ALinChainz
09-05-2004, 11:12 PM
September 5, 2004
BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - Tim Couch will not back up Brett Favre in 2004 after all. Bob Whitfield will no longer line up at tackle for the Atlanta Falcons.
Couch and Whitfield were among the players released Sunday as NFL teams got down to the mandatory 53-man roster limit for the regular season.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft, Couch was released by the Cleveland Browns in June for salary cap purposes after the team signed quarterback Jeff Garcia. He signed a one-year contract worth $1.25 million with the Packers and was projected as Favre's backup.
But the 26-year-old Couch appeared to be bothered by a sore arm in the preseason. He had poor velocity on his throws, completing just 11-of-34 passes for 96 yards in three games.
"He (Couch) just wasn't productive enough," Packers coach-general manager Mike Sherman said.
"I'm disappointed it didn't work out," said Couch, who passed for 11,131 yards and 64 touchdowns with 67 interceptions in 62 games with the Browns.
Doug Pederson, 36, will serve as Favre's backup for the fourth straight season.
Whitfield was the Falcons' longest-tenured player on the roster, playing in 162 games through 12 seasons. He broke into the lineup at left tackle in 1993, his second year in the league, and started in a team-record 123 consecutive games, eclipsing Jeff Van Note's previous record of 112 straight starts.
"It is always tough when any player is released, but it is especially difficult when guys of the stature and character of Bob Whitfield are let go," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. "Bob is a class act and has been a model citizen for this organization both on and off the field."
"Bob Whitfield was a great player for the Falcons for a lot of years," Falcons president and general manager Rich McKay said. "Anytime you release a guy who has been not only a fixture in your locker room, but one of the better people and players on your football team, it's tough. This was a difficult decision for us as a franchise."
Three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jason Gildon was waived Sunday by the Buffalo Bills.
Gildon, 32, was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers in June for salary cap purposes and signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal with Buffalo after also being courted by Green Bay and Cincinnati.
A starter since 1996, Gildon is Pittsburgh's all-time leader with 77 sacks.
As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs released 44-year-old kicker Morten Andersen, who is second on the NFL's all-time scoring list with 2,259 points. He converted 38-of-46 field goals with the Chiefs, but is weak on kickoffs.
The Chiefs also traded defensive end R-Kal Truluck to the Green Bay Packers for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick in 2005 and placed linebacker Mike Maslowski on injured reserve, ending his season.
The New Orleans Saints cut 15-year veteran center Jerry Fontenot, who lost his job when LeCharles Bentley shifted from guard. The 37-year-old Fontenot started all 80 games the last five seasons.
The Saints also released linebacker Darrin Smith and running back Lamar Smith.
The San Diego Chargers released receiver Kevin Dyson and safety Kwamie Lassiter.
The Chargers signed Dyson as a free agent in March after he missed most of last season with the Carolina Panthers due to a torn Achilles tendon.
Dyson spent his first five seasons with the Tennessee Titans, catching 176 passes for 2,310 yards and 18 touchdowns. He will forever be remembered for falling shy of the goal line on the final play of Super Bowl XXXIV.
Dyson also scored the most popular touchdown in Tennessee history, taking Frank Wycheck's lateral on a kickoff and racing 75 yards for the game-winning TD against Buffalo in the 2000 playoffs.
The Titans went on to their first Super Bowl appearance, losing to the St. Louis Rams, 23-16, when Dyson was tackled at the 1-yard line.
Lassiter lost the free safety job to Jerry Wilson. He started 70 games in eight years with the Arizona Cardinals before signing with San Diego last season. Lassiter had a career-high nine interceptions in 2001.
The Chicago Bears waived defensive tackle Bryan Robinson, the longest-tenured player on their defense. He recorded 331 tackles and 16 1/2 sacks in six seasons.
The Bears also put tackle Marc Colombo on the physically-unable-to-perform list, making him ineligible for the first six weeks of the season. A first-round pick in 2002, Colombo has been sidelined since dislocating his knee in a November 18 game in his rookie year.
The Cardinals placed safety Dexter Jackson, the Super Bowl XXXVII Most Valuable Player, on injured reserve with a back injury.
The Panthers placed linebacker Jessie Armstead and defensive tackle Shane Burton on injured reserve and the Seattle Seahawks did the same with safety Damien Robinson.
Running back Dorsey Levens, receiver Antonio Freeman, tight end Byron Chamberlain, defensive end Regan Upshaw and cornerback Terrell Buckley also were released on Sunday.
Levens, 34, was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago after Correll Buckhalter suffered a season-ending knee injury. Freeman joined the Miami Dolphins after David Boston was lost for the season, but became expendable when the Dolphins acquired receiver Marty Booker from Chicago.
The Denver Broncos cut Chamberlain, a 10-year veteran, and the Washington Redskins waived Upshaw, who started only eight games last season.
Buckley, 33, played in 31 games with the New England Patriots in 2001 and 2002 and signed with them again in the offseason after playing last year with Miami.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=nflcuts&prov=st&type=lgns
BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - Tim Couch will not back up Brett Favre in 2004 after all. Bob Whitfield will no longer line up at tackle for the Atlanta Falcons.
Couch and Whitfield were among the players released Sunday as NFL teams got down to the mandatory 53-man roster limit for the regular season.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft, Couch was released by the Cleveland Browns in June for salary cap purposes after the team signed quarterback Jeff Garcia. He signed a one-year contract worth $1.25 million with the Packers and was projected as Favre's backup.
But the 26-year-old Couch appeared to be bothered by a sore arm in the preseason. He had poor velocity on his throws, completing just 11-of-34 passes for 96 yards in three games.
"He (Couch) just wasn't productive enough," Packers coach-general manager Mike Sherman said.
"I'm disappointed it didn't work out," said Couch, who passed for 11,131 yards and 64 touchdowns with 67 interceptions in 62 games with the Browns.
Doug Pederson, 36, will serve as Favre's backup for the fourth straight season.
Whitfield was the Falcons' longest-tenured player on the roster, playing in 162 games through 12 seasons. He broke into the lineup at left tackle in 1993, his second year in the league, and started in a team-record 123 consecutive games, eclipsing Jeff Van Note's previous record of 112 straight starts.
"It is always tough when any player is released, but it is especially difficult when guys of the stature and character of Bob Whitfield are let go," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. "Bob is a class act and has been a model citizen for this organization both on and off the field."
"Bob Whitfield was a great player for the Falcons for a lot of years," Falcons president and general manager Rich McKay said. "Anytime you release a guy who has been not only a fixture in your locker room, but one of the better people and players on your football team, it's tough. This was a difficult decision for us as a franchise."
Three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jason Gildon was waived Sunday by the Buffalo Bills.
Gildon, 32, was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers in June for salary cap purposes and signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal with Buffalo after also being courted by Green Bay and Cincinnati.
A starter since 1996, Gildon is Pittsburgh's all-time leader with 77 sacks.
As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs released 44-year-old kicker Morten Andersen, who is second on the NFL's all-time scoring list with 2,259 points. He converted 38-of-46 field goals with the Chiefs, but is weak on kickoffs.
The Chiefs also traded defensive end R-Kal Truluck to the Green Bay Packers for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick in 2005 and placed linebacker Mike Maslowski on injured reserve, ending his season.
The New Orleans Saints cut 15-year veteran center Jerry Fontenot, who lost his job when LeCharles Bentley shifted from guard. The 37-year-old Fontenot started all 80 games the last five seasons.
The Saints also released linebacker Darrin Smith and running back Lamar Smith.
The San Diego Chargers released receiver Kevin Dyson and safety Kwamie Lassiter.
The Chargers signed Dyson as a free agent in March after he missed most of last season with the Carolina Panthers due to a torn Achilles tendon.
Dyson spent his first five seasons with the Tennessee Titans, catching 176 passes for 2,310 yards and 18 touchdowns. He will forever be remembered for falling shy of the goal line on the final play of Super Bowl XXXIV.
Dyson also scored the most popular touchdown in Tennessee history, taking Frank Wycheck's lateral on a kickoff and racing 75 yards for the game-winning TD against Buffalo in the 2000 playoffs.
The Titans went on to their first Super Bowl appearance, losing to the St. Louis Rams, 23-16, when Dyson was tackled at the 1-yard line.
Lassiter lost the free safety job to Jerry Wilson. He started 70 games in eight years with the Arizona Cardinals before signing with San Diego last season. Lassiter had a career-high nine interceptions in 2001.
The Chicago Bears waived defensive tackle Bryan Robinson, the longest-tenured player on their defense. He recorded 331 tackles and 16 1/2 sacks in six seasons.
The Bears also put tackle Marc Colombo on the physically-unable-to-perform list, making him ineligible for the first six weeks of the season. A first-round pick in 2002, Colombo has been sidelined since dislocating his knee in a November 18 game in his rookie year.
The Cardinals placed safety Dexter Jackson, the Super Bowl XXXVII Most Valuable Player, on injured reserve with a back injury.
The Panthers placed linebacker Jessie Armstead and defensive tackle Shane Burton on injured reserve and the Seattle Seahawks did the same with safety Damien Robinson.
Running back Dorsey Levens, receiver Antonio Freeman, tight end Byron Chamberlain, defensive end Regan Upshaw and cornerback Terrell Buckley also were released on Sunday.
Levens, 34, was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago after Correll Buckhalter suffered a season-ending knee injury. Freeman joined the Miami Dolphins after David Boston was lost for the season, but became expendable when the Dolphins acquired receiver Marty Booker from Chicago.
The Denver Broncos cut Chamberlain, a 10-year veteran, and the Washington Redskins waived Upshaw, who started only eight games last season.
Buckley, 33, played in 31 games with the New England Patriots in 2001 and 2002 and signed with them again in the offseason after playing last year with Miami.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=nflcuts&prov=st&type=lgns