, and fired Walsh the next day.
Walsh's lawyer has called the allegation of taped conversations a
"complete fabrication."
Walsh told friends he was
fired because he was close to qualifying for retirement benefits.
He said he was considering suing the team, but he never did.
Regarding Walsh's past,
the Globe reports that Walsh was dismissed from the Springfield
College golf team in 1995 after booby-trapping his bed with a blender
blade, apparently in order to prevent his roommate and the roommate's
girlfriend from sullying Walsh's sheets. The roommate's girlfriend
was only slightly injured, but the incident was deemed to be
sufficiently severe to get Walsh kicked off of the squad.
Hopefully, we'll all know
more about Walsh knows about cheating allegations in the near future.
But, in all fairness to both sides, anything he says needs to be
considered in conjunction with the other available evidence, especially
if any of his story is colored with shades of gray.
MONDAY MORNING
ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith
Free agent S Keith Davis,
the Cowboys' special teams captain last year, will
visit with the Dolphins today.
The Eagles
have been told that the Cardinals have no interest in trading WR
Larry Fitzgerald.
When new Bears WR Brandon
Lloyd said Rex Grossman would be the starter in 2008, he was just
assuming that because Kyle Orton has
never started a game when Grossman was 100 percent healthy.
Ravens director of player
development O.J. Brigance says of living with Lou Gehrig's disease, "To
be totally honest, I'm not always upbeat. It's tough. But I've always
believed that
we're able to overcome more than we think."
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis
attended Indiana's pro day Wednesday and
appears to be interested in CB Tracy Porter as a second-round pick.
A Steelers spokesman said
the team is
gathering information on the arrest of LB James Harrison but
considers it a personal matter.
When Texans DT Amobi Okoye
approached teammates about a trip to Nigeria to help aid people in his
native country, RB Ahman Green was
the first to accept.
Panthers RB DeAngelo
Williams says he's working on long distance running because he doesn't
want to be "the fastest guy in the 40 but
the
slowest in the 90."
Says the agent for free
agent WR Justin McCareins, "We are definitely in
no hurry to do anything. I wouldn't mind waiting a month."
With all signs pointing to
trouble between the NFL and its players union regarding a Collective
Bargaining Agreement that is poised to expire after the 2010 season, the
league has made a move that might further set the stage for a work
stoppage.
According toLiz
Mullen and Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal, the league
has hired Bob Batterman to participate in the negotiations with the NFL
Players Association. Batterman represented hockey owners in
connection with talks that resulted in a work stoppage that killed an
entire season and, for many mainstream sports fans, removed the NHL from
the ranks of the major sports leagues.
The problem apparently is
that the same-old, same-old approach isn't yielding results. Per
SBJ, initial talks between the league and the union have gone
nowhere.
"All they can agree on is
the players are getting paid too much," NFLPA executive director Gene
Upshaw said. "They can never tell you what they want."
Actually, Batterman was
quietly hired last March, roughly a year after the league agreed to the
current CBA. He has not yet been introduced to the discussions,
but he sounds curiously optimistic about the prospects. He told
SBJ that a new deal could be worked out "in a matter of weeks if the
parties are on a common wavelength."
So, apparently, the NHL
and its union had to scrap a full year of competitive hockey before they
landed on a "common wavelength."
Sorry, NFL, but we think
that anyone connected with the NHL fiasco should be regarded as
radioactive for purposes of avoiding pro football's first work stoppage
since 1987. And with football now the clearly dominant
professional sport in America, the distractions created by labor unrest
could be disastrous to its position.
Our take on this situation
is that the league thinks that using Batterman will help to create the
impression that the owners are going to play hardball. And it's
precisely that kind of posturing that backs folks into corners and fuels
unnecessary fighting. Though many believe that the relationship
between the league and the union was too cozy in the past, battling for
the sake of battling isn't going to create a long-term deal with which
both sides can live, and from which everyone can continue to prosper.
Finally, are we the only
ones troubled by the fact that Batterman's firm, as stated in the SBJ
article, "has been representing the other three major American
sports leagues in labor relations for years"? Though the conflict
of interest isn't blatant, the idea that Batterman's firm is beholden to
the NBA, MLB, and NHL raises a red flag in our minds, given that those
three leagues are surely hoping that the NFL finds a way to shoot itself
in the foot.
POSTED
8:36 a.m. EDT, March 10, 2008
HUE SPEAKS ON 2006
INCIDENT
Former Bengals receivers
coach Hue Jackson, who presently works for the Ravens, addressed over
the weekend the recent comments from former Bengals defensive tackle
Shaun Smith, who confirmed that Bengals receiver Chad Johnson went
bonkos in the locker room during halftime of a January 2006 playoff loss
to the Steelers.
Here's what Hue said on
Sirius NFL Radio, via the Cincinnati Enquirer:
"No,
he's not accurate. I've heard about it, obviously; someone
called me yesterday to mention it to me. And if Shaun did say that
I'm a little surprised because, first, Shaun doesn't work in Cincinnati
anymore. Shaun works for Cleveland, and I don't know how that
would come back up again when it has been dead now for a couple of
years."
Okay, let's hit the
"pause" button. How does the fact that Smith "doesn't work in
Cincinnati anymore" make his version of the events less credible?
And as to Jackson's confusion as to how the issue came up, anyone who
saw the video before it was taken down from YouTube knows that the
matter resurfaced because someone at the meeting of the Central Maryland
Browns Backers specificallyasked Smith about it, and
because whoever taped it decided to post it on YouTube.
"To shed light on it I'll say the same thing I said before. Chad
Johnson never hit Marvin Lewis. Chad Johnson never hit me.
Chad Johnson never put anybody in a headlock. Chad Johnson was
very emotional at halftime of that game. The true story to all
that was Chad had an IV in his arm and me and him were talking about
plans for the second half and he got emotional because he said, 'Hey,
coach, without Carson [Palmer] I'm not going to be able to get the
ball.'
"And that's what it was and I told him, `Well, then you need to tell
[offensive coordinator] Coach Bratkowski that.' And he ripped the
IV out of his arm, and it's like anything else, you see blood coming out
of a person's arm people think the worst. And he went from there
to go into the locker room to let Coach Lewis know that, 'Hey, look, I
want the ball.' And that was it. And when he opened the door
he stumbled out of the training room so he was flailing and people think
that he was swinging on people. Chad wasn't swinging on anybody.
Chad would not hit Marvin Lewis, and Chad sure would not hit me.
So that is not what happened and I'm very disappointed that now, even
after two years, we have to discuss this again. But that is
exactly what happened."
Pardon our skepticism, but
we think that's a crock of creamed crap.
Here's how the game works
in the NFL. These coaches jump from job to job. They rely on
relationships to ensure that they have places to land when they are
displaced from their current places of employment. Indeed, Jackson
was under consideration for a job with the Bengals earlier this year,
and could be again in the future. Likewise, Jackson might hope to
reunite with Marvin Lewis, if/when Lewis lands elsewhere. So Hue
isn't going to say anything that Lewis and/or the team wouldn't want him
to say.
Besides, Lewis isn't the
only one who is made to look bad if Chad Johnson threw punches at him
without consequence; it makes Jackson look bad, too.
And here's another thing
to consider. Chad Johnson insisted in the wake of the incident
that "nothing happened." He said it over and over again. If
we accept Jackson's version as the truth, something happened.
So why didn't Johnson tell the story at the time that Jackson is now
selling?
With both sides now out
there, we're inclined to agree with Smith. Especially since
Smith's version corroborates what we heard from another source who was
in the locker room at the time the incident happened.
POSTED
8:16 a.m. EDT, March 9, 2008
TITANS SNAG SCOTT
After an all-too-quiet
start to free agency, the Tennessee Titans have helped fill a hole on
their offensive line by creating one for a division rival.
Scott, a fifth-round draft
pick of the Colts in 2004, started 55 games in Indy over the past three
seasons. He fills the vacancy created by Jacob Bell, who left for
the Rams last week.
POSTED
9:24 p.m. EDT, March 9, 2008
RICE SAYS IT'S OKAY FOR
BRUCE TO WEAR NO. 80
When receiver Jerry Rice
signed with the Seahawks and asked Hall of Famer Steve Largent to permit
Rice to un-retire No. 80 several years ago, we wondered whether Rice
would allow the Niners to re-issue No. 80 to another player.
Surprisingly, Rice says
that
he has no problem with the Niners permitting receiver Isaac Bruce to
sport Rice's old number in 2008.
"I
have always respected Isaac Bruce," Rice recently said on Sirius NFL
Radio. "I don't know what is going to happen in that scenario but
if it was left up to me I would say, 'Yeah.' For Steve Largent to
do what he did for me he showed me a side of him where I just feel like
I have to do the same thing. He set the standard. It would
be left up to Isaac and myself to sit down and talk or if the 49ers
decide to do something like that it is OK with me."
Then
again, the Niners have yet to retire Rice's number. And that might
actually be the bigger story here. John Brodie, Joe Montana, Joe
Perry, Jimmy Johnson, Hugh McElhenny, Ronnie Lott, Charlie Krueger, Leo
Nomellini, Bob St. Clair, and Dwight Clark all have had their numbers
retired by the 49ers. But, for some reason, the guy who arguably
was the greatest player in NFL history at any position has yet to be
honored with having his number formally set aside.
Chatman has signed a
one-year deal to play with the Jets. Financial terms weren't
disclosed.
In 2007, Chatman had a
career-high 515 yards in 14 games. He had six starts -- the only
starts of his career.
POSTED
8:49 p.m. EDT, March 9, 2008
DEAL COMING BETWEEN
NFL, WALSH?
The impasse might be
nearing an end.
Christopher Gasper of the
Boston Globe reports that the NFL and former Pats employee Matt
Walsh are
close to striking a deal that would allow Walsh to talk about
Walsh's knowledge of whatever it is that he thinks he has knowledge
about.
"Our counsel and Mr. Walsh's attorney have been
engaged in a serious effort for some time now to
reach an agreement that would permit Mr. Walsh
to come forward," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told
Reiss via e-mail.
"In the last seven days, the lawyers have had
intensive and constructive discussions regarding
some new and promising approaches. They
have made substantial progress toward an
agreement that will allow Mr. Walsh to be
interviewed. Both sides are optimistic
that any remaining issues can be addressed
successfully and they are committed to reaching
a full agreement as promptly as possible."
Walsh's lawyer, Michael Levy, seems to agree.
"I have consistently
asked the NFL to provide
appropriate legal
protections for Mr.
Walsh," Levy said in an
e-mail to Reiss. "In
recent discussions I
have had with the
League's lawyer, we have
made substantial
progress toward this
end, and I am hopeful
that we will be able to
craft an agreement with
the necessary legal
protections so Mr. Walsh
can come forward with
the truth."
But what is the truth?
Some believe that Walsh
has a videotape of the
Rams walk-through
practice prior to Super
Bowl XXXVI. Based
on everything we've
heard, we don't believe
that such a tape exists,
and we believe that
Walsh's eventual
explanation of any
supposed spying at the
Super Bowl will be met
by many with skepticism.
Still, Spygate II can't
and won't go away until
Walsh is heard.
POSTED
7:21 p.m. EDT, March 9, 2008
DEFENSIVE TACKLE TRADES
BRING FALSE HOPE
We continue to receive
e-mails from readers who support the various teams who picked up via
trade arguably washed-up defensive tackles.
And we continue to
disagree.
If Shaun Rogers or Kris
Jenkins or Marcus Stroud were that good, their former teams wouldn't
have traded them. As a general rule, NFL franchises don't let
truly invaluable players get out of their clutches.
Compounding the problem
for the Browns (who acquired Rogers) and the Jets (who picked up
Jenkins) is the fact that both players have received new contracts with
significant chunks of guaranteed money.
Here's the problem with
defensive tackles, as we see it. They are often hard to motivate,
as evidenced by the fact that so many of them are, well, fat and/or
sloppy. They often perform their best when they are playing for a
new contract (see Albert Haynesworth, Gerard Warren, Daryl
Gardener, Jason Ferguson).
By giving Rogers and
Jenkins new contracts, the Browns and the Jets have taken a huge risk
that both of them won't try as hard as they can. The Bills merely
shuffled some of Stroud's money around, but didn't give him the big
raise he wanted. Of the three, then, he's the most likely one to
come out playing hard.
All three teams likely
regard the risk as justifiable based on the fact that the Giants proved
to the football world that the way to get past the Patriots is with a
dominant defensive line. (Not coincidentally, two of the three
teams play in the AFC East and the other has designs on soon competing
with the Patriots for elite status in the conference.)
But, again, if Rogers and
Jenkins and Stroud were capable of dominant performances in seasons
during which they weren't playing for new contracts, they wouldn't have
been allowed to leave their prior places of employment.
POSTED
4:17 p.m. EDT, March 9, 2008
NO TRADE FOR TORRY?
At a time when many an
Eagles fan is clamoring for the team to target a top-flight receiver,
one of the names that has made the rounds on the rumor mill is Torry
Holt.
Holt, a nine-year veteran
who was a top-ten draft pick the year that the Rams won it all, is one
of three players still remaining on the roster from that Super Bowl
championship season of 1999.
And the Rams want him to
remain right where he is.
Whether he does remains to
be seen. And after a 3-13 season playing for a coach whom many
around the league think might have been fired but for an unsettled
ownership situation, we wouldn't be surprised to learn that Holt would
like a fresh start.
Holt is signed through
2009, at salaries of $5.65 million and $6.65 million over the next two
years, respectively.
Gary Myers of the New
York Daily News thinks that the recent New York spending spree
puts extra pressure on Jets coach Eric Mangini and G.M. Mike
Tannenbaum.
Here's a look at where the Bengals stand after nine days of free
agency.
Chiefs coach Dick Curl (must
. . . resist . . . urge . . . to snicker) says that QB Brodie Croyle
"needs
to win."
Hopefully when
David Tyree's twin girls were born the doctor was able to catch them
without pinning either one against his head. (And hopefully Rodney
Harrison wasn't hanging on the doctor's arm.)
We're not quite sure how
we missed this one, but even though it's a couple of days old it's too
good to ignore.
In a recent radio
appearance during which Titans cornerback Pacman Jones reiterated his
desire to play for the Dallas Cowboys, Jones revealed that he has found
a way to keep himself out of strip clubs.
His lawyer and agent,
Manny Arora, promptly said that Jones was kidding. But was he?
Our guess is that Arora
participated in the interview for that very purpose -- to immediately
rescue Jones from anything stupid he might say.
Arora also said that Jones
hopes to talk to college football teams about the consequences of making
bad decisions. But, as a league insider explained to us, how can
Jones teach anyone lessons that Jones by all appearances has not yet
learned?
Sure, he has managed to
largely stay out of trouble during his one-year banishment from the
league, but the jury is still out on whether he has truly changed.
Our guess is that he
hasn't, and the challenge moving forward for his agents, lawyers, and
NFL team (if/when he ever has one) will be to protect him from himself
until there is no longer money to be made off of his skills, and then at
that point he'll be left to his own devices, and could end up reverting
to his nature.
POSTED
10:07 a.m. EDT, March 9, 2008
STEELERS MVP IS
B-U-S-T-E-D
It never fails.
Just as the "days without
an arrest" counter begins to creep close to double digits, someone
re-sets it.
The latest culprit?
Steelers linebacker James Harrison, the team's 2007 MVP.
Per various media reports,
Harrison
was arrested for simple assault and criminal mischief after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
A preliminary hearing has
been scheduled for Thursday.
POSTED
10:15 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:48 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
BRONCOS ADD SAFETIES
With few solid safeties
available in the draft and veteran John Lynch much closer to the end of
his career than the beginning, the Broncos snagged a couple of
last-line-of-defense free agents on Saturday.
Per the Rocky Mountain
News, Manuel's package has a base value of $4.5 million over three
years, with $500,000 guaranteed. Up to $1.5 million can be earned
in incentives.
Here's more
on Vernon Gholston's potential leap into the top five.
If he thinks it was smart
for the Browns to give up a third-round pick and cornerback Leigh Bodden
for defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, Terry Pluto has his head in
Uranus.
We've spent some time on
Saturday night (again proving that, yes, I have no life) compiling
information regarding the base salaries to be earned by the
Super 99 Free Agents,
as designated by our friends at SportingNews.com.
One thing we noticed is
that the Eagles apparently are assuming that 2010 will be a year without
a salary cap. We base this conclusion on the fact that the base
salary of cornerback Asanta Samuel shoots from $1.9 million all the way
up to $8.895 million in 2010.
The owners are expected to
exercise by November 2008 their right to cancel the current Collective
Bargaining Agreement two years early, which would make 2010 a season
without a salary cap.
If the CBA is extended,
the Eagles likely would try to reduce Samuel's 2010 cap number by
converting a big chunk of the salary to a guaranteed payment. Or,
alternatively, if Samuel isn't performing at a high level after two
years in Philly, the Eagles could decide to pull the plug.
POSTED
8:21 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
JONES WILL MAKE MORE
THAN ALEXANDER IN 2008
Here's another piece of
evidence that potentially supports the notion that the arrival of
running back Julius Jones in Seattle could be the end of the road for
Shaun Alexander.
Per Adam Schefter of NFL
Network, Jones will make $5.5 million this year. And, per NFLPA
records, Alexander's base salary is scheduled to be only (only?) $4.475
million in 2008.
In all, Jones' deal is for
four years and $16 million. In contrast, Alexander is scheduled to
earn base salaries totaling $24 million over the next four seasons,
making Jones the more affordable long-term option.
With T.J. Duckett also
getting $4 million in guaranteed money, it's more likely than not at
this point that there will be a changing of the guard at tailback in
Seattle.
POSTED
7:51 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
TAMPA REUNION CONTINUES
Lions coach Rod Marinelli
continues to round up former Buccaneers for his new gig in Detroit.
Most recently, cornerback
Brian Kelly was signed to a
three-year deal.
Kelly joins defensive
tackle Chuck Dabry, safety Dwight Smith, defensive end Dewayne White,
and safety Kalvin Pearson as former members of the Tampa defense who are
now in Detroit.
Kelly bought out his
contract with the Bucs for the ability to hit the open market. He
was a second-round draft pick of the Buccaneers in 1998.
POSTED
2:04 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
A JOB FOR JOEY?
Quarterback Joey
Harrington has been dumped by three teams. One of them could soon
be taking him back.
Harrington was scheduled
to earn a base salary of $2.5 million in 2008. Now that he's had a
chance to realize what else is available for him on the open market (i.e.,
nothing), he could be taking less than that to play for the Falcons.
Currently on the roster in
Atlanta are Chris Redman and D.J. Shockley.
POSTED
1:43 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
SPECTER WANTS NFL TO
LET WALSH TALK
As the impasse between the
NFL and Matt Walsh regarding the terms of an agreement that would allow
him to tell his story of alleged spying by the Patriots lingers, Senator
Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) is speaking out about the stalemate.
To get there, Specter
wants the league to release the chain of correspondence exchanged
between the NFL's lawyers and Michael Levy, the high-priced Washington,
D.C. attorney who still hasn't responded to requests from
ProFootballTalk for more information on how he came to represent Walsh.
Levy also has yet to
respond to our request for comment regarding the disclosure by the
Patriots that Levy isn't bound by any confidentiality agreement, which
disclosure was buried last month in an ESPN.com item and generally
ignored by the rest of the media.
We agree with Specter.
The letters should be released. But why isn't Specter asking
Walsh's lawyer to release them? The letters aren't secret; if
Walsh and/or Levy want to make them public, they can.
"Any objective or accurate
reading of the correspondence would show the [NFL] is trying to
discourage Walsh from coming forward," Specter said. Fine.
If so, Walsh should release the letters.
In our "objective and
accurate" assessment, Specter has finally gone too far. If there's
no confidentiality agreement, nothing prevents Walsh from talking --
other than Walsh's desire to get immunity for anything he might say.
Our advice to the NFL?
Call Specter's bluff. Release the letters. And, while doing
so, the league and the Patriots should take out a full-page ad in every
major paper in the country with an open letter to Walsh explaining that
there will be no litigation pursued for anything that he previously has
said or done.
And if Walsh still wants
immunity from the legal consequences of anything he might say in the
future, the league promise to indemnify him for any such claims, as long
as he agrees to tell his story under oath.
Though the league and the
Patriots have by all appearances handled capably the legal chess match
with Walsh, they've bungled the P.R. battle, in our view.
It's time for the NFL to make it known, in plain terms that persons of
average intelligence will understand, that there's no impediment to
Walsh's ability to tell his story.
As we've previously said,
this issue isn't going to go away without Walsh's version being out in
the open. Until that happens, there will be an impression that the
powers-that-be are trying to keep him from talking.
Especially if Arlen
Specter will be continuing to stir the pot.
POSTED
1:05 p.m. EST,March 8, 2008
GHOLSTON GOING UP
It's generally accepted
that Ohio State linebacker Vernon Gholston improved his draft stock at
the Scouting Combine. And the early reports from his Friday Pro
Day workout are even more encouraging.
Per the Palm Beach Post,
Gholston improved his measurables on Friday, running the 40-yard
dash in 4.58 seconds and showing off a 42-inch vertical leap.
Gholston will have a
personal workout on Monday, and the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets
are expected to attend.
POSTED
12:50 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
SCHEDULE COMING ON
APRIL 3?
Every year at this time,
we start getting e-mails from readers asking when the regular-season
schedule will be announced.
Thankfully, one of the
e-mails tipped us off as to when it will happen.
Typically, the league will
announce several days in advance of the full unveiling the Thursday
night game that will open the 2008 season, which will involve the New
York Giants playing at home, and the other Week One nationally-televised
games.
POSTED
12:05 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
PFT HEROES 2007:
THE BOOMER ESIASON AWARD
We're putting the wrap on
our inaugural player awards, and the last one to be posted reflects the
most important position on the field.
Quarterback.
We're naming the thing for
our friend Boomer Esiason (unlike other media outlets, we'll acknowledge
our biases), and you might be surprised to learn its recipient.
In a development that
either is evidence of the value of a solid cornerback-kick returner or
proof that pro football teams are still willing to overlook the turdish
behavior of talented players, it appears that multiple teams are
interested in Tennessee Titans cornerback Pacman Jones.
According to the
Tennesseean, the Cowboys, the Dolphins, the Lions, the Raiders, the
Chiefs, the Texans, the Saints, and the Patriots have expressed "at
least some level of interest."
Our guess is that someone
is puffing a bit in the hopes of driving up the level of compensation
that the Titans get for the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft.
Miami V.P. of football operations Bill Parcells has said that he doesn't
want "thugs and hoodlums," and Jones (in our opinion) is both. And
if the Patriots expressed "some level if interest" in Jones, the
specific level of interest likely was "hardly any."
Then, we wouldn't be
surprised to learn that Parcells and his son-in-law, Pats V.P. of player
personnel Scott Pioli, have agreed to feign interest in Jones in the
hopes that Jets G.M. Mike Tannenbaum would feel compelled to plunge into
the bidding for a guy who would then contribute to a potential internal
collapse of the franchise.
POSTED
10:22 p.m. EST, March 8, 2008
SHAUN'S RELEASE
LOOMING?
Prior to free agency, the
Eagles staunchly denied rumors that cornerback Lito Sheppard was on the
trading block. Once they reeled in cornerback Asante Samuel,
Sheppard was (you guessed it) on the trading block.
That same dynamic likely
has played out in Seattle. Rumors circulated during the Scouting
Combine that the Seahawks were poised to dump running back Shaun
Alexander, the 2005 NFL MVP. The Seahawks wouldn't even
acknowledge the rumors.
And now that they've
signed T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones to eight-figure deals, that figures
to change. As John Clayton of ESPN.com observes, "The Seahawks
decided to
keep Alexander until they found replacements and now they have two
potential replacements."
Think of it this way --
would Jones have picked Seattle over Detroit if he didn't have a pretty
good inkling that he'd have a shot at meaningful playing time with the
Seahawks? With the Lions, Julius Jones arguably would have been in
a great position to leapfrog starter Kevin Jones. Our guess is
that Julius Jones has been told that he simply won't have to worry about
Alexander in Seattle.
POSTED
9:50 a.m. EST, March 8, 2008
BENGALS WON'T COMMENT
ON SMITH VIDEO
On Thursday, a video
appeared on YouTube, in which former Bengals defensive tackle Shaun
Smith admitted that Bengals receiver
Chad Johnson punched coached Marvin Lewis during halftime of a
January 2006 playoff game against the Steelers. By Friday morning,
the video was gone.
Later on Friday, a media
publication in Cincinnati (hey, if they don't mention us, we don't
mention them) asked the Bengals about the video, and the Bengals had no
comment.
In January 2006, the
Bengals also refused to say anything about the situation, explaining
that they don't comment on rumors.
Though we now know it was
far more than a rumor, there's really nothing good that can come out of
the situation if the Bengals acknowledge it. In fact, talking
about it would only play into Johnson's obvious desire to be traded or
released.
POSTED
9:31 a.m. EST, March 8, 2008
NEW FEUD IN THE AFC
EAST?
It's too bad that Justin
Smiley and Alan Faneca both play offense. Because if they were on
the opposite sides of the ball, one of the newest Jets and one of the
newest Dolphins would likely be looking for each other when the two
teams play twice in 2008.
Smiley recently appeared
on 790 The Ticket in Miami, calling in from an Alabama golf course (and
apparently under the influence of one or more portable containers of
alcoholic beverages). During the segment, a fast-talking -- and at
times mouth-breathing -- Smiley took a shot at Faneca, who inked a
five-year, $40 million contract in New York.
"First
of all, Alan Faneca's ancient," Smiley said. "The guy is about
10 damn years older than me. Anyone can pull some game film up.
Go watch all my game film. That'll do the talking.
"Parcells didn't sign
Faneca. They had the cap room to do it and didn’t want to do it.
There must be some good things that they saw in me."
Smiley apparently was
joking, and might have been half (or fully) in the bag. But Faneca
is the kind of guy, in our assessment, who won't see the humor in
Smiley's remarks.
Meanwhile, Smiley came
dangerously close to admitting that the Dolphins were talking him before
they were allowed to talk to him. "Well, you know how the whole
free agency thing goes. A lot of people are talking of tampering
and that kind of thing. So I didn't talk to [Parcells] personally,
per se. But when free agency started on Friday,
they called me first thing in the morning and they were like, 'Are
you willing to get on a flight bright and early?' And I said, 'I
would love to.'"
Actually, it was a little
more than that. Twenty-seven minutes after free agency opened,
there was a published report, including quotes from the player, that
Smiley had a deal with the Dolphins. So the call wasn't about
getting Smiley on a plane to come to Miami for a visit that might lead
to negotiations that might lead to a contract. The call, in our
opinion, was about whether Smiley was ready to go to South Florida to
sign the deal that had been negotiated at some point before free agency
opened.
POSTED
11:40 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
MAXWELL NO-SHOWS THE
ROOT OF JAWS' FALSE RUMOR-MONGERING?
So why did ESPN's Ron
Jaworski throw a
big, fat, stinky Patriots rumor against the wall during a Friday
afternoon visit with our pal Jody Mac of Sports Radio 950 in Philly?
Here's a theory.
Jaws was smarting because Pats coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom
Brady
opted not to show up for Friday night's Maxwell Football Club awards
ceremony. Belichick was slated to personally receive the Greasy
Neale Pro Coach of the Year award and Brady was due to pick up the Bert
Bell Pro Player of the Year prize.
Indeed, a media insider
expressed to us last month in response to Jaworski's inexplicable
defense of videotaping an opponent's walk-through practice that Jaws' "I'm
okay with it" stance was based on the reality that Jaworski couldn't
and wouldn't criticize the Patriots for fear of Brady and/or Belichick
not showing up for the ceremony. (There's been no hard proof that
the Patriots videotaped the Rams' walk-through practice prior to Super
Bowl XXXVI, or any other walk-through practice.)
Now that Belichick and
Brady didn't show anyway, it'll be interesting to see whether Jaws
changes his tune. As to Friday's suggestion by Jaws that receiver
Randy Moss might still be available to the highest bidder based on
rumors that the Pats were reneging on his verbal deal, Jaworski already
might be showing an inclination to bash the Pats.
POSTED
11:12 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
PACMAN A COWBOY?
Tennessee Titans
cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones has made known his desire to play for the
Dallas Cowboys. Amazingly, he might get his wish.
According to the Dallas
Morning News, the Cowboys have had "internal
discussions" about obtaining Jones, if/when he is reinstated to the
NFL.
And the Cowboys would be a
perfect match for Jones, in part because the G.M. wouldn't have to worry
about getting fired by the owner if Jones reverts to his turdish ways,
because the G.M. is the owner.
Case in point -- the
Cowboys signed defensive tackle Tank Johnson last year, after brushes
with the law got him booted by the Bears and ignored by the rest of the
league.
The best move for the
Cowboys, in our view, would be to dangle a mid-level pick right now for
the rights to Jones, as a hedge against him eventually getting
reinstated.
But there would be risk.
Jones has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in Las Vegas and no
contest to felony cop-biting charges in Georgia since his one-year
suspension was imposed, and he could be facing even more time out of the
sport.
Still, if/when Jones is
permitted to play, he'll bring to the table two coveted skills -- pass
coverage and kick returning. He was developing into one of the
most dynamic players in the league when he was suspended, and if he can
keep himself out of trouble, he would be a solid addition to the team.
POSTED
9:38 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
TOEFIELD TO CHARLOTTE
With Fred Taylor and
Maurice Jones-Drew holding down the top two spots on the depth chart in
Jacksonville, LaBrandon Toefield's best shot at playing will have to
come elsewhere.
The elsewhere is in
Charlotte, for the Carolina Panthers.
Toefield spent five years
in Jacksonville, where he was selected with a fourth-round pick in the
2003 draft. He average a little over 100 yards . . . per season.
In Carolina, Toefield is
likely to be the primary backup to DeAngelo Williams, who is now the
clear-cut starter following the release of veteran DeShaun Foster.
POSTED
8:47 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
'SKINS KEEP CARTWRIGHT
. . . CARTWRIGHT!
After a week with
apparently little interest for a special-teamer who has the itch to play
some tailback but is caught behind Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts, Rock
Cartwright . . . Cartwright!
. . . has agreed to stay with the Redskins.
Per David Elfin of the
Washington Times, it's a
three-year, $3.55 million million deal with a $300,000 signing
bonus, a roster bonus of $300,000 due this year, and a roster bonus of
$200,000 due in 2009.
In 2007, Cartwright had
two carries for zero yards.
POSTED
8:29 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
HELLO, JULIUS . . .
GOODBYE, SHAUN?
Barely two years after
Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander won the league MVP award,
the team has agreed to terms with one of the players who was expected
prior to the 2005 season to contend for that prize.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network, the Seahawks have struck a deal with tailback Julius
Jones.
The move immediately calls
into question Alexander's status with the team. Two weeks ago,
there were rumors at the Scouting Combine that Alexander could be
released. Since then, the Seahawks have signed T.J. Duckett.
After rushing for 819
yards in only eight games during his rookie year of 2004, big things
were expected of Jones in 2005. But he didn't even crack 1,000
yards in his second season.
Alexander is signed
through 2013, and is due to earn a salary in excess of $5.5 million in
2008.
Also at risk is running
back is Maurice Morris, who is due to earn a salary of $1 million in
2oo8, the final year of his current deal.
POSTED
7:54 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
MORE ON THE BOGUS MOSS
RUMOR
In response to the bogus
rumor floated by Ron Jaworski on Sports Talk 950 that the deal between
Randy Moss and the New England Patriots might implode, agent Tim DiPiero
has confirmed that the deal has been signed.
Indeed, and as we
previously have mentioned, the salaries are reported on the NFLPA web
site, and the salaries wouldn't be there if the finished contract hadn't
been signed, sealed, and delivered.
The glitch (if there even
is one) is that Moss initially signed a faxed version of the contract,
and did not immediately sign the original hard copy of the document.
Even so, Jaws didn't say that there was a delay in the return of the
signed original document; Jaws tried to float the notion that the deal
was in danger of falling apart.
It's simply untrue, and
we're amazed that Jaws would go public with something that was so
clearly wrong.
POSTED
5:16 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
DARBY TO DETROIT, AFTER
ALL
Well, well, well.
Only hours after agent Brian Levy vehemently denied that defensive
tackle Chuck Darby had agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions,
the move is official.
We don't understand it.
Presumably, Levy was caught off guard when he started getting calls from
the Michigan media about a report on SpartanNation.com that Darby was in
the fold. And, presumably, Levy in his surprise that word had
gotten out about the deal opted to deny it.
If that's true, why would
his knee-jerk reaction be to lie about it? Why not simply decline
comment? Or why not do something revolutionary like, say, tell the
truth?
POSTED
4:52 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
BEARS BAG LLOYD
With Bernard Berrian
departed via free agency and Muhsin Muhammad on the trash heap, the
Chicago Bears are trying to put together a receiving corps.
And so they've picked
through other teams' garbage, signing Marty Booker and, more recently,
Brandon Lloyd.
Lloyd was cut by the
Redskins earlier this year. He was traded to D.C. in 2006 from the
49ers, where he played for three years.
The five-year veteran
played college football at Illinois for Bears offensive coordinator Ron
Turner.
POSTED
4:14 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
RUMOR OF MOSS DEAL
IMPLOSION NOT TRUE
The e-mail server at PFT
headquarters is overflowing with messages from members of PFT Planet's
Philly branch regarding a rumor started by Ron Jaworski during a Friday
appearance with our pal Jody Mac of Sports Radio 950.
Per various readers (and
as confirmed via a phone call to the studio), Jaws said on the air that
the deal between Moss and the Patriots is not signed and could be
falling apart.
Though plenty of Eagles
readers are now salivating about the possibility of getting another
crack at Moss, hold the phone.
The deal is signed
and on file with the league. Indeed, the salaries are posted on
the NFLPA web site. Moss has signed the deal and is under contract
with the New England Patriots through 2010.
So, Jaws, either the
lenses in those ladies' frames are melting your brain, or we need to ask
you for a little bit of whatever you have been smoking.
POSTED
2:36 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
PANTHERS SHOPPING
PEPPERS?
We've received several
e-mails over the past couple of days regarding rumors that the Carolina
Panthers are poised to trade defensive end Julius Peppers.
And so we've actually
engaged in a little "real" journalism -- and in some of our good,
old-fashioned rumor mongering.
There are rumors in
league circles that the Panthers are quietly shopping Peppers. He
has a big cap number in 2008, and there's a school of thought that the
Panthers aren't willing to pay him what it would take to keep him over
the long haul, especially since the price tag could go up if/when the
Ravens sign Terrell Suggs to a long-term deal.
But it takes two to do the
trade tango, and we've yet to confirm that any of the other 31 teams
have been approached about acquiring the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002
draft.
Peppers had only 2.5 sacks
last season, down from 13.0 the year before. He had been expected
to be in line for a Dwight Freeney-style deal with $30 million
guaranteed and a $12 million per year average.
Agent Carl Carey tells PFT
that he and Peppers have heard the rumors, but that they have no merit.
"We fully expect that
Julius Peppers will be a Carolina Panther this football season," Carey
said.
At this point, there's no
concrete reason to believe otherwise. But unless and until Peppers
signs a new contract with the Panthers, the trade whispers will
continue.
POSTED
2:04 p.m. EST, March 7, 2008
DARBY'S AGENT DENIES
DETROIT DEAL
For the second time this
week, an agent for an NFL free-agent has denied the existence of an
agreement involving one of his clients.
On Sunday night, the agent
for tight end Alge Crumpler denied that Crumpler had agreed to terms
with the Titans. The next day, Crumpler signed a contract.
Johnson started 16 games
for the past two years with the Bengals, making him one of the few
Cincinnati linebackers that actually stayed healthy for the entire 2007
football season.
Johnson is likely to play
weakside linebacker for the Panthers, replacing Na'il Diggs.
POSTED
10:35 a.m. EST, March 7, 2008
FITZGERALD BACKLASH
BUILDING?
With the Cardinals and
receiver Larry Fitzgerald unable to restructure a contract that pays him
salaries of more than $14 million in 2008 and more than $17 million in
2009, there's an emerging question as to whether Fitzgerald really wants
to work out a deal to help out the team.
Fitzgerald professes that
he wants to stay with the team. But his refusal to give the team
cap relief is creating the impression that he's saying the right things,
but thinking (and doing) something different.
Somers also writes that
Fitzgerald's agent, Eugene Parker, presently is pushing for a four-year
deal that would pay Fitzgerald between $25 million and $30 million in
guaranteed money.
Given that the Cardinals
have created a situation in which Fitzgerald is due to make more than
$31 million over the next two seasons, his willingness to take
guaranteed money south of $30 million represents a significant
concession, on the surface. But to tie that kind of money to a
four-year contract creates a huge per-year load on the salary cap,
making it not much different than a six-year deal with $37 million to
$45 million in guaranteed money.
In this situation the true
motives of the various parties will only be discerned by scrutinizing
the details. Is this about Fitzgerald being fair, or is it about
the player and his agent turning the screws on an organization that
gambled and lost regarding the huge-money escalators that Fitzgerald's
performance has triggered?
By asking for a four-year
deal with that much money guaranteed, we're starting to think it's the
latter.
There has been speculation
and rumor about a trade that would send Fitzgerald to the Eagles.
Though the Cardinals by all appearances have demanded too much in return
for Fitzgerald, the team is in a real bind on this one.
To be sure, it's a mess
that the team created. And whether Fitzgerald does anything aimed
at genuinely helping the team get out of this situation will be proof
positive on whether his image of being a team-first guy is real, or
whether it's a bunch of self-serving Eddie Haskell bullcrap.
SPRINT'S SIMPLY
EVERYTHING PLAN IS SIMPLY THE BEST
At a time when plenty of
wireless companies are changing the model for purchasing access,
Sprint's new "Simply Everything" plan is the best value around.
But don't just take our
word for it. Consider this
side-by-side comparison of the various packages from dealnews.com.
"Without a doubt, Sprint's
'Simply Everything' plan offers the best deal," the popular consumer web
site declares. "Not only is its $99.99 plan all-inclusive, but existing
Sprint customers can switch over to the new plan without fears of
breaching their current contract."
So if you've made the
switch, let us know what
you think. And if you're thinking about making the switch,
let us know whether hearing
about the plan at PFT is a factor (good, bad, otherwise) in your
decision.
And remember that
ProFootballTalk's official telecommunications partner is Sprint, and
that Sprint shows a commitment to supporting the NFL that is far and
away superior to any other carrier.
POSTED
10:07 a.m. EST, March 7, 2008
LIONS LAND DARBY
Nearly a week after
trading away oversized defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, the Detroit Lions
have filled that gaping hole in their defensive line by signing
300-pound Chuck Darby, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks.
The news comes courtesy of
SpartanNation.com, which has
been breaking more than its fair share of Lions stories of late.
Darby spent his first four
seasons with the Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl there to cap the 2002
season. He signed with the Seahawks in 2005.
The move to Motown
reunites Darby with former Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who
now runs the show for the Lions.
POSTED
9:14 a.m. EST, March 7, 2008
SHAUN SMITH VIDEO
ALREADY GONE
Less than 12 hours after
we posted YouTube video of Browns defensive tackle Shaun Smith
announcing at a Browns Backers meeting in Maryland that
Chad Johnson punched Marvin Lewis during halftime of a 2006 playoff
game, the video is "no longer available."
It makes no sense.
The video wasn't protected by any copyright, so YouTube couldn't have
been forced to take it down.
Our guess is that Smith
got heat from his former head coach (indeed, Smith says on the video
that he had spoken with Lewis at 1:00 a.m. that same day), and that
Smith called up whoever booked him to speak at the meeting and told that
person to get the video off YouTube or Smith would be at the next
meeting in a far less charitable mood.
It'll be interesting to
see what happens from this point forward. Two years ago, the
Cincinnati media gave Johnson the benefit of the doubt when he declared
that "nothing happened." Given his recent change in attitude
toward the local press, we think that folks like Mark Curnutte might be
more inclined to shine a light on this.
Then again, it only
supports Ocho Stinko's end game. He wants out of Cincinnati;
there's no denying that. What better way to make it happen than
via a disclosure that Johnson did in fact jaw-jack his head coach at
halftime of the franchise's biggest game since Super Bowl XXIII?
Said Eagles coach Andy
Reid of cutting Takeo Spikes, "Takeo did a really good job for us last
year, but
we are excited about the young linebackers that have developed over
the last year."
The Patriots
have signed free agent CB Lewis Sanders.
Jets coach Eric Mangini
likes the way free agent FB Tony Richardson will
help on special teams.
The Bears
sent a representative to the Pro Day workout of Delaware QB Joe
Flacco but not to the workout of Kentucky QB Andre Woodson.
Former Lions LB Chris
Spielman
recalls the call he got from Brett Favre in 1998 when Spielman's
wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, six years before Favre's own wife
was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Wisconsin bookstores are
already getting requests for the special all-Brett Favre edition of
Sports Illustrated that will come out next week.
Free-agent S Chris Crocker
met with the Steelers on Thursday, and although he has upcoming visits
scheduled with the Broncos and Titans, he said, "Let's
hope I don't have to make those trips."
Although free-agent DE
Darrion Scott wasn't always happy in his four seasons with the Vikings,
his agent says of the chances that he'll return to Minnesota, "We're
not closing that possibility at all."
Free agent LB Landon
Johnson
visited Carolina on Thursday, which was his 27th birthday.
Buccaneers coach Jon
Gruden spent Thursday
serving as the caddy for John Daly. [Editor's note:
The typical exchange likely consisted of Daly saying, "Where's
my f--king club?" and Gruden saying, "Here's your f--king club."]
The Cardinals' efforts to
restructure the contract of WR Larry Fitzgerald appear to have
made no progress in the last month.
Free agent LB Nick Greisen
visited Seattle on Wednesday, but his agent said afterward that
he is not optimistic that Greisen is a good fit with the Seahawks.
POSTED
8:34 a.m. EST, March 7, 2008
GOODELL EMBARKS ON A
CHEATING CRUSADE
In a move that casts
further doubt on former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's chances for ever
getting into Canton without paying the admission fee, current
Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to implement sweeping reforms regarding
the process of detecting and punishing cheating.
According to the
Washington Post, Goodell
sent a memo on Thursday to the Competition Committee outlining
various proposals intended "to preserve the competitive integrity of the
game" and "maintain public confidence" in the game.
For starters, Goodell
wants to police more effectively the activities of NFL teams. Said
the memo: "This will include spot checks of club facilities,
including team locker rooms; press boxes and coaches booths;
coach-to-quarterback and other in-stadium communication systems . . .
and enhanced monitoring of team practices. Many of these checks
will be virtually unannounced and clubs would be expected fully to
cooperate with this effort."
We like it. Though
many teams now fear getting nailed like the Patriots did, the truth is
that the Patriots got nailed because they
flew too close to
the sun on wings of pastrami. Without a system in place to
catch teams with their hands in the cookie jar, teams know that they
will only get caught when they grab the cookie jar from the counter and
run around the house with it shouting, "I am stealing the cookies,
eating the cookies, and gradually digesting the cookies into stool!"
Goodell also wants to
reduce the standard of proof necessary for an internal finding that a
team has cheated. "Too often," he wrote, "competitive violations
have gone unpunished because conclusive proof of the violation was
lacking. I believe we should reconsider the standard of proof to
be applied in such cases, and make it easier for a competitive violation
to be established. And where a violation is shown, I intend to
impose more stringent penalties on both the club and the responsible
individual(s). I will also be prepared to make greater use of
draft choice forfeiture in appropriate cases. I believe this will
have the effect of deterring violations and making people more willing
to report violations on a timely basis."
This notion of violations
not being reported on a timely basis represents, in our view, an
implicit acknowledgement that cheating had been more widespread than
previously believed, and that there previously had been a conspiracy of
silence about it, as evidenced by the recent disclosure that former Jets
Herm Edwards once smiled and waved to Bill Belichick's supposedly secret
cameras that were taping defensive coaching signals, and by Jimmy
Johnson's assertion in the wake of the Spygate I scandal that he had
learned about the practice of taping signals when he came to the Cowboys
in 1989.
We applaud the
Commissioner for dealing with a problem that his predecessor(s) ignored,
and we think that the move is far more courageous than it appears to be.
Though the Commissioner is in charge of the game, he works for the 32
teams. And if the 32 teams prefer to operate with a "Spy vs. Spy"
dynamic in the sport, they might not appreciate the Commissioner
imposing on them a new approach to cheating that coincidentally was
leaked to the media on the same day that the memo was sent.
Our sense is that the
league office got the memo to the press so that the pressure would be
placed on the teams to agree with Goodell's suggestions. Let's put
it this way -- if Goodell didn't think he needed to get all of the teams
to buy in to the notion that change is needed, the public wouldn't have
become aware of this memo so quickly. And to the extent that
Goodell by all appearances has put his own interests at arguable risk
for the sake of the broader interests of the game that he serves and
loves, we respect him more than ever.
POSTED
10:45 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
MORE THAN TWO YEARS
LATER, VINDICATION
We made one of our biggest
stirs ever with this blurb from the evening of January 9, 2006:
"A league source tells us that multiple
members of the Cincinnati Bengals witnessed a troubling incident as the
team prepared to take the field for the second half of Sunday's playoff
game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Per the source, the last few minutes of
intermission were ticking away, when the players were startled by the
sight and sound of a helmet slamming against the glass pane of the
training room door. Inside, receiver Chad Johnson and receivers coach
Hue Jackson were engaged in an altercation. At one point, Johnson was
seen holding Jackson in a headlock.
The team denied any such incident, and
Johnson called a press conference for the sole purpose of claiming that
nothing happened. Boomer Esiason of CBS partially corroborated our
report, and Johnson eventually would concede that something happened.
More than two years later, one of the players who witnessed
the incident has shared his perceptions with the world, courtesy of the
magic that is YouTube.
On Monday night, speaking at a recent
meeting of the Central Maryland Browns Backers, former Bengals defensive
tackle Shaun Smith acknowledged that Chad Johnson took a swing at Lewis
-- and made contact.
Asked at the 5:20 mark of the clip about
the incident that occurred in the team's locker room during the only
playoff game of the Lewis era, Smith said of Johnson: "He swung on
Marvin. . . . [Johnson] shattered the training room glass. . . .
He swung on Marving [and] hit Marvin in the eye. . . . Then he
tried to swing on wide receivers coach Hue Jackson, who's now in
Baltimore."
Here's the video:
Smith also said that Bengals receiver T.J.
Houshmandzadeh will soon get a new deal from the Bengals.
Houshmandzadeh is signed through 2008, at a base salary of $2.65
million.
POSTED
10:19 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
PFTV BREAKS DOWN FREE
AGENCY
As the first week of free
agency winds to a close, the PFTV guys take a look at the winners and
the losers.
First, the players who
won:
Next, the teams that won:
Next, the players that
lost:
Next, the teams that lost:
Next, well, nothing.
POSTED
10:11 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
TROUPE TO TAMPA
Reports from both Pewter
Report and Adam Schefter of NFL Network indicate that the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers have
agreed to terms with tight end Ben Troupe on a two-year deal.
Troupe was a second-round pick of the Titans in 2004.
Coupled with the signing
of tight end John Gilmore, the Bucs most likely are parting ways with
free agents Anthony Becht and Jerramy Stevens.
As to Stevens, maybe he
can become a position coach at the University of Washington. (And
anyone who is even remotely familiar with his history there will know
that we're joking.)
POSTED
9:54 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
ANDERSON CONTRACT A
ONE-YEAR DEAL?
For many high-profile NFL
contracts, the truth isn't known until folks get a chance to eyeball the
details.
In the case of the
contract signed on February 29 by Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, the
details suggest that it might be only a one-year deal.
In addition to a $7
million signing bonus, Anderson is due to pocket a
$5 million roster bonus before the 2009 season, according to James
Walker of the Columbus Dispatch. As Walker theorizes, that
roster bonus constitutes a significant decision point for the Browns.
Pay it and keep Anderson for another year, or trade him and let his next
team cough up the money.
Thus, the two-year
quarterback situation might be only a one-year proposition for the team,
with the Browns then moving Anderson and keeping Quinn, or moving Quinn
and keeping Anderson.
POSTED
8:00 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
MORGAN LANDS WITH THE
SAINTS
After failing to land
veteran linebacker Zach Thomas, the New Orleans Saints have targeted
another available linebacker.
According to Steve Reed of
CarolinaGrowl.com, former Panthers linebacker Dan Morgan
has agreed to
terms with the Saints.
Morgan was a first-round
pick of the Panthers in 2001. He played in only one game two years
ago due to a chronic concussion problem. In 2007, he missed 13
games due to a partially torn Achilles' tendon.
POSTED
6:21 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
BAILEY BROTHERS ARE
BRONCOS
The Denver Broncos now
have a "Boss" to go with their "Champ."
Per various media reports
and a team announcement, the Broncos have agreed to terms with
linebacker Boss Bailey on a five-year deal. Per Adam Schefter of
NFL Network, Bailey's contract is worth $17.5 million, with a $4.3
million signing bonus. He'll earn $8 million over the first two
years.
The Baileys are the fourth
set of brothers to play for the Broncos, joining Albert and Paul
Carmichael, Eldon and William Danenhauer, and Dave and Doug Widell.
And it's the franchise's
first significant 2008 plunge into the free-agent pool, nearly a full
week into the process. So why haven't the Broncos moved more
quickly? Perhaps the
fairly recent criticisms from owner Pat Bowlen regarding the
consequences of the annual free-agent spend-a-thon have prompted him to
tap the brakes when it comes to writing checks to guys not already on
the team.
POSTED
5:14 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
WILLIAMS STAYS PUT IN
JACKSONVILLE
Jaguars guard/tackle
Maurice Williams was believed by many (us included) to be this year's
version of Derrick Dockery -- a previously little-known lineman who
cashes in big via free agency.
Williams, by all
appearances, didn't cash in. At least not big.
The Jaguars have announced
that Williams has agreed to terms to stay with the team, nearly a full
week into free agency.
Williams started at tackle
for six years, from 2001 to 2006. He was moved to the inside when
the team signed Tony Pashos last year. But after starting right
guard Chris Naeole ended up out for the year due to injury, Williams
stepped in -- and rendered Naeole unnecessary.
POSTED
4:21 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
THE RETURN OF THE FREAK
Four years after leaving
for the Eagles, defensive end Jevon Kearse is returning to the town
where he made his NFL debut.
PFT has learned that it's
a two-year, $6 million deal, with a $1.3 million signing bonus.
He'll earn a total of $3 million in the first year.
Kearse starred for the
Titans as a rookie in 1999, but injuries hampered him thereafter.
He had flashes of high ability with the Eagles, but never lived up to
the huge financial investment that the team made into him.
POSTED
3:51 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
RAIDERS PUT OUT WRONG
NUMBERS ON WALKER
On Tuesday, it was
reported by Adam Schefter of NFL Network that the Raiders
signed receiver Javon Walker to a six-year, $55 million deal with
$16 million in guaranteed money.
The news sent shock waves
through the league. With Walker's knee problems, most believed
that his best chance would be to sign a one-year "prove it" deal with a
big option or roster bonus due in early 2009.
On Wednesday, the Raiders
began to put out the word that
the numbers on Walker weren't accurate. Jerry McDonald of the
Contra Costa Times and others (including some Internet hack
who'll be taking a much broader look at the Raiders organization for
SportingNews.com on Friday) were told that Walker received a $6 million
signing bonus, a $5 million base salary in 2008, and a $5 million base
salary in 2009.
The Raiders explained that
Walker's people were viewing the contract as being worth $16 million
guaranteed because of the low likelihood that the team would cut him
before the end of the second year of the deal, given the cap hit they'd
take via the balance of the signing bonus acceleration.
As it turns out, and as
we've confirmed by talking with multiple sources, the Raiders were
spreading incorrect information.
The truth is that Walker
received an $11 million signing bonus, and he'll get a $5 million roster
bonus due in 2009, and the roster bonus is fully guaranteed against
injury.
So the guarantee is $16
million, presuming that the Raiders won't decide to cut Walker because:
(1) he's healthy; but (2) he's not good.
Also, Walker is scheduled
to earn base salaries of $1 million in 2008, $4 million in 2009, $6
million in 2010, $8 million in 2012, $10 million in 2013, and $10
million in 2014.
As a practical matter,
Walker's guarantee is actually $17 million, since it's highly unlikely
that the Raiders will cut him before the start of the 2008 football
season. And if the guarantee is calculated in the way that the
Raiders tried to claim that the agents were trying to calculate the
guarantee, the total guarantee is actually $21 million.
Why? Because it's
highly unlikely that the Raiders are going to carry $9.17 million in
dead money between 2009 and 2010, which is exactly what would happen if
he's cut next year.
In fairness to the
Raiders, they're now acknowledging privately that bad information was
disseminated on Wednesday. Setting aside for now the question of
whether that impairs the credibility of anything else they ever say from
this point forward, we respect them for admitting that the numbers
aren't what they said they were.
Besides, the Raiders need
no punishment for their error, intentional or otherwise. The fact
that the organization has welcomed a brand-new player by trying to
understate his deal with bad information will likely trigger punishment
enough once Walker comes to the same conclusion in Oakland that he
reached after his time in Green Bay and Denver -- that he wants out.
POSTED
3:08 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
EAGLES CUT SPIKES
When we mentioned on
Saturday that Eagles linebacker
Takeo Spikes wasn't on the depth chart any longer and inferred that
this could be a sign that the Eagles might be dumping him at some point
in the future, Eagles web guy Dave Spadaro called us "absurd"
and "stupid" and "incontinent." (Okay, we're exaggerating.
He didn't call us stupid.)
Regardless, Spikes is now
no longer an Eagle.
According to Adam Schefter
of NFL Network and our friends at WIP radio in Philly, Spikes has been
cut.
The move creates an
immediate $5 million in cap space.
Spikes was
traded with quarterback Kelly Holcomb and a late-round pick from the
Bills to the Eagles in 2007 for defensive tackle Darwin Walker, who
eventually was traded to the Bears. None of the three players
currently is under contract with any NFL team.
POSTED
1:44 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
"ALL GOOD THINGS MUST
COME TO AN END"
In one of those rare
moments during which a palpable sense of unfolding history flows through
every tick of the clock, Packers quarterback Brett Favre formally
announced his retirement on Thursday in a press conference in Green Bay.
It was memorable, it was
emotional, and above all else it was clear that it is final.
"It's over," Favre said as
he fought at times successfully and at times in vain against the tears.
"As hard as that is for me to say, it's over."
He spoke from the heart,
without notes. Unshaven and dressed casually, wearing a slightly
rumpled, partially buttoned shirt with a collar over a white cotton "T",
Favre was honest, riveting, and real.
"I thought about wearing a
suit. I thought about shaving," he said. "What you see is
what you get."
And as to his football
career, what we've already seen is all we're ever going to get.
"I don't think I've got
anything left to give," Favre said. "I know I can play but I don't
think I want to."
As to questions regarding
why he'd leave after throwing a conference-title-deciding interception
with his last official on-field action, Favre said more than once, with
a hint of defiance in his voice, "I'm going out on top."
He said later in the
session, "We could have gone 3-13 this year, [but] I'm going out on
top."
Still, he acknowledged
that there will be regrets. "I will wonder if I made the wrong
decision. On Sundays, I'll say I could be doing that and should be
doing that."
He thanked many former
coaches by name, and he expressed awe over the fact that he will be
mentioned in the same breath as other Packers greats. "There's no
better place to play," he said.
But in the end he decided
that he wasn't enjoying the game as much as he used to. He said he
spent more time in 2007 watching film, and he said he wasn't relaxed.
Most importantly, he said
that nothing that anyone from the Packers could say or do would get him
to change his mind.
And so it's over. He
won't be back. The door is shut and he is moving on.
"Its been 275 games," he
said. "At some point, it's gotta end."
POSTED
12:13 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
FAVRE PRESSER COMING AT
12:30 p.m. EST
The Brett Favre retirement
press conference has been bumped by 30 minutes, to 12:30 p.m. EST.
It's reminiscent of that
surreal scene two years ago in Mississippi, when a P.R. wonk got the
word out that Favre would announce his plans for 2006 at a presser held
in conjunction with hs golf tournament and then made everyone wait and
then when he finally showed up he was like, "What the hell are y'all
doin' here?"
For those of you who are
interested, the baby born to ESPN's Suzy Kolber on Wednesday is a girl,
and her name is Kellyn.
That is all.
POSTED
12:00 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
YAHOO!, SHANAHAN FLAP
OFFICIALLY OVER
With the Tuesday night
retraction of a paragraph from a September 13, 2007 story that accused
Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan of spying on Chargers practices and a
Wednesday apology from Yahoo! Sports, the brouhaha is over.
Well, it was fun while it
lasted.
The problem came to light
not long after we posted a February 23, 2008 item regarding the
five-month-old article from Jason Cole. On February 26, Shanahan's
lawyer demanded a retraction and an apology. He got both.
The apology read as
follows: "We apologize for any embarrassment that the Sept. 13,
2007 Yahoo! Sports story 'Ancient Antics' has caused for Mike Shanahan.
Yahoo! has retracted the segment of the story that asserted that Mike
Shanahan was involved in cheating as the Denver Broncos coach.
Yahoo! has stringent editorial standards in place to prevent this type
of error, and we regret the lapse in our protocol that allowed this to
happen."
Attorney Harvey Steinberg
said on Wednesday that the matter is resolved.
"He appreciates the
acknowledgement, the retraction and the apology by Yahoo and
considers this matter over,'' Steinberg said, according to the
Rocky Mountain News.
It's unknown whether
Yahoo! Sports has taken or will take any action against Cole. His
most recent article was
posted on March 4, 2008, regarding the retirement of Brett Favre.
POSTED
10:21 a.m. EST, March 6, 2008
RAVENS LAND AYANBADEJO
With linebacker/defensive
end Terrell Suggs and his big-dollar franchise tag keeping the Ravens
from being big players in free agency, they're at least doing
something to get better.
According to a league
source, the Ravens have agreed to terms with special teams ace Brendon
Ayanbadejo.
It's a four-year, $4.9
million deal, with a $1.9 million signing bonus.
Ayanbadejo is a linebacker
on defense, and he became a solid special-teams contributor in Chicago.
POSTED
9:40 a.m. EST, March 6, 2008
A KOLBER IS BORN
The pregnancy that ESPN
never officially acknowledged to the rest of the world has resulted in
the birth of a baby.
Suzy Kolberis a
new mother, according to an ESPN spokesman who confirmed what apparently
was mentioned at some point late Wednesday night on the air.
We reported several months
ago (more than three and less than nine) that Kolber is pregnant.
Our own MDS told me that he saw her while he was covering the
Vikings-Bears Monday nighter in December for AOL, and that she obviously
was expecting something other than an alcohol-induced fondling from a
retired quarterback.
We're trying to confirm
gender and name. (Of the baby -- not of the alcohol-induced
retired quarterback.)
THURSDAY MORNING
ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith
Former Bills K Steve
Christie
made his retirement official Wednesday, more than three years after
his last NFL game.
The agent for free-agent
CB Nate Jones says the Cowboys are interested in re-signing him, but
that
several other teams are also in contention.
The Vikings
have meetings scheduled With free agent defensive linemen Jevon
Kearse and Ellis Wyms.
Kearse said after meeting
with the Titans Wednesday, “This is my No.1 pick, my first choice.
When I heard the Titans were interested I was like,
'Let’s
make something happen.'"
The Texans
remain interested in free-agent RB Warrick Dunn, in part because
assistant head coach Alex Gibbs worked with Dunn in Atlanta.
New England is
interested in signing restricted free agent Carolina LB Adam Seward;
if the Panthers don't match the Patriots' offer, the Patriots will send
the Panthers a fifth-round draft pick.
Says 49ers GM
Scot McCloughan of his
expectations for 2008,"We're
going to be twice as good this year, in my opinion, on offense in
keeping the ball in our hands and that's going to make our defense
better."
POSTED
9:09 a.m. EST, March 6, 2008
D.J. IS THIS YEAR'S
DONTE'
In 2007, Eagles receiver
Donte' Stallworth was one of the top wideouts available in free agency.
Inexplicably, he didn't sign an early deal with any team. Instead,
he eventually inked a below-market contract with the Pats.
This year, D.J. Hackett is
the receiver whom no one wants, at least not yet.
As a result, Hackett's
agent is now talking about a possible return to the Seahawks.
Injury issues from 2007
apparently are limiting Hackett's perceived value. He played in
only six games, with six starts in 2007. But in 2006 he played in
14 games, and the year before that he appeared in 15 games.
Moreover, the injury was a
sprained ankle, not an ACL tear or something else that creates lingering
questions after it supposedly heals.
We're not saying that
anyone should give Hackett Bernard Berrian money. (Then again, we
don't think anyone should have given Bernard Berrian Bernard Berrian
money.) But Hackett has a role to play, and we're kind of
surprised that the Eagles or the Bucs haven't added him to the roster,
given that they run a similar offense.
And why haven't the
Seahawks stepped up and paid this guy? Nate Burleson has been a
disappointment to date, and Deion Branch has yet to play like the guy
they thought they were getting when they gave up a first-round pick for
him in 2006.
POSTED
8:08 a.m. EST, March 6, 2008
PREDICTION: QUINN
WILL ASK FOR GREEN BAY TRADE
Last April, quarterback
Brady Quinn copied the unexpected draft-day round-one slide of
quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Soon, we suspect that
Quinn (or, at a minimum, his agent) will be clamoring to join Rodgers'
current team.
Though he might be fooling
himself into thinking that he's got a shot at winning the starting job
this season, Brady Quinn is destined to open 2008 where he finished 2007
-- on the bench. After all, the Browns aren't paying Derek
Anderson $8 million per year to hold his helmet next to his ear so that
he can listen to the play be called in to the huddle.
More importantly, Quinn
needs to get on the field in order to unlock the big-money incentives
that his agent, Tom Condon, held him out of training camp in order to
get.
And so while it might be
unlikely that Quinn will demand a trade in his own voice, Condon could
be contacting the Browns and asking them to explore the possibility of
moving Quinn to Green Bay.
Quinn would surely welcome
the move; it would give him a better chance at becoming the long-term
starter, and it would put him on the same team with his brother-in-law,
linebacker A.J. Hawk.
The problem? The
Packers might want to give Aaron Rodgers a full and fair shot in 2008 at
showing he can do the job (or, more importantly, proving he can stay in
one piece) before looking elsewhere. And since the Browns have a
high second-round pick and a 2008 first-rounder tied up in Quinn, the
Browns would need to get a one and a two in order to justify trading
Quinn less than a year after drafting him -- especially since the Browns
would then be going "all in" with Derek Anderson.
But while we don't see
anything like this happening in 2008, we don't rule it out for 2009, if
Anderson cements his grip on the job in Cleveland, and if Rodgers fails
to fill a sufficiently large portion of Brett Favre's shoes.
POSTED
7:29 p.m. EST, March 6, 2008
BUCS STILL HAVE $36
MILLION IN CAP ROOM
Six days into free agency,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers either have $36 million in their pockets -- or
they're really happy that it's March.
Further defending the
team's failure to splurge, G.M. Bruce Allen explained the organization's
approach to our friends at Pewter Report.
As to the impression that
last weekend's Tampa Toga Party, which featured a flock of free agents
coming to the facility, resulted in multiple players telling the team
"thanks" and "no thanks" in quick succession, Allen explained that a
visit doesn't always mean that the team wants to sign the player.
"Everyone we visited,
we haven't made
many of them offers. Part of a visit is to get their physical
condition and meet with the coaches," said Allen. "It's a
'getting-to-know-you' type meeting to see if we believe this player will
fit into what we want to do. Now you can watch the film on
players, but as you know, I've said to you before, we're looking for
really good teammates. And sometimes they might not be a right
match for us. We don't make a contract offer to everyone we bring in."
As to the team's decision
not to pursue linebacker Lance Briggs, a perceived jewel of the
free-agent class who took far less than league observers thought he
would get to return to Chicago, Allen said that Briggs' asking price
scared them off.
"Like with everyone that
you're probably going to ask me about, we checked on [Briggs'] status
and what he was looking for, and we were really never involved with
that," Allen said.
Frankly, we never
understood why anyone would think that the Bucs would seriously
pursue Briggs. With Derrick Brooks and Cato June on the roster,
why would the team that launched the Tampa Two defense need a third
weakside linebacker?
Meanwhile, though we
expected the Bucs to be more active in the first week, we should all
(including the Jets) keep in mind that the Patriots of a year ago didn't
go on a one-week barnstorming tour of the 31 other NFL franchises in
search an infusion of new talent. They signed linebacker Adalius
Thomas early in the process, but the acquisition of Wes Welker came once
the first wave of free agency died down and focus turned to the
restricted free agents, like Welker. Receiver Donte' Stallworth
was added in the second phase of free agency, after the wallets had
closed considerably. Ditto for receiver Kelley Washington, who by
all appearances will take Stallworth's place in the rotation this year
(unless Chad Jackson will finally be able to run a route or two without
something tearing or breaking). And the trade for Randy Moss
didn't come until the second day of the draft.
So we agree with Bruce
Allen's belief that "free agency really runs up until camp starts."
Still, whether it's by signing new guys or re-signing current players,
the Bucs will need to somehow spend another $20 million in 2008 cap
space in order to meet the spending minimum for the coming year.
POSTED
7:05 a.m. EST, March 6, 2008
JETS ADD RICHARDSON
And so it continues.
Seemingly taking a page
from the 2007 Patriots, the New York Jets continue to collect players on
the free-agent market.
Most recently, they have
added Pro Bowl fullback Tony Richardson.
According to Bucky Brooks
of SI.com, Richardson has confirmed that
he has agreed to terms on a one-year deal. Terms aren't
available, which could mean that the terms aren't much more than the
one-year veteran minimum.
We assume that Brooks is
certain about this move, given that his first foray into free-agency
reporting resulted in the biggest swing and miss of the 2008 league year
to date with Friday's report that
Calvin Pace agreed to terms with the Dolphins -- as Pace was en
route to a visit with the Jets, with whom he eventually agreed to terms.
The departure of
Richardson from the Vikings comes as no surprise, given that the Vikings
signed fullback Thomas Tapeh from the Eagles on the first day of free
agency.
Richardson played 11 years
with the Chiefs before spending two seasons in Minnesota. He is
regarded as a solid locker room guy, which the Jets will need as a
potential sitcom of a season approaches, with one or more disgruntled
holdovers who feel they're underpaid welcoming a bunch of rich new
strangers into the fold.
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