The Rumor Mill

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 7:01 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:00 a.m. EDT, June 25, 2007

KOONCE HINTS AT PACKERS MOVE?

Several readers have told us that, in a recent Wisconsin radio interview, former Packers director of player development George Koonce hinted that the team could soon be adding a big-name player on offense.

Koonce, who played linebacker for the Packers in the 1990s, recently left the organization to become assistant athletic director at Marquette.

If true, who could it be? Unless Keyshawn Johnson is going to turn his back on ESPN (his deal actually might include a clause allowing him to return to the NFL without penalty), there really isn't any big-name offensive player currently on the open market.

A player who might be on the open market soon is quarterback Daunte Culpepper. A couple of weeks ago, we reported that the Packers are one of the teams that Culpepper would like to join. Though he'd only play in 2007 if Brett Favre were to be injured, Culpepper would likely be first in line to take over the starting job if this is Favre's last season.

From a trade perspective, the most intriguing name is Chiefs running back Larry Johnson. Reports surfaced last week of a potential holdout, and it's possible that the Chiefs are quietly shopping him, as they were before the draft. Johnson would fill a huge need for the Packers, who have no veteran presence at the tailback position.

But trading for, and then paying big money to, a guy like Johnson doesn't seem to fit with the approach of G.M. Ted Thompson, who has been reluctant to make those kinds of moves. Also, Johnson's admission to Jason Whitlock that he's "always mad about something" isn't the kind of thing that a General Manager wants to hear when contemplating coughing up a first-round draft pick (or more) and $25 million guaranteed (or more).


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JOEY SUNSHINE DRINKING MOONSHINE?

With offseason workouts ended, only one guy getting arrested over the weekend, and most coaches and front-office types on vacation, there isn't much going on in NFL circles.

As a result, we're forced to revisit one of our recent items in order to gin up the daily content.

Specifically, we commented on Saturday regarding the latest bellyaching from ESPN analyst Joe Theismann, who is still griping about the fact that he was bumped out of the Monday Night Football booth after only one season.

Several readers have responded to Theismann's suggestion that his replacement, Ron Jaworski, "hasn't done television." We didn't pounce on Sunshine for this remark on Saturday, because we assumed that he meant that Jaworski hasn't worked live games. Obviously, Jaworski has spent plenty of time on television over the years doing analysis, and as one of the key contributors to NFL Matchup, the only show that breaks down game films.

But we forgot that Jaworski worked the back end of last year's MNF season-opening doubleheader, on a game that generated higher ratings than the average rating for the 2007 NBA Finals. And we forgot that Jaworski has done Arena League games. Plus, we now know (thanks to our readers) that he has worked preseason games for the Eagles and the Bucs.

So, Joe, you are flat-out wrong to suggest that Jaws hasn't done television.

And as to Theismann's warning that the MNF broadcast shouldn't become an extension of PTI, why didn't Joe ever take a stand against the weekly intrusion into the game coverage of celebrities like Christian Slater and Sylvester Stallone? And why isn't Joe pointing to that kind of stuff now as he makes his case that ESPN is trying to make the show not about football? Instead, he's erroneously trivializing the credentials of his replacement, who is still one of his colleagues because Joe is still under contract with ESPN.

Free advice, Bristol. You need to cut this guy loose. He's making you look bad, and as the season approaches we have a feeling that he's going to continue to pop off.


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MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer calls out the NFLPA and the baseball players' union.

Congress gets involved in the issue of retired NFL players and their disability benefits on Tuesday.

Here's another article on the subject, but you've got to pay to read it.

Former Bears S Dave Duerson, who is one of the guys responsible for shutting so many retired players out of their disability benefits, has to sell the $1.6 million house in which he has lived since 1987.

Young quarterbacks will determine the fates of several teams this season.

Hall of Famer Harry Carson is pushing hard (without the yelling and the screaming of guys like Mike Ditka) to get more money for former NFL players.

John Elway won the celebrity race car show thing on ABC; Coach Chin finished dead last.

When TiVi Barber opted for TV, did he think he'd be covering a fireworks show? ("Ooooooh. Ahhhhh. The noise is cacaphonous!")

Steelers.com catches up with L.C. Greenwood.

Former NFL QB Mike McMahon made the team in Montreal. (Oops. It's Toronto.)


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POSTED 4:17 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:58 p.m. EDT, June 24, 2007

WORLD BOWL MVP WANTS TO MAKE IT IN NFL

Quarterback Casey Bramlet led the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa to the World Bowl XV championship. For his efforts, including a World Bowl-record four touchdown passes, Bramlet was named the game's MVP.

So now the challenge is to transfer his success at the "B" level into a roster spot with the Redskins. The problem, of course, is that while Bramlet was wearing ads on his pads in Germany, five other guys were participating in the team's offseason training program, where a whole lot of preparation is done for the coming season.

In Washington, the starter is Jason Campbell and the backup is Mark Brunell. Bramlet's task, then, will be to hold off Jordan Palmer and Sam Hollenbach.

Palmer arguably has the built-in advantage, since the team presumably hopes to justify the 2007 sixth-round pick that was used on the former UTEP signal-caller by keeping him on the roster for a year or two.

In our view, then, Bramlet will have to blow away the coaching staff in order to win a roster spot. And it'll be even harder to do in light of the fact that Bramlet will start training camp without the benefit of the weeks of practice in the system that Palmer and Hollenbach have had.

But, hey, there's always next year in Europa. Then again, if reports of the league's demise are accurate, maybe there isn't.


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SUNDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

The Buccaneers have signed seventh-round cornerback Marcus Hamilton; eight Tampa rookies are unsigned.

Falcons DE Jamaal Anderson isn't worried about his contract negotiations.

Mr. Irrelevant might be pertinent in Motown.

Jeff Gordon is a San Francisco 49ers fans, which has prompted all Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans to say, "It figures."

Former Bears safety Dave Duerson was recently on the wrong end of a court decision.

A guy who is running for L.A. city attorney is having trouble telling the truth about his football career. (It's good to see that he meets the job's basic qualifications.)

Chargers CB Drayton Florence is eyeballing free agency.

Giants QB Eli Manning appeared at the Ole Miss Ladies Football Forum.

Sports leagues are trying to control Internet coverage of their product.

Jets OL Pete Kendall wouldn't comment on whether the team's offseason workouts entail too much contact.

Several NFL teams are scouting soccer player Jonny Wilkinson. (He's actually a rugby player, but we really don't care about the distinction.)

The Packers made $22 million in profit last year.

Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks that Steelers fans need to realize that Coach Chin will coach again.

Hey, Jeff -- there's no tying in softball.

Should the Chiefs pay L.J.?

Fins DT Fred Evans' dispute with a cab driver involved Evans throwing up in the back seat of the taxi.

Should the Bears dump Tank?


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POSTED 1:41 p.m. EDT, June 24, 2007

KITNA THINKS, TALKS BIG

Lions quarterback Jon Kitna, who apparently has had more than his fair share of undiagnosed concussions, predicts that the Detroit Lions will win more than 10 games in 2007.

"I'll keep to myself what I think we actually will win," Kitna said this week on WDFN radio in Detroit. "But it's more than 10 games.

"I think, last year, man, it really sucked," Kitna added. "But the good thing about it, like coach [Rod] Marinelli said, he found out who wanted to be here, who didn't, and he's been able to put his stamp on this team.

"Teams have gone from 3-13, 4-12 and 5-11 to having great leaps," Kitna said. "And we're the team to do it."

We agree with Kitna in that respect. Teams have pulled off stunning turnarounds in the post-salary cap NFL. Perhaps the most unlikely came in 1999, when a moribund Rams franchise blew up under the leadership of a previously unknown backup quarterback. (Coincidentally, Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz was also the offensive coordinator of that Rams team.)

But the difference is that, before training camp opened, Rams starting quarterback Trent Green (whose blown ACL opened the door for Kurt Warner) wasn't popping off about how good the team would be. Really, we can't think of any team that had a stunning turnaround preceded by public boasts from a key player on the team that it was going to happen.

The reality is that it's wise for anyone on a historically bad team that thinks this year could be the year to keep his mouth clamped shut. It's far better in the modern NFL to be overlooked and disregarded, because then a bad team can catch a good team flatfooted and, along the way, build confidence in the notion that they can "play with" anyone.

That's what the Rams did. Sure, they scored a lot of points that year. But they didn't blow many teams out. Instead, they fattened up on a relatively weak schedule in a relatively weak division, going 8-0 at home and 5-3 on the road, nailed down home-field advantage for the playoffs, barely held off the Buccaneers in the NFC title game, and then barely held off the Titans (who weren't the best overall team in the AFC that season) in the Super Bowl.

Could it happen for the Lions? Hell yes. But it won't be a cakewalk. They play every team in the AFC West, and every team in the NFC East. They play the Bucs, who are going to be better than expected (we think), and the Cardinals, who have every reason to believe that the planets could line up for them this year, too.

Still, we've got no problem with Kitna being confident. But quiet confidence will carry his team a lot farther than will boasts that, for now, come off as borderline delusional.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 9:52 a.m. EDT, June 28, 2007

A WORLD WITHOUT A WORLD LEAGUE

A league source tells us that the death of NFL Europa will be announced on Friday, June 29.

Auf wiedersehn, adieu, ciao, hasta la vista, aloha, and all that crap.

It's been a poorly-kept secret of late that the NFL is ready to pull the plug on its 15-year effort to export the game of American football to the land of hairy, stinky armpits (the men need to work on their hygiene, too).

The original idea was to drop quasi-NFL teams on foreign soil and hope that the presence of the sport would cause fans in other nations to discover the greatest pastime on the planet. Instead, the fever has spread only a bit faster than democracy in the Middle East.

Still, the league formerly known as NFL Europe and before that the World League and before that the World League of American Football served its purpose. Unlike our temporary fascination with Australian Rules Football back in the 1980s, when ESPN was making the gradual transition from tiddly winks to major league sports, the NFL acted on the interest that was rising in other countries by creating a minor league that played there.

The real challenge will be to get folks in Europe (and elsewhere) to respond to the "real" version of the greatest sport in the world. If they do, the NFL could eventually do to soccer what it has done in the U.S. to baseball.


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POSTED 7:11 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:34 a.m. EDT, June 28, 2007

BENOIT SITUATION RAISES QUESTIONS FOR NFL, WRESTLING

We've received some great e-mails this week from readers who have raised some interesting issues in the wake of the murder-suicide involving pro wrestler Chris Benoit.

From the perspective of pro wrestling, did multiple concussions suffered in the ring contribute to the condition that caused Benoit to snap?

From the perspective of the NFL, how much does the steroids issue contribute to the difficulties currently experienced by former players suffering from a broad variety of physical and/or emotional maladies?

At a time when baseball has been the primary focal point of discussions regarding the use and abuse of steroids, it's easy to forget that, in past years, the use of such substances was rampant in the NFL. So now that the players who were part of the steroids era are experiencing problems with their bodies and their brains, we think it's more than fair to consider whether the current condition of former players is due in whole or in part to past performance enhancement activities.

Though we're not suggesting that currently disabled players who used steroids, and whose present health problems might be due to doing so, aren't entitled to NFL disability benefits, their plight becomes far less sympathetic if it can be determined that they would be doing better in their post-football lives if they hadn't used them.

Of course, the NFL and NFLPA public relations machine can't employ this device in the ongoing feud with former players, since to do so could cause all sorts of unwanted complications. For years, the NFL has somehow avoided the steroids stigma; using the subject as a stick against former players could finally pry open that can of juiced-up worms.

From pro wrestling's perspective, suspicions of steroids use is the knee-jerk public reaction to any bizarre behavior that occurs, primarily because use of the substances has never been regulated by the "sport". But at a time when the NFL is learning more than it might care to regarding the consequences of concussions, it's hard not at least consider the possibility that Benoit's behavior arose in part from a brain that has been banged around for years.

Resolution of these issues is for the medical experts. But even if steroids use doesn't cause bodies to later break down and/or noggins to malfunction, it doesn't take a Norman Einstein to understand that guys who are hepped up on roids will be more willing to ignore their own short-term and long-term health in the name of getting onto the field or into the ring, and to absorb any further bodily punishment that goes along with it.


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FORMER NINER SUES DISABILITY PLAN

Ben Lynch, an offensive lineman who spent four years with the San Francisco 49ers, has filed suit against the NFL's disability plan, which is administered jointly by the league and the NFL Players Association.

The suit arises from the fact that Lynch has yet to receive a ruling from the plan's appeal board, even though he made the request on September 29, 2006. Under the federal law that governs disability plans, responses to appeals are required to be made in a timely manner.

He tore an ACL during training camp with the Texans in 2003, had it surgically repaired, and developed a staph infection. Following removal of the new ACL and multiple additional surgeries, Lynch developed "complex regional pain syndrome," which causes random burning pain sensations.

The lawsuit will likely get far more attention now than it would have received a year ago, given that the disability plan has become a major point of contention for former players, prompting a Congressional subcommittee hearing earlier this week. And, frankly, it's good to see that Lynch is willing and able to take advantage of the legal avenues available to address problems with the process, in lieu of having a guy like Mike Ditka spout off in a language that remotely resembles English.


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POSTED 10:55 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:14 p.m. EDT, June 27, 2007

GRADY GETS A NEW DEAL

Though the Atlanta Falcons are saying nothing about the resolution of defensive tackle Grady Jackson's lawsuit against the team, Jackson coincidentally has received an adjustment to his contract.

But, in the short term, it's not worth much.

Per a league source, Jackson received a $250,000 signing bonus and a new $250,000 roster bonus for 2007. The roster bonus is due on September 7; thus, if Jackson is cut before then, he won't get it.

At the same time, his base salary was reduced from $1.5 million to $1 million. So, for now, he merely received a $250,000 advance on his 2007 pay.

Also, a $2 million roster bonus was added to his 2008 compensation, due on the first day of the league year. It means that either Jackson will get the money, or he'll get a shot at hitting the open market in March. For next season, his base salary was reduced from $1.5 million to $1.0 million.

The Falcons also added a year to the deal, with a $2 million roster bonus due on the first day of the 2009 league year, and a $1 million base salary.

So, as a practical matter, Jackson extended his commitment by a year and can make an extra $4.5 million in roster bonuses and salary. (There's also a $1.25 million escalator provision, but as we see it the higher his salary goes the greater the likelihood that he gets cut loose.)

It's still possible that the Falcons made a separate payment to Jackson in order to resolve his claims. However, we don't know whether such a payment could be made separate and apart from the salary-cap system. On one hand, Jackson asserted rights completely unrelated to his football wages. On the other hand, money is money, and the best approach is for all money paid to a current player to count under the salary cap, in order to avoid potential abuses.


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WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

It's not summer unless someone is having a USFL reunion.

The Chargers have signed WR Rich Musinski, who most recently played in NFL Europa.

Trent Green's wife wants to kick Jason Taylor's butt.

Man, are we sick of hearing about the stick in Pete Kendall's ass.

The Bengals have signed a guy with the name of a two-bit super hero.

A bunch of Ravens jerseys have been confiscated by the feds.


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POSTED 5:04 p.m. EDT, June 27, 2007

LOCAL AUTHORITIES NOT MOVING ON VICK CASE by Michael David Smith

When federal authorities announced on June 8 that they were investigating dog fighting on property owned by Falcons quarterback Mike Vick, the local authorities said they were continuing to move forward with their own investigation.

Specifically, Surry County Sheriff Harold Brown and Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter said they expected to meet within the next week to review evidence collected in the investigation.

It's been more than two weeks since the local authorities said they would have that meeting, but today the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that authorities have not held a second evidence review. They also haven't gathered any additional evidence from the property. That raises the question of how, exactly, they can say they're moving forward when they haven't reviewed the evidence that they already had or gone looking for any new evidence.

This is the latest example of why anyone who wants the truth to come out in this investigation should be thankful that the feds got involved. Vick's property was raided in April, and for more than two months we've heard conflicting stories from Poindexter about what his office would do with the evidence gathered at that raid. Every time Poindexter opens his mouth, he comes across as more clueless.

The feds, wisely, are keeping quiet and keeping Poindexter out of their investigation.


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POSTED 1:08 p.m. EDT, June 27, 2007

UNION NEEDS TO STATE ITS CASE BETTER by Michael David Smith

ESPN.com legal analyst Lester Munson kept a close eye on Tuesday's Congressional hearing into benefits for retired NFL players, and he came away concluding that the witnesses' testimony and Congressional questions led to nothing that will change any laws or solve any problems.

In Munson's opinion, NFL Players Association Gene Upshaw hasn't gotten as much credit as he deserves for progress the union has made, especially in 1993, when the players finally got free agency. And Munson writes that many of the players who have told horror stories of their post-NFL lives are blaming Upshaw when they should blame themselves for poor decisions related to everything from divorce litigation to when they take their pensions.

But it's hard to shake the feeling that if Upshaw hasn't gotten enough credit, he has no one to blame but himself.

"The league and the union could do a better job of explaining what they do for disabled players," Munson writes. "Neither Commissioner Roger Goodell nor Upshaw chose to appear at the hearing. The league sent its masterful PR wizard, Joe Browne, and one of its top lawyers, Dennis Curran. The union sent attorney [Douglas W.] Ell and its disability expert, Michele Yaras-Davis, and produced an impressive package of data on its disability program. But personal appearances by Goodell and Upshaw might have changed both the atmosphere and the substance at the hearing."

That goes back to what has been said many, many times -- here and elsewhere -- about Upshaw. A big part of his job should be acting as the public face of the NFL players, and in that role, he fails. In his ESPN.com article, Munson clearly articulated an argument that the union is already doing plenty. So why doesn't the union have someone in Upshaw's position who could have made the same argument before Congress Tuesday?


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BEARS SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE TO PREPARE FOR LOSING TANK by Michael David Smith

No one in the Bears' front office or coaching staff could have known that defensive tackle Tank Johnson would get stopped by police less than 24 hours after leaving Chicago at the end of the team's offseason activities. But given his past history, they had to know there was a good chance that Johnson would get in trouble at some point during the offseason, and that such trouble would prevent him from playing a down in 2007.

So why didn't they do more to bolster their defensive tackle rotation this offseason?

Mike Mulligan writes in Wednesday's Chicago Sun-Times that the loss of Johnson is no big deal because the Bears already have four defensive tackles they like: Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams, Antonio Garay, and Dusty Dvoracek. But how confident can the Bears really be in that defensive tackle rotation? Harris is coming off a serious hamstring injury. Adams, a free-agent addition from the 49ers, lost his starting job in San Francisco last year and will be learning a new defense. Garay has played in eight games in his career. Dvoracek has never played in an NFL game.

After Harris and Johnson, the next two members of last year's defensive tackle rotation were Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone. Both signed elsewhere as free agents, meaning the Bears are one Harris injury away from being without their top four defensive tackles from 2006.

Before Johnson was sentenced to jail for a probation violation in March, coach Lovie Smith took the witness stand to say, "Tank Johnson's a good guy." Even if he really believed that, and really believed Johnson wouldn't get in trouble again, Johnson had done enough that Smith and the Bears' front office should have had a backup plan in place.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 12:34 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:14 p.m. EDT, June 29, 2007

PARCELLS WAS OK WITH PACMAN, BUT NOT TANK, HENRY OR ODELL by Michael David Smith

Disputing a previous report from Matt Mosley of ESPN.com, Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that the Cowboys have no interest in acquiring Tank Johnson, the defensive tackle who was waived by the Bears this week and will have to serve an eight-game suspension before he can play again.

"Any interest would be pretty minimal right now," Cowboys director of scouting Jeff Ireland tells Galloway. "There were a lot of issues coming out of college with this guy, and now it's been compounded by what went on with the Bears. I don't think we'd be interested at all."

The most interesting angle of Galloway's piece is his insight into the Cowboys' preparations for the 2004 and 2005 NFL drafts. Per Galloway, then-coach Bill Parcells told the Cowboys' scouting department in 2004 that he wanted Johnson in "The Box," which was the term Parcells used for players he considered undraftable because of personal issues. The Bears ultimately drafted Johnson in the second round.

Parcells proved to be right about Johnson, and he was right again the next year, when he told the scouts he wanted Georgia linebacker Odell Thurman and West Virginia wide receiver Chris Henry off the Cowboys' board. The Bengals took Thurman in the second round and Henry in the third; both have had significant off-field problems.

But as for the other high-profile problem child from the 2005 draft? Galloway writes that Parcells was OK with having West Virginia cornerback Pacman Jones on the Cowboys' board, adding, "The Cowboys missed Pacman's assortment of problems in their character research for the 2005 draft."

There's really no way that's true -- Jones's off-field problems were widely reported before the draft, and it's impossible that the Cowboys or any other NFL team could have gone into the draft not knowing about them. A better way of saying it would be that Parcells knew about Pacman's assortment of problems but thought his talent was so great that he was worth the risk. As it turns out, no matter how great the talent, he wasn't worth it. But it says a lot about that talent that a coach like Parcells was willing to look past Pacman's problems.


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CULPEPPER GRIEVANCE HEARING TODAY by Michael David Smith

An arbitrator will hear Daunte Culpepper's grievance today, giving the quarterback the opportunity to explain why he thinks the Dolphins should be forced to give him his release.

The arbitrator will hear from Culpepper and NFL Players' Association lawyer Richard Berthelsen, as well as representatives from the Dolphins and the NFL Management Council. At issue is the Dolphins' refusal to allow Culpepper to take part in practices.

"If he isn't being allowed to practice, there is no way he can compete," Berthelsen said then. "He's being employed as a skilled football player, and unless they're going to let him be one, he should be released."

It has been clear since the Dolphins first started making eyes at quarterback Trent Green that they had no intention of going into the 2007 season with Culpepper as their quarterback, but they'd like to hold onto his rights for as long as they can to see if they can get anything of value for him in a trade. Arbitrator John Feerick is the same arbitrator who ruled for quarterback Steve McNair in a similar grievance against the Titans last year.

But the difference between the cases is that last year, the Titans barred McNair from their facilities completely. The Dolphins are willing to allow Culpepper to work out at the team's facilities, but they say they haven't cleared him medically for practice.

No matter what happens with the grievance, Culpepper won't be a Dolphin in September. But the arbitrator will determine whether the player or the team gets to determine when Culpepper leaves Miami and where he goes next.


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POSTED 9:47 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:40 a.m. EDT, June 29, 2007

NFL EUROPA SAYS FAREWELL

As we reported on Thursday, NFL Europa on Friday has announced its demise.

Now we can exhale.

We were nervous because Thursday quotes from Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson indicated that nothing was imminent. And since he's never wrong, we thought that maybe our information was flawed.

But, for a change, it wasn't. NFL Europa is no more.


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THE NETWORK IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PHONE

Picture, if you will, a Ferrari with all of the latest bells and whistles crammed into the oversized casket in which the driver squeezes his rear end.

GPS. DVD. Leather everywhere. Bright lights. Neat colors.

But then, as you put your foot on the gas, you realize that someone snuck a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle engine under the hood.

Keep that image in mind if you're thinking about buying what is being hyped by the "real" media as the greatest . . . gadget . . . ever.

When going wireless, the phone is only part of the equation. The bigger factor is the network on which the phone operates.

And because the folks at Apple were primarily interested in cashing in on the whole "i" brand, the only network that ultimately opted to cave in to Apple's exorbitant financial expectations is the network that, without a fancy device to lure people in, doesn't have much to offer by way of speed and performance.

So before jumping into the lemming parade and plunking down a bunch of money on a grown-up's toy that might convince the folks at the reunion that you somehow turned out to be "cool" after all, do some research and make a smart decision not just as to the phone that you purchase, but as to the network on which it will operate.

We're confident that your research will lead you to conclude that Sprint is the right choice. With a wide array of phones that do as much if not more than the greatest . . . gadget . . . ever and a superior, faster network, the folks who "get it" will be getting (or keeping) Sprint phones.

Yeah, we're offering up this blurb because Sprint and Nextel are the official telecommunications sponsors of ProFootbalTalk.com. But they don't tell us what to say or how to say it. And we don't say anything that we don't personally believe.


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FRIDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Maryland OT Robert Gaither is officially in the supplemental draft.

The Dolphins apparently want to assemble a team of good character (but they're applying a one-time exemption for Joey Porter).

The Rams have signed third-round CB Jonathan Wade.

Tanks for nothing, Danny.

The daughter of former NFL lineman Luis Sharpe has been murdered at 23.

Bears coach Lovie Smith will start the engines for the NASCAR Nextel Cup race in Chicago on July 15.

Individual-game tickets for the Bears' Soldier Field slate go on sale July 21.

The Titans have hired a couple of scouts.

Tank Johnson might be wise to avoid going home for Thanksgiving.


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POSTED 7:58 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:29 a.m. EDT, June 29, 2007

MORE MOSS HYPE

As the fans of the New England Patriots continue to anticipate the impact of receiver Randy Moss, yet another reason has emerged for folks to eagerly await the coming show.

John Tomase of the Boston Herald reports that an NFL scout who has watched Moss "extensively" throughout his career believes that one of Randy's greatest strengths is his ability to read defenses.

"It's kind of interesting, because I hear people say he doesn't know how to run routes and all this other stuff," said the scout. "But he's one of the few guys I know of in this league who when defenses line up, he knows what coverage it is.

"[Cris] Carter caught a whole lot of footballs by telling the quarterback what the coverage was going to be. So to say the guy doesn't know how to run routes and he's not this and he's not that, those things are totally false. I don't know how many guys you know who can line up and tell the quarterback what the coverage is, but Randy is one of them."

Though the scout disputes the notion that Moss can be a problem in the locker room, we know from watching Moss live, and from talking to scouts we know in the league, that one of his biggest flaws is his pre-snap demeanor. When the ball is coming to him, he tends to run out of the huddle. When the ball isn't coming to him, he saunters. The fact that he still makes plenty of catches despite the fact that his opponents surely know this is further evidence of his overall skills.

But he'd be even better if he ran hard out of the huddle before every play. And if he ran hard off of the line on every play.


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TEXANS' SELLOUT STRING IN JEOPARDY

Though the Houston Texans like to boast about the fact that they've had 50 straight sellouts in five years of existence, there's a chance that the number might not get much higher. Or any higher.

Thanks to a head's-up from a reader, it appears that the Texans are having trouble selling their season tickets. Currently, "less than 2,000" are available, which means that as many as 1,999 are left -- despite the prior existence of a "priority wait list."

So the inference that can be drawn is that, after a chunk of last year's season-ticket holders passed on renewing and after the folks on the waiting list got their chance to buy tickets, there are still about $1 million worth of unsold season seats.

But should any of this be surprising to anyone? After three years of improvement, the Texans tanked in 2005, and then committed the football equivalent of passing on Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson by leaving Reggie Bush and Vince Young on the draft board in April 2006. If either of those guys were playing in Houston, we suspect that every 2007 game would be already sold out.

As it stands, it could be that the only 2007 games that will be fully sold out will be those in which Bush and Young will make their visits to town.


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POSTED 9:03 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:34 p.m. EDT, June 28, 2007

MOMENTUM FOR NFL MINOR LEAGUE BUILDS

Once upon a time, pro football agent Ron Del Duca wrote an item for this site advocating the replacement of NFL Europe with a true minor league system.

More than three years after the fact, reality could be catching up with Del Duca's idea.

Under the plan first proposed by Del Duca back in 2004, NFL Europe would be scuttled. In its place, a true NFL minor league would be created, and it would play games in the fall. The system would allow NFL teams to allocate players to the minor league, and call them up as needed.

We're now told that a growing number of NFL management types are in favor of launching such a venture. The value is that the players would be able to fully participate in the offseason program, and then get live game reps during football season, at a time when they otherwise would be hanging around and waiting for guys on the 53-man roster to get hurt.

The teams would be based in cities that don't currently have NFL teams, and every team would allocate its practice squad to the minor league. With 32 NFL franchises having eight guys on their practice squads, that's 256 players right out of the gates. The rest of the minor league could be made up of guys who have yet to make the cut in the pros, and who otherwise might be fodder for the soon-to-be-former NFL Europa.

Eight teams would be an ideal starting point, and the games could be played in the middle of the week. Since Tuesday and Wednesday evenings typically feature no college or pro football broadcasts, a middle-of-the-week television schedule would be ideal.

One of the potential barriers to the creation of a true NFL minor league is the reported plan of a new league, the UFL, to drop teams in several non-NFL cities and lure some of the same guys who would otherwise be courted by the NFL's junior circuit. The mere establishment of an NFL minor league could be interpreted as a sign that the NFL is worried about the UFL, and the NFL won't want to create that impression.

So while we believe that it's a great idea to develop a true NFL minor league, we think that it won't happen unless and until the coming UFL experiment crashes and burns.

In other words, the NFL minor league will launch in 2010.


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MORE EVIDENCE OF COMING DEPARTURE OF NFL EUROPA

Though a Thursday afternoon item featuring quotes from Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson suggests that NFL Europa is dying but not yet dead (contrary to our report that the death certificate will be dated June 29), there's more evidence that the NFL is poised to pull the plug on its 15-year foreign experiment.

In a Wednesday item from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Vikings V.P. of player personnel Rick Spielman hints at one of the devices that will be used to increase European interest in the NFL once the European NFL league is no more.

"We may be involved with an international player that would be joining us for the whole year and be a part of our practice squad," Spielman told Sid Hartman of the Star-Tribune. "It's kind of an NFL initiative to develop European players, and our division is one of the divisions that will host an international player, which gives you an extra practice squad guy for the entire year."

As to NFL Europa, Peterson says that some NFL owners want to scrap it. "We're not in a place, very frankly, where we're breaking even," Peterson told Bloomberg.com. Peterson also said that the NFL will be studying financial reports before making any decisions about the league.

Of course, those two statements are inherently contradictory. If it's been determined that NFL Europa isn't breaking even, what further study of the financial reports needs to be made? (Maybe Peterson simply hopes to trade NFL Europa to the NHL for a second-round draft pick.)

Anyway, there would be no need for the NFL to develop European players if there was a European league in which they could be developed. So it's becoming more obvious that Europa is finito, and we hope like hell that it happens on Friday since, you know, we've kind of said that it will.

UPDATE: As it turns out, the NFL has been allocating several international players to NFL practice squads annually since 2004. So there's no connection between the presence of international players in the NFC North and the fate of NFL Europa. We apologize for the error.


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POSTED 5:31 p.m. EDT, June 28, 2007

FINS FLUSH FRED

The Miami Dolphins have dumped defensive tackle Fred Evans, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Evans was arrested Saturday on multiple charges, and it was later revealed that he pleaded guilty to marijuana possession earlier in the year.

On the heels of the arrest, Fins coach Cam Cameron issued an ominous statement, indicating that Evans would not escape scrutiny in the same way that linebacker Joey Porter did after he was charged with battery in Vegas, due to beating the stripes off of Bengals tackle Levi Jones.

Evans is the latest NFL player to be cut by his team following an arrest. The fact that the NFLPA has not challenged the decisions of teams to cut guys like Ahmad Carroll and A.J. Nicholson and E.J. Kuale and Richard Seigler and Tank Johnson suggests to us that the union realizes that a team has the right to terminate the contract of a player who gets in trouble off of the field. Not long ago, it was widely believed that individual teams did not have that authority, and that discipline for off-field antics was within the exclusive domain of the Commissioner.


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NOW WE KNOW WHY THEY CALL HIM "WOODY"

Since it's a sssslow football week, we can take a break from our usual habit of talking about the NFL and goofing on the media that covers it to, well, goof on the media that covers it.

Per the AP (hat tip to the dudes at Deadspin), a makeup artist who worked on the set of ESPN2's now-defunct Cold Pizza has sued ESPN, host Jay Crawford, and Woody Paige for sexual harassment.

The plaintiff, Rita Ragone, alleges that she was fired after complaining about crude comments from host Jay Crawford and pinching and fondling from Woody Paige.

Paige allegedly grabbed Ragone's backside so forcefully on one occasion that she was "propelled forward and into the air." (Maybe his new nickname should be "The Catapult." Or maybe just something simple like "Unfunny Allegedly Dirty Old Man With A Turtle Neck, But No Sweater.")

She also claims that Paige made vulgar comments about her appearance, and that Crawford repeatedly made sexual advances to her.

Paige told the AP by e-mail that the allegations are untrue, and ESPN issued the perfunctory "the suit is without merit" statement.

And, for all we know, the suit very well could be without merit. But we can't think of a single company that has ever said "oh crap, she got us" in response to a lawsuit.


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POSTED 12:32 p.m. EDT, June 28, 2007

CONGRESS WILL CONSIDER LEGISLATION TO FORCE NFLPA'S HAND by Michael David Smith

The NFL Players Association and its executive director, Gene Upshaw, frequently say there are limits to what it can do for retired players because, by law, the union only represents active players.

That's what Douglas Ell a lawyer representing the NFL's disability plan, said in Congressional testimony Tuesday. But when you tell Congress you can't do something because of the law, Congress can tell you they'll be more than happy to change the law.

"I understand 'legally,'" U.S. Rep. William Delahunt told Ell when Ell said there were limits, legally, to what the retirement plan can do. "We can change the law. We can change the law here. That's what we're doing."

Alan Schwarz of the New York Times reports today that three members of the subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law say they would consider legislation if the league and the union don't improve their treatment of retired players.

Chairwoman Linda Sanchez (D-California) was measured in her comments but indicated that Congressional action is possible. Sanchez told Schwarz, "I think they do need to be worried that they've got someone looking over their shoulder. I don't want to threaten them and say we've got this legislation lined up, because that's not the case at this point. We're still in a very preliminary stage. We're giving them the opportunity, and I hope they’re taking it."

Per Schwarz, NFL spokesman Joe Browne said of Delahunt, "If he and other members want to change the National Labor Relations Act for retired N.F.L. players and retired employees in other industries, that is their prerogative."


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SHOWDOWN LOOMING FOR STEELERS, POLAMALU? by Michael David Smith

John Harris of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review raises the question today of whether the Steelers should be worried about Marvin Demoff, the agent who represents safety Troy Polamalu.

Harris notes that Polamalu's contract expires after the 2007 season, and that the Steelers would prefer to get a deal done before the season. Harris says the Steelers won't negotiate during the season, so the September 9 opener is the deadline for a deal to get done, or else the Steelers would have to slap the franchise tag on Polamalu in 2008 or risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent.

But there doesn't seem to be much news here, other than the fact that, like all players, Polamalu would like to be well compensated and that, like all teams, the Steelers would like to keep one of their top players without breaking the bank.

Harris draws a comparison between Polamalu and Rod Woodson, another Demoff client, who held out before signing his rookie contract with the Steelers in 1987. But the Woodson case couldn't be more different. Woodson held out until late October of 1987 for two reasons that have no bearing at all on Polamalu's situation: First, Woodson and Demoff wanted to see how the 1987 NFL players' strike would affect rookie salaries, and they thought they'd be in a better bargaining position once the league and the union had resolved that issue. Second, Woodson was a two-sport athlete who had the option of running track professionally in Europe, which at the time could provide a salary competitive with what the Steelers were offering him.

The NFL players aren't about to go on strike, and Polamalu isn't about to start playing a different sport, making any comparison with Woodson's 1987 situation meaningless.

Bottom line: A contract extension for Polamalu should be a high priority for the Steelers and is an issue to keep an eye on, but we're still a few months away from the point where anyone needs to worry about a contract stalemate.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 9:17 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:40 a.m. EDT, July 6, 2007

FEDS BACK AT VICK PROPERTY

WAVY-TV reports that federal authorities are searching again the Surry County, Virginia of Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

Citing unnamed sources, WAVY-TV says that agents are "looking for more animal remains buried on the property."

The "more" is significant, because it has not yet been reported with certainty that any animal remains were found when feds searched the property for the first time last month. WVEC-TV at one point posted an item on its web site suggesting that ESPN Radio had reported the removal of carcasses from the property, but WVEC later explained that the report of the report was erroneous.

With that said, video of from last month's search by federal officials contained images of a worker fitting himself with a mouth/nose mask (despite 90-degree temperatures), and one of the agents was quoted as saying, "I hope I never see this place again."

UPDATE: Video on WAVY-TV's web site shows agents digging at the site, and sifting through the dirt in search of dog remains. Some are wearing masks -- and not paper mouth-and-nose masks, but full-blown WWI-style gas masks. (Maybe they've finally found the WMDs.)


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THIS JOB IS EASIER THAN IT LOOKS, OR SOMETHING

Writing about sports is fun. (Wow, that sentence will get us at the top of the Pulitzer ballot.) But it's not easy. Before making any factual assertion, the writer has to be certain that the factual assertion is correct.

Having a good memory helps. Thinking that your memory is better than it really is doesn't. We've learned this the hard way too many times, by stating a fact that we were convinced was true, only to receive 94 e-mails reminding us of how stoopid we really are.

We mention this because we've received an e-mail complaining not about us (for a change) but about Bucky Brooks, a former NFL receiver whose work recently began popping up on SI.com. In a preview of the AFC South, Brooks makes this observation about the Jaguars' top two safeties: "First-round picks Reggie Nelson and Gerald Sensabaugh are slated to man the deep positions in the secondary. Though they have great athleticism and potential, both enter the season with zero combined career starts."

The only problem? Sensabaugh has TEN career starts. He started seven games in 2006, two regular-season games in 2005, and the team's lone playoff game in 2005.

It took about five minutes to find that information on the Intergoogle. If a guy is going to write about football as his primary professional pursuit, he needs to be willing to spend that extra time -- and he needs to be able to recognize those occasions where his own beliefs about a given fact might require confirmation.

And the reality that SI.com has editors and fact-checkers and other people whom the company can afford to issue paychecks doesn't mean that writers should rely on someone else to catch the mistake.

Earlier in that same quote, Brooks suggests that Reggie Nelson and Sensabaugh were both first-round picks. Nelson was; Sensabaugh wasn't. Though the attachment of the "s" to the word "pick" might have been a typo (and we no a things or to about typoes), someone on the payroll should have caught it. Preferably, the guy whose name is at the top of it.


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OH NO HE DIDN'T

We mentioned on Thursday that the sole redeeming quality of ESPN's ridiculous "Who's Now" feature was that Steve Levy teased the outcome of the voting with an homage (inadvertent or otherwise) to our pal Len Pasquarelli.

Said Levy, "Who's moving on? Who's moving out?"

We didn't catch the full hour of SportsCenter this morning, but Levy said it again -- though with a bit less gusto.

Frankly, we don't know whether Levy knew about the "move on or move out" thing before he uttered the catch phrase the first time, and we don't know whether someone told him that we pointed it out on Thursday. But we do know that plenty of folks in Bristol eyeball this space from time to time (or more often), and we also know that Len's radio rant raised a lot of eyebrows there when we first posted it last year.


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POSTED 7:09 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:12 p.m. EDT, July 5, 2007

NO NEW CHARGES FOR TANK

Former Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson will not be charged in the wake of last month's stop in Arizona resulting in a test that showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.072 percent.

Though he was under the legal limit by 0.008 percent (i.e., the amount of alcohol in the haze of a moderate burp), he could have faced prosecution under Arizona law prohibiting "impairment to the slightest degree."

"I am not surprised by this decision, but I am relieved," Johnson said in a statement. "I am still disappointed at having been released by the Bears yet I know the organization was placed in a difficult position when I was stopped by police. Now I will move on [or move out] to look for an opportunity with another NFL team, and make the most of it when it comes."

But when will the time come? Any team that signs Tank must do without him for eight weeks of the regular season. Indeed, the eight-game suspension doesn't begin to run until he has a new home.

We continue to think that the Buccaneers are a candidate for his services, given that coach Jon Gruden is facing a win-or-else reality in Tampa. Other teams that have been mentioned as possible destinations include the Cowboys. Some of our readers think that the Redskins would be willing to give Tank a try, due to the team's desperate need for quality defensive linemen.

If Tank finds no takers by September, he should offer to sit out all of the 2007 season in exchange for receipt of a free and clear return in 2008.


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2007 ALL-TURD TEAM IS COMING

Another way that we like to pass the dead time between the end of OTAs and the opening of training camps is through the issuance of our annual All-Turd team.

The 2007 version will be followed by an updated All-Time All-Turd team, and a few new Hall of Fame inductees, who are named on the weekend of the annual festivities in Canton.

Last year's "honorees" were O.J. Simpson, Lance Rentzel, Mossy Cade, Rafael Septien, and Rae Carruth.


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THURSDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Please be interested in the Dallas Desperados. (Please.)

EA Sports is leveling the playing field between Grampa and Junior.

The Atlanta Falcons are full of Kinoshita.

Georgia Tech won't miss Lions WR Calvin Johnson, primarily because they didn't have anyone who could get the ball to him on a consistent basis.

The Packers are returning to City Stadium for a July 31 practice.

Former Bengal Jason Berryman was cited for driving with a suspended license and failing to obey a stop sign after an automobile accident. [Editor's note: A prior version of this entry incorrectly identified Berryman as a current member of the team. Our bad.]

Should the Rams pay big money for Marc Bulger?

The Dolphins playbook might drive former BYU QB John Beck to drink. (A soda.)

The Vikings have dumped S Andre Maddox.

Coach Donut ain't leaving South Bend.

One guy in London can only name one member of the Miami Dolphins -- Joe Montana.

Former NFL coach June Jones is having trouble finding opponents to play his Hawaii team: "They come here, we kick their ass, they go home." (Yeah, but at least they get lei-d. Rim shot!).

Among the fan questions not answered by Steelers RB Willie Parker? "Hey, didn't you sign with the Redskins last year?"

We think that getting a security pat-down before entering a football game is slightly less intrusive than, say, getting blown up.


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POSTED 6:44 p.m. EDT, July 5, 2007

PACMAN TWISTS IN THE WIND

The freedom of Titans cornerback Pacman Jones, and possibly his entire football career, now hinges on the outcome of felony charges filed against him in Las Vegas.

On Thursday, a judge in Tennessee decided to wait until the new charges are resolved before decided whether Jones violated the terms of a deal that would have resulted in the dismissal of past charges arising from an August 2006 incident outside of a nightclub if Jones were able to stay out of trouble for six months.

The Tennessee judge will revisit the situation on January 3.

It's unclear whether the Vegas situation will be resolved by then. Jones has a constitutional right to a speedy trial, but the term "speedy" is at times more malleable (thanks, Tiki) than hot taffy.

On one hand, it is in Jones' best football interests to get to trial ASAFP, since a full acquittal could get him back on the field before the end of the 2007 season. On the other hand, rushing to trial prematurely could leave Jones more susceptible to a conviction, if his lawyer doesn't have enough time to properly work up a defense to the two counts of felony coercion.

Through it all, Jones remains upbeat.

"I'm going to get through [the charges]," he said. Asked whether he is confident that he'll play pro football again, Jones said, "Of course I am."

The reality, however, is that if he goes down on these Vegas charges, the only team he'll ever be playing football for again is the one that is providing a tune-up for the guards.


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POSTED 2:33 p.m. EDT, July 5, 2007

RAIDER BUSTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Raiders defensive end Bryant McNeal has been arrested in South Carolina on multiple outstanding warrants. Pulled over at 3:35 a.m. EDT for driving on a suspended license and driving without a headlight, McNeal was taken into custody on Florida charges based on violation of pawn brokering laws.

In March 2007, a warrant was issued in Richland County, South Carolina on charges that McNeal wrote a $1,500 bad check to a dental office.

We'll tally up the Turd Watch points as more information about the charges comes in. And we'll zero out the "days without an arrest" counter.

McNeal is listed as a current member of the Raiders roster. He was signed to the team's practice squad in 2006, and appeared in no games. He dressed out for several games with the Broncos in 2003, but did not play. He was on the Bucs' roster in 2004, but was never active on game day). McNeal was out of the NFL in 2005.


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POSTED 12:58 p.m. EDT, July 5, 2007

SPECULATION CONTINUES THAT BELICHICK IS DONE AFTER 2007

Largely due to the fact that the question of the number of years remaining on New England coach Bill Belichick's contract is guarded almost as closely as the codes for the nuclear football, the unknown status of Belichik's future tenure invites constant speculation.

The current speculation in some league and media circles is that Belichick's contract with the Pats expires after the 2007 season, and that he will leave. The fact that the Pats have loaded the cannon via free agency and trades, adding folks like linebacker Adalius Thomas and receivers Randy Moss (who coincidentally has a one-year deal), Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker, and Kelley Washington, has only intensified beliefs that Belichick wants to make a run at a fourth Super Bowl victory before walking away.

But while some think he will retire, others believe that he'll take a new job. One prominent national media type has suggested to us that Belichick would like to be the first coach to win a Super Bowl in each conference.

To make that happen, Belichick would have to land in the NFC. The most obvious place for him to go is back to New York, given that he was the defensive coordinator for the Giants when the team won championships in 1986 and 1990. But some believe that his entanglement with former Giants receptionist Sharon Shenocca will keep the Mara family from approving the move.

The source who thinks that Belichick craves an NFC Super Bowl win thinks that Washington, Dallas, Carolina, and Tampa are the potential destinations. We'll also throw the Vikings into the mix, since owner Zygi Wilf is a life-long Giants fan who once waited outside of a bathroom to get Lawrence Taylor's autograph. (We hope L.T. washed his hands before he grabbed the pen.) Wilf is wise enough to heed the quiet criticism of current coach Brad Childress, even if the rest of the front office is doing their best to prop up the field boss for fear of being run out the door if a guy like Belichick were to come to town.

Anyway, it's all speculation for now. But unless and until someone says that Belichick is under contract beyond 2007 with the Pats and plans to honor it, the two Bills -- Belichick and Cowher -- should be penciled in at the top of the list for the 2008 coaching carousel.


POSTED 10:06 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:31 a.m. EDT, July 5, 2007

MIKE BROWN PULLS A SCHOTT?

We recently pointed out in this space the owner rankings that have been complied by Michael Silver of SI.com. Though plenty of readers have carped to us about the placement of the folks who own their favorite teams, we're not here to quibble with the manner in which Silver listed them. Would we have produced a different list? Sure. Does the topic interest us enough to do so? No.

But what is interesting to us is the text that Silver inserted for the low man on the NFL ownership totem pole, Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals. Specifically:

"In the midst of a complaint about the current stadium-building plan that is part of the league's revenue-sharing arrangement, Brown was reminded by a fellow owner that he had taken advantage of the same plan (and a provision that allowed him to waive the club-seat premiums that normally go to visiting teams) upon opening Paul Brown Stadium several years earlier. According to a witness, Brown replied, 'Look, it seemed like a good thing in the beginning. A lot of people think a lot of things are good in the beginning. A lot of people thought Hitler was good in the beginning.'"

One of those people was late Reds owner Marge Schott. In 1996, Schott said that Hitler was "good at the beginning" but then "went too far."

So what gives here? Was Brown offering up an homage to Schott? Or is it merely a coincidence that multiple owners of professional sports teams in Cincinnati independently believe that a miniseries about Eva Braun might be a good idea, after all?

The third possibility is that Silver's source got the facts bungled a bit. Brown might have said something like, "Remember what Marge Schott said -- even Hitler was good in the beginning."

Regardless, we're surprised that no one has noticed the fact that the owner of Cincinnati's NFL team, which currently is the poster child for bad behavior off of the field, would offer up a comment virtually identical to the one that created a media firestorm eleven years ago when it came from the mouth of the former owner of Cincinnati's MLB team. Could it be that the supposedly liberal media is anything but liberal as to the topic of whether a crotchety old woman should be occupying such a high position in an industry dominated by greedy old men?

In other words, was the media looking for anything and everything negative that could be pointed out publicly about Schott, because the media simply didn't believe that she "fit in"? And was the general disdain for Schott the product of the fact that she was female, or because she was generally unlikable, regardless of gender?

Hey, it's a compelling topic for a sssslow NFL news day. Alternatively, we could debate whether Steve Nash or Serena Williams is more "NOW!" -- or we could take bets on how long it would take Serena to beat the snot out of Steve.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 11:40 a.m. EDT, July 7, 2007

A VICK SUMMARY AND REALITY CHECK

On Friday, ESPN proclaimed that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick likely won't be indicted by federal authorities in connection with the investigation regarding the dog-fighting operation, known according to a federal complaint as "Bad Newz Kennels," that was housed on property that he owns.

On Friday night, we called out ESPN for trying to play both sides of the fence on the Vick issue, reporting on one hand that he's a "heavyweight" among dog fighters and on the other hand that he's likely to get away with it.

Apparently, the Friday night/Saturday morning mission of chief Vick apologist Len Pasquarelli was to try to harmonize the contradictory ESPN reports.

Good luck with that.

Amazingly, Len characterizes the overall events of Friday, on which federals investigators wanted to find, and did find, ten more dog carcasses in shallow graves on property that Vick owns (did we mention that he owns the property where the dead dogs were found?) as a positive for Vick, since it came with the news that he's not likely to be named in the first wave of indictments.

In the last line of the story, Len calls Friday's events a "respite" for Vick and the Falcons organization.

A respite? What will he call the day that Vick does a perp walk? A brief detour through a meadow of daisies?

Though Pasquarelli (and, vicariously, ESPN) acknowledges that Vick shouldn't exhale yet and that the "ongoing investigation" could still entangle the guy who owns the property hosting the dog fighting operation named for the slang reference to the town where he was raised, the overall tone of Len's latest item is that Vick is, was, and probably will be deemed innocent, and that anyone who thinks otherwise either is jumping to unwarranted conclusions, or is a racist.

But let's summarize the available evidence:

1. Vick owned the property from which more than 50 dogs and evidence of dog fighting were seized in late April.

2. Vick's first and only comments came two days after the initial search, when evidence and details were still sketchy. "I'm never at the house," he said on April 27. "I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing."

How in the hell could Vick know that his family members "haven't been doing the right thing" only two days after the search happened? It was, in our view, a colossal slip by Vick, since only someone who had knowledge of what was happening there would have enough information to publicly blame his family members for it.

3. Vick has only ever said "I'm never at the house." Somehow, his contention has been mangled by the "real" media into "I'm rarely at the house."

The distinction is HUGE.

In a case like this, where there likely will be no direct evidence of Vick's presence at a dog fight, circumstantial evidence is critical. Given the size and the scope of the dog fighting operation, any credible evidence to contradict his "I'm never at the house" routine is devastating to the Sgt. Schulz defense that Mike tried to float before the lawyers crammed a sock in his throat.

4. Multiple reports later surfaced from credible media operations like SI.com and ESPN's Outside the Lines linking Vick directly to dog fighting. Chris Landry of FOX Sports Radio said that Ray Buchanan of FOX Sports Radio (and formerly of the Falcons) explained during the weekend of the draft that Vick was clearly involved in dog fighting and openly talked about it in the locker room. When confronted with the issue, Buchanan gave (in our opinion) an extremely unconvincing explanation, and it was clear to us that his sole motivation was and is to avoid snitching on a current NFL player.

5. Through all of the media reports tying him to dog fighting, Vick and his handlers have not uttered a single peep. In a court of law, silence cannot be regarded as evidence of guilt. In the court of public opinion, the notion of a truly innocent man saying nothing at all as his name and reputation are dragged through the dog doo-doo by false and fabricated media reports is downright damning.

6. Federal authorities have twice been to the property, and have removed a total of 17 dog carcasses. The fact that they got what they were looking for suggests that they have an informant who is giving them solid information. Thus, it's unlikely that many (any) of those dogs died of natural causes, but that the bodies instead are evidence that (as alleged in the federal complaint filed earlier this week) the members of the Bad Newz Kennels often killed canines that had been on the losing end of a fight.

7. In June, Vick's cousin who lived at the house, Davon Boddie, gave a bizarre interview to WAVY-TV, during which he claimed that the dogs found in April had been planted on the property by folks who snuck through the woods.

Folks, if you add all that up and apply some basic common sense, it doesn't look pretty for the guy that owned the property that housed the dog-fighting operation.

Also, there's no evidence that the feds have interviewed Vick or Boddie or anyone else who knows anything about the situation. Our guess is that the authorities are wisely and prudently and patiently getting their forensic evidence buttoned up before they start turning the screws up on the suspects.

That specific aspect of the investigation could lead to all sorts of interesting outcomes. If anyone lies to investigators, they'll be subject to the Martha Stewart/Scooter Libby treatment. If they exercises their constitutional right not to speak, they are inviting indictments, since they will have provided investigators with nothing to refute any conclusions that have been drawn regarding potential guilt.

In light of everything set forth above, and given the current status of the investigation, we firmly believe that anyone who thinks that the man: (1) who owned the property; (2) who initially claimed that he never goes there; (3) who blamed his family members for "not doing the right thing" at a time when it was too early to conclude that anyone had done anything wrong; and (4) who has since kept his mouth shut in the face of damaging evidence is not the chief suspect in and ultimate target of the ongoing investigation is naive, stupid, biased, or some combination of the three.


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POSTED 7:33 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:13 a.m. EDT, July 7, 2007

FEDS FOUND WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR

The Virginian-Pilot reports that federal investigators on Friday removed 10 dog carcasses from shallow graves on property owned by Falcons quarterback Mike Vick in Surry County, Virginia.

"The found what they were looking for," a source told the Virginian-Pilot.

In June, the feds reportedly found seven dead animals on the property.

Even if Vick is ultimately not charged for the extensive dog-fighting operation housed on property that he owned, the fact that this kind of stuff was happening on real estate registered to a prominent NFL quarterback is significant, and it likely will prompt calls from animal rights groups for some type of punishment of Vick.

If Vick ultimately is indicted on dog-fighting charges, all hell could break loose, with NFL sponsors and partners rising up and demanding action.

Given that corporate sponsors were able to bully MSNBC and CBS Radio into dumping Don Imus for making an off-color joke, the NFL will find itself in a very delicate position if the guy who not long ago was one of the faces of the entire league is facing allegations that he knowingly hosted and/or participated in animal fighting.


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SATURDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

LB A.J. Nicholson is trying to work out his current legal entanglements; his attorney says that "numerous NFL teams" are interested in him.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo thinks that his team has a "shot at winning the whole thing."

KR Dan Sheldon was claimed on waivers by the Steelers after being released by the Falcons.

The Bears have dumped QB J.T. O'Sullivan.

Former NFL QB Jay Fiedler is part owner of a group that owns a CBA team.

QB Steve McNair is back at Alcorn State for a football camp.

Reggie Bush apparently will be driving a race car soon.

The Fins have bid farewell to WR Kelly Campbell.

Pacman still hasn't made himself available to authorities in DeKalb County, Georgia.

LB Dhani Jones will be dancing in Bourbon Street.

Former NFL S Doug Plank is the AFL coach of the year.


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POSTED 6:07 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 6:56 a.m. EDT, July 7, 2007

BEARS VIEWED TANK AS "CON MAN"

A league source tells us that the Chicago Bears opted to dump defensive tackle Tank Johnson only one business day after news broke last month of a speeding stop that resulted in suspicion of DUI because the team concluded that Johnson is a "con man" who cannot be trusted.

The opinion of the organization arose from Tank's public and private statements suggesting that he was putting his troubles in his past, and was planning to become a model NFL citizen -- at one point declaring that he plans to win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

But his actions told a different story. Though he ultimately was found to be within the legal limits of alcohol concentration, by the wafer-thin margin of 0.008 percent, the fact that Johnson would get behind the wheel of a car after drinking booze while on the heels of prison and an eight-game suspension told the organization all that it needed to know.

Meanwhile, several readers have asked us whether the fact that alcohol was found in Johnson's blood tank will trigger a finding that he has committed another violation of his pre-existing probation. A league source tells us that Johnson emerged from his prison stay with a clean slate, subject to no probation or other restrictions on his activities.


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POSTED 11:03 p.m. EDT, July 6, 2007; UPDATED 5:34 a.m. EDT, July 7, 2007

DOES "BAD NEWZ" EQUAL "NEWPORT NEWS"?

The complaint filed earlier this week by federal authorities hoping to assume possession of the dogs seized from Mike Vick's Surry County, Virginia property in April alleges that the dog-fighting operation there was known as the "Bad Newz Kennels."

Our own Taco Bill, who apparently spends his spare time boning up on all of the latest slang posted on the oft-hilarious Urban Dictionary, has found on the site an entry for "Newport News," the town in Virginia where Vick grew up.

The first sentence reads as follows: "Newport News, affectionately known as Bad Newz is one of Virginia's largest cities in perhaps the largest metropolitan area in Virginia."

Though this link doesn't necessarily mean that Vick was involved in the dog-fighting operation, the fact that it bears the street name of his hometown does nothing to distance him from the enterprise housed on the property he owns.

UPDATE: A reader points out that Vick's official web site lists his birthplace as "Newport News, VA a.k.a. BadNews."


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POSTED 9:04 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:19 p.m. EDT, July 6, 2007

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER SOUTH CAROLINA ARREST

For the second time in two days, an NFL player has been arrested in South Carolina.

On Thursday, it was Raiders defensive end Bryant McNeal. On Friday, Chargers rookie linebacker Anthony Waters was charged as a result of a July 3 incident in which he allegedly hit a man who allegedly threw a rock at his car.

Colby Sarvis, 18, allegedly threw the rock. Waters and a friend, Brian Rogers, then allegedly hit Waters "on his head and body."

Waters, who played college football at Clemson and was taken in the third round of the April draft by San Diego, was charged on Friday with simply assault and battery, and was released on $1,000 bond.


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PATRICK FEELING "BORED" AND "BOXED IN"?

An industry source tells us that the current will-he-or-won't-he exercise regarding ESPN's Dan Patrick arises from Patrick's feelings of being "bored" and "boxed in" after 18 years in Bristol.

The source says that Patrick has asked to be released from his contract, and that talks are ongoing.

Also, the source says that Patrick's unprecedented case of public wanderlust is supposedly not about money.

Patrick is a fixture on ESPN's signature SportsCenter broadcast, and he has a three-hour weekday show on ESPN Radio. He plays a prominent role in the ABC/ESPN coverage of the NBA, hosting the in-season studio show on ABC.


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POSTED 8:15 p.m. EDT, July 6, 2007

ESPN PLAYING BOTH SIDES OF VICK FENCE

In May, ESPN reported that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick is a heavyweight in the dog fighting world.

Now, on the same day that the federal agents returned to Vick's Surry County, Virginia property for the first time in more than four weeks to search for "more" animal remains, ESPN is reporting that Vick is unlikely to be indicted.

So, basically, the net result of ESPN's reporting is that Vick is a dog fighter, and that he will get away with his crimes.

Frankly, we don't buy it. We've inspected the documents obtained on Friday by the Associated Press, and they outline a dog-fighting operation so detailed and extensive that there's no way any reasonable person would believe that Vick was unaware of the venture, especially if those early reports from Virginia television stations regarding the frequency of his visits to the property are remotely accurate.

In support of its latest premise, ESPN's report seems to emphasize the notion that Vick isn't named in the federal complaint aimed at securing legal possession of the dogs that were seized from the property. But no one is named in the complaint. Thus, under the same reasoning, no one will be indicted.

Also, the presence of Len Pasquarelli's name in the report makes it automatically suspect, in our opinion. Pasquarelli has been the most ardent Vick apologist since news of the apparent dog-fighting operation first broke, due in large part (we believe) to Pasquarelli's friendship with Vick's agent, Joel Segal.

For the past two months, Pasquarelli has been urging folks not to jump to conclusions prematurely. So why should anyone conclude at this point that the guy who owned the property that hosted the dog fights won't be held legally responsible?

ESPN reports that at least three people are expected to be indicted. But that could merely be the first wave of the indictments. Doesn't anyone think that the folks who are charged will receive offers of leniency or immunity in exchange for giving up others who might have been involved?

And why would the feds tell the Falcons, the league, or anyone else that Vick likely won't be indicted? If that aspect of the report is true, maybe the feds are hoping that Vick will let his guard down a bit, perhaps by not focusing his efforts on ensuring that the guys who get indicted won't snitch.

The bottom line is that it's still far too early to conclude that Vick will be, or won't be, charged with a crime. And we still think that the feds got involved in this matter in order to send the strongest possible message to the rest of us regarding the connection between crime and the consequences thereof. The only way to do that is to fully and completely explore whether charges can be pursued against Vick. The only way to know that is to round up the suspects, put their nuts in a vise, and hope that someone will tell the truth about Vick's knowledge of (if any) and involvement in (if any) the dog-fighting operation that was housed on the property he owned.

But, hey, if Vick is never indicted, we will remind everyone that ESPN's report was spot on. The flip side of this coin, however, is that if/when Vick gets charged, we'll likely revisit the subject.


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POSTED 4:01 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:13 p.m. EDT, July 6, 2007

PETERSON GETS POPPED FOR 'ROIDS

The Denver Broncos have announced that defensive end Kenny Peterson has been suspended by the league for violation of the policy against anabolic steroids and related substances. The specific substance for which he apparently tested positive is not known.

He will miss the first four games of the season, but he will be eligible to practice with the team and participate in preseason games. The suspension kicks in as of August 31.

Peterson, a third-round pick of the Packers, signed with the Broncos last September.

Unlike the substance abuse policy, which has multiple levels that apply before a suspension, the steroids policy calls for a suspension upon the first violation.

But, hey, at least he can now have the Commissioner declare that he has passed every other steroids test that the NFL has ever imposed on him.


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PATRICK LOOKING FOR A JIM ROME GIG?

An industry source tells us that the belief in radio-TV circles is that Dan Patrick wants to leave ESPN in order to form a syndicated weekday radio show, a la the Jim Rome franchise.

The source says that Patrick also plans to try to land his own television show, which would feature sports-related interviews and debates and what-not.

The source also tells us that the announcement, which was supposed to be made on July 3, has been delayed because ESPN is trying to persuade/strong-arm him into staying put.

Hey, if he's leaving Bristol, we hope that this is what he plans to do. We figure that The Price is Right probably pays pretty darn well, but, after all, it's The Price is Right. Dan simply doesn't strike us as a guy who's looking to appeal to the least common denominator crowd.

However it turns out, we wish him only the best, and we say that with (for a change) absolutely no sarcasm.


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POSTED 2:38 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 3:24 p.m. EDT, July 6, 2007

POINDEXTER TAKES ANOTHER SHOT AT FEDS

On the same day that federal agents emerged from nearly a month of silence to return to the Surry County, Virginia property of Falcons quarterback Mike Vick to search (reportedly) for "more" animal remains, local prosecutor Gerald Poindexter couldn't resist the opportunity to run his mouth -- and to further confirm our belief that he was and is unfit to properly manage such a high-profile investigation.

"I don't know what they're doing," he said, according to WAVY-TV. "They haven't arrested anybody. Why don't you find out why they haven't arrested anyone yet?"

Poindexter previously suggested that the federal investigation might be motivated by race. His latest remarks could be evidence of frustration regarding the criticism that was heaped upon him in light of the appearance that he was dragging his feet in the early stages of the investigation. The feds haven't been moving any faster, but their decision to refrain from talking to the media about the matter has largely insulated the Department of Agriculture's team from criticism.

Poindexter, in contrast, was talking about the case on a near-daily basis, and regularly contradicting himself.

As to the question that Poindexter has posed, the feds won't answer it. Indeed, if/when the feds arrest someone, there likely won't be any advance press release or warning. That's the smart way to do it, and Poindexter would be wise to watch and learn.


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COWBOYS, DON'T LET YOUR MAMAS GROW UP TO BE CRIMINALS

At a time when more and more NFL players are getting in trouble with the law, the virus apparently is spreading to other members of their families.

On Thursday, the mother of Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was arrested for theft of $5,500 from someone else's bank account.

Kimberly Witten allegedly made 25 withdrawals from the account, beginning in November 2006. She claims that she obtained the account information from a statement mistakenly delivered to her mail box.

We don't buy it, and neither did the prosecutor who has charged her with 25 counts of forgery and theft.

The Cowboys earn zero Turd Watch points for this development, since Mrs. Witten isn't an employee of the team.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 10:02 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:51 a.m. EDT, July 11, 2007

VICK NO LONGER THE FACE OF THE FRANCHISE?

One thing that we noticed (and that a couple of readers have pointed out to us) regarding the brand new Atlanta Falcons web site is that not a single photo of or reference to Mike Vick appears on the front page.

Is it a coincidence? Or is it a subtle recognition by the team that, regardless of whether Vick gets indicted or remains the starting quarterback for the balance of the decade, it's no longer wise nor prudent to market the franchise by plastering his image on it?

One PFT reader who recently received an invitation by e-mail from the team to migrate from the waiting list to the ranks of the season-ticket holders offered up the following response:

"Thank you for the update. However, after receiving your email and talking it over with my family we are going to ask to be removed from this list. Given the current state of the Michael Vick dog fighting investigation, along with a preponderance of evidence pointing to knowledge of this horrific activity, we are going to decline to support or watch the Atlanta Falcons until he is off the team. While he may never actually be found guilty of these crimes, it is simply our opinion that he holds some level of responsibility for what happened on his property. And his continued 'play dumb' routine, and the inaction of the Atlanta Falcon organization is just too much for us to ignore.

"We are not so naive as to think that our opinion really matters in the grand scheme of things. And I'm sure that it is a very delicate matter and difficult time for the Atlanta Falcons family right now, but as parents of impressionable children we cannot support a team that would make such a man the face of its organization. That's all it really boils down to. So in the mean time we're just going to focus our fanfare and attention on the NCAA Football season."

We don't know how many similar messages the team has received, but we have a feeling that they've gotten more than a few. And that they'll get more, especially as more and more people read about the details of the dog fighting operation at Vick's property in Surry County, Virginia.

This morning, we received an e-mail from one of our regulars about the situation. Here's what he had to say:

"Thanks for the brief but effective paragraphs from the Federal investigation of that sorry son of a bitch, Michael Vick. I have written you several times over the years, but today I do with tears in my eyes. As you may remember, I'm a retired/disabled police officer with 27 yrs on the street experience and I am a pit bull owner of two of the prettiest, friendliest, red-nosed pits on the planet. These two dogs wouldn't bite a flea. And I'm appalled. To strangle, suffocate, drown an injured dog or any other animal is the cruelest, most sadistic way to finish an animal. As I've also written you that gambling is the only motive for dog fighting, I do hope the Feds get Vick for income tax evasion along with other felony charges. That son of a bitch should be sent to prison for many years attached to the rape stand."

Said another reader regarding the manner in which the dogs were killed: "My God, who are the animals here?"

We've also had a few readers call for us to organize a boycott of attending or viewing Falcons games, and a boycott of NFL sponsors, unless and until Vick is suspended or cut. However, we think that taking such a stand is premature. If/when Vick is indicted, the time will arise to monitor very closely the team's and the league's reaction, and to decide whether they have done enough. (But we guarantee that Len Pasquarelli will instantly be on the air reminder us all that a good and motivated prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, and then Len will drool all over himself after saying the word "ham").

If the investigation concludes without an indictment of Vick, the question becomes a bit more complex. So we'll wrestle with the issue of whether the lack of criminal liability completely excuses the fact that Vick owned the land where dogs were being fought and murdered if/when there's a need to do so.


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WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The police report regarding Tank Johnson's Arizona incident reveals that he failed the field sobriety test and lied about whether he had been drinking. (Hey, Carol Slezak -- do you have anything more to say?)

Bengals LB Odell Thurman, who has been doing construction work during his one-year suspension from the NFL, could be reinstated as soon as today.

Letting the least drunk guy drive the car should never be confused with the concept of doing "the right thing."

The league office will review the DUI by consent charge that was dismissed against Ravens QB Steve McNair, but it is unlikely that he will be disciplined.

Camp Tomlin will feature 15 days of two-a-days.

Was the decision of Coach Kevlar to cancel the final day of a three-day mandatory minicamp a reflection of the team's hard work? "It's probably a reflection that he's playing in the [Lake] Tahoe golf tournament and he's got a practice round," said S John Lynch.

Some retired NFL players are still healthy enough to chase down guys who like to give the thing some air.

A woman swiped 24 Steelers jerseys from a Pittsburgh-area mall. (Is Lou Holtz a suspect?)

Broncos TE Tony Scheffler (broken foot) should be ready for training camp.

The Raiders are holding a punt, pass, and kick competition on August 4 for kids age eight to 15. (The winner gets an iPod; second place is a contract with the team.)

The Lions' camp arm this year will be J.T. O'Sullivan.

The Giants have signed the 2006 version of Mr. Irrelvant.

The Titans have signed a couple of their draft picks.

Broncos WR Brandon Marshall reinjured his thigh on Tuesday.


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POSTED 8:33 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:42 a.m. EDT, July 10, 2007

PACMAN GET PULLED OVER AGAIN

The AP reports that Titans cornerback Pacman Jones was pulled over last month because the license plate on the orange Lamborghini he was driving was for a different vehicle. A court appearance is scheduled for August 10.

The story was first reported by WKRN-TV in Nashville.

Jones had switched the plate from one of his other vehicles. Our guess? He never bothered to license the pricey ride in order to avoid having to pay personal property taxes on it. So on the rare occasions he takes it out for a spin, he grabs a different plate.

Jones was cited for a registration violation, for having a Georgia driver's license despite living in Tennessee, and for failing to show proof of insurance.

On a broader note, how in the hell does Jones have any money left? He apparently has no qualms about big spending, he likely has been financing the lifestyles of multiple family members and friends, and he surely will be asked by the Titans to repay the portion of his signing bonus that applies to the 2007 season for which he has been suspended.

At a minimum, shouldn't he be dumping some of the high-end toys that he owns in an effort to raise some cash for the next year or so, during which he won't be getting paid by any NFL team?

But, hey, at least when he got pulled over he didn't bite the cop.


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POSTED 10:53 p.m. EDT, July 10, 2007

BILLS INK EDWARDS

The Buffalo Bills have agreed to terms with quarterback Trent Edwards, the team's third-round pick in the 2007 draft and the 92nd overall selection.

Edwards was the last of the second tier of quarterbacks to be picked, following Kevin Kolb, Drew Stanton, and John Beck. Though Edwards has a reputation for being a tad fragile, he didn't have much help while playing for a woeful Stanford team.

Only a few first-day picks have been signed so far. The pace will increase dramatically over the next couple of weeks.


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POSTED 6:18 p.m. EDT, July 10, 2007

TROY RETURNS TO THE PATS

Veteran receiver Troy Brown is coming back for yet another tour of duty with the New England Patriots.

According to the Boston Herald, and as pointed out to us by Gregg Rosenthal of Rotoworld.com, Brown has signed a one-year contract with the Patriots.

This time around, however, Brown has added his name to a crowded depth chart. Other receivers on the roster are Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell, Chad Jackson, Bam Childress, Jonathan Smith, Kelvin Kight, Chris Dunlap, and C.J. Jones.

That's 13 receivers, which means that seven likely will go. Given the talent that has been added to the team at the position since the end of the 2006 season, the 36-year-old Brown possibly could be one of them.


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POSTED 4:13 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 5:29 p.m. EDT, July 10, 2007

RAIDERS SIGN DARIUS

The Oakland Raiders have announced the acquisition of free-agent safety Donovin Darius. A first round pick of the Jaguars in the 1998 draft, Darius was cut on June 14 by the team with which he spent nine seasons.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Darius signed a three-year deal worth $7.1 million.

"We are extremely excited about adding Donovin to the Raiders," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "He will bring us immediate competition in our secondary. Donovin exemplifies hard work and dedication to the game. Working with Donovin at Jacksonville, I was able to see what a phenomenal competitor he is. He will fit great into our team philosophy."

Darius visited the Raiders last month. He likely will play strong safety, allowing the team to move current strong safety Michael Huff to free safety, and current free safety Stuart Schweigert to the bench.


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TUESDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Someone bought Pacman's appropriately-named "Crossfire."

Veteran LB Chad Brown might be returning to the Pats. (If they can't sign him, maybe Dick Butkus is available.)

Whoa, Nellie -- the Rams have signed another draft pick.

Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution doesn't fully understand how the June 1 rule now works.

The Bills are increasing their parking fees.

The Eagles are adding some chili pepper to the cheesesteaks.

The Titans are adding some sauerkraut to the, um, Moon Pies?

There's nothing better than a couple of guys sitting around, chewing gum, and talking about the times they got the fruit knocked out of their Jello.

The Packers have signed fourth-round G Allen Barbre.

We've never seen a review call a book boring in such a pleasant way.

As to one specific portion of the book in question, we've never seen the co-owner of an NFL team called a bald-faced liar in such a pleasant way.

Broncos first-round DE Jarvis Moss expects to have his contract signed in time for training camp.

Do the Texans still need more help at receiver?

Broncos WR Javon Walker has a mohawk.

Shouldn't Coach Kevlar just give DE Kenny Peterson a lie-detector test regarding his claim that he didn't intentionally ingest a banned substance?

Broncos QB Jay Cutler isn't afraid of John Elway's shadow. (But Cutler peed in his pants the first time he saw Elway's lips.)

The Seahawks have signed sixth-round WR Courtney Taylor.

Though LB Brian Urlacher's public custody battle might harm his marketing potential, we can envision him becoming a pitchman for a PDA manufacturer. ("Whenever I want to send profane, demeaning, or abusive text messages to the mother of my child whom she is turning into a pussy, I reach for my Motorola Q.")

Based on his article regarding rookie CB Tarell Brown, Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle apparently is auditioning for a spot on the 49ers' P.R. staff.

Giants DE Michael Strahan sounds like he could be pulling a Tiki.


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POSTED 2:31 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:42 p.m. EDT, July 10, 2007

FALCONS CLAIM TO HAVE NO INTEREST IN SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT

Steve Wyche of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Falcons intend to pass on the upcoming supplemental draft.

The entire report is as follows (don't blink): "The Falcons have no plans to participate in Thursday's NFL supplemental draft, the team said Monday. If a team participates in the supplemental draft it must forfeit a corresponding pick from the 2008 NFL entry draft."

And since the team has said it, we should believe it, right? Um, no. The supplemental draft is the ultimate NFL poker game, in which a team must decide on a round-by-round basis whether to put one of their 2008 draft picks on the line in order to get a given player.

The order of the draft, which is set in advance, is the most critical aspect of this exercise. (The order is determined via a weighted lottery.) If there's a team that is believed to be very interested in a player and that team has a high spot in each round round, then another team will need to move a round early in order to get the guy. This specific dynamic contributed to the decision of the Texans to select running back Tony Hollings in round two of the 2003 supplemental draft, since the Cowboys were expected to pick Hollings in round three, and the Cowboys had a higher spot than the Texans.

The fact that every pick used in the supplemental draft is one less pick that can be used in the next common draft means that it's generally a good thing for the rest of the league for one of the teams uses a pick now, since it pushes the rest of the field down a spot in April when the pick used in July otherwise would have been exercised. So, strategically, there's no benefit for the Falcons to announce publicly that they're not interested -- unless the statement was merely a superficial effort to dissuade someone from grabbing a guy like tackle Jared Gaither before the Falcons can nab him.

Of course, there's a chance that the Falcons are thinking that if they say they're not interested in anyone then other teams will think that they are interested when in reality they really aren't. But the best course, in our view, is to remain vaguely non-committal, by saying something like, "We are happy with the composition of our roster, but we do not rule out exercising a selection."

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 9:26 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:55 a.m. EDT, July 30, 2007

OTHER NFL DOG FIGHTERS FACING BLACKMAIL?

A reader has raised with us a great point about the latest twist in the Mike Vick dog fighting scandal.

With Tony Taylor enter on Monday morning in Virginia a guilty plea on federal conspiracy charges, which presumably will entail testimony against the other three co-defendants (including Vick), do other dog fighters who currently collect NFL paychecks now face private blackmail threats from folks who have been at dog fights with them, and who might be inclined to blow the whistle to the police, the league, and/or the media?

The problem is that folks who would spend time watching dogs tear each other apart for amusement aren't necessarily the most reputable members of society, and could be inclined to pursue the quick cash hit that could come from telling an NFL player that, absent a generous contribution to the Human Fund, his involvement in this "hobby" will be revealed.

Our guess is that it's already happening -- and it's all the more reason for NFL players who have in the past shown their "passion" for dog fighting to find something else to pass the time when they aren't practicing or playing football.

Of course, if any of the folks who attend dog fights and then try to extort money from an NFL player were to go public, who would believe them? Guys like Tony Taylor have built-in credibility problems by virtue of the things that they have done, and it makes any of their claims instantly suspect.

Surely, that's the approach that lawyer Billy Martin will take in defending Vick in court. By relentlessly attacking the truth-telling capacity of the four unnamed (for now) cooperating witnesses and Taylor, Martin will hope to create sufficient reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors.

The other side of the coin is that these are the very people with whom Mike Vick chose to associate. Absent a clear motive for each of these five people to tell lies under oath about him, or other evidence that shows that these witnesses were incorrect in any conclusions that they reached about Vick's involvement, the notion that the word of five different people should be rejected (especially if Vick opts not to testify) is bit of a stretch.


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POSTED 9:09 a.m. EDT, July 30, 2007

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST BUCS TAILBACK

All pending charges against Bucs running back Lionel Gates have been dropped, according to PewterReport.com.

The charges were dropped earlier this month.

"I was at home in July and I got a call saying that I had been acquitted of all charges and everything is over and done with," Gates said. "I was so happy. I got on my knees and prayed. I thanked God for putting this behind me so that my mind would be clear for camp. All I can focus on is football."

Though the headline to the article accepts Gates' representation that he was "acquitted," an acquittal happens only if a jury hears the evidence and renders a verdict of not guilty.

And we can't help but wonder whether the charges were dropped at the request of the alleged victim, who possibly received a cash settlement of any potential civil claims against Gates before doing so.

Gates allegedly kicked in the door of a pregnant woman's apartment, punched her in the face, and threw her against a wall in March. We'd love to know whether she's the one who dropped the charges, and whether she received any money from Gates and/or from the Bucs to do so.

The use of the term "acquittal" might cause fans and the media to overlook that potential angle. Here's hoping that they don't.

And if only dogs had the ability to enter into civil settlements, Mike Vick might soon be "acquitted," too.


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POSTED 9:02 a.m. EDT, July 30, 2007

KENDALL TAKES THE GLOVES OFF

In his quest to get a new contract, or a new team, Jets offensive lineman is stepping up the rhetoric.

As mentioned in our most recent Jets camp report, Kendall reported merely to avoid the $14,000-per-day fine for holding out. But he's not holding his tongue, and it would make more sense for the team to not have him there.

Kendall met on Sunday with G.M. Mike Tannenbaum, but whatever Tannenbaum said didn't get the stick out of Kendall's kiester.

"Coaches and players -- people in the building -- have expressed to me that they hope I get what I'm looking for, what I want," said Kendall, according to the New York Daily News. "More than a few have expressed that they don't necessarily agree with what's going on."

Later, speaking only to the Daily News, Kendall suggested that head coach Eric Mangini "conveyed frustration with his own contract situation during a private meeting in March."

"He told me a lot of things [in confidence]," Kendall said. "He sounded empathetic to my situation. I don't want to go much further than that right now."

Kendall might want to not go much further than that ever. Sooner or later, his strategy of disruption is going to get him the T.O. treatment. Two years ago (man, it seems so much longer than that), Owens was sent home for a week from training camp as he employed the same "report, but disrupt" approach in an effort to convey displeasure with his contract. Eventually, the Eagles suspended Owens for four games with pay, for conduct detrimental to the team.

Kendall could be facing the same fate, if he doesn't put a sock in it soon. And that $14,000-per-day holdout fine could pale in comparison to the $397,000 he'd lose in game checks if such a suspension were to stick.

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POSTED 7:18 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:25 p.m. EDT, July 30, 2007

'SKINS SIGN LARON

Multiple media reports indicate that the Washington Redskins have struck a deal with safety LaRon Landry, the No. 6 overall selection in the 2007 NFL draft.

Per Len Pasquarelli's well-primed pipeline to Joel Segal, thanks to Len's incessant propaganda campaign on behalf of Segal client Mike Vick, the contract is a five-year deal with $17.5 million in guaranteed money and a maximum value of $41.5 million.

Thus, as expected, Segal got his hands on a copy of the contract signed by Vikings running back Adrian Peterson at No. 7 and added a $500,000 increase in guaranteed money and $1 million in maximum value.

As we explained on Sunday night, Segal isn't expected to do the same thing with his next guy to do a deal, No. 5 pick Levi Brown, an offensive tackle drafted by the Cardinals. Arizona is insisting, we're told, on a six-year deal, and Segal is hoping to land a total value and a per-year average greater than the Browns paid to tackle Joe Thomas at No. 3.


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POSTED 7:08 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

PACMAN FINDS A NEW GIG

Multiple web sites and media outlets report that Pacman Jones will be working during his suspension from the NFL as a professional wrestler.

Jones reportedly has signed or will sign a deal with TNA wrestling, a Nashville-based enterprise.

Hey, we've got no issue with Jones finding something useful to do during his suspension, but what happened to Jones heading back to Morgantown, West Virginia to continue his college education? (Actually, since we're only 30 miles or so south of the WVU campus, we're glad that Pacman apparently isn't returning to the area.)

Still, we wonder how joining a pro wrestling league meshes with Jones' stated goal of turning his life around, especially since the pro-wrestling lifestyle can be just as wild and reckless as the lifestyle that has gotten Jones in so much trouble with the NFL.

And we wonder whether Jones' new endeavor will help or hurt his chances of getting back into pro football. We have a feeling that it can't help, and that he decided to do it only after he was told last week that he can't come to training camp.


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POSTED 11:20 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

TWO HUNDRED ATTEND PRO-VICK RALLY

Further illustrating the awkward Wallenda routine that the NFL and the Falcons must perform while dealing with the Mike Vick mess, a crowd of roughly 200 Vick supporters rallied outside the Georgia Dome on Sunday.

The reality is that, in Atlanta, the pro-Vick crowd and the anti-Vick crowd is still in the ballpark of 50-50. Thus, the team can't go too far in smacking him around, but also can't be perceived as sitting on its hands, thumbs pointing north.

And that's why Vick isn't technically on suspension, even as his name when attached to a No. 7 jersey is now regarded as the eighth word that can't be said on television.

It's really sort of ridiculous, but this odd state of non-discipline discipline will continue, at least for now.


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POSTED 10:36 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:05 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

STRAHAN TRADE "IN THE GIANTS' COURT"

A league source tells us that defensive end Michael Strahan isn't seeking a trade, but that the possibility of sending him to another team "is in the Giants' court."

In other words, this news confirms that Strahan's supposed desire to retire is subject to change, based on whether he might be playing for a contender, or for a team that will pay him more than $4 million.

So, despite the label, Strahan clearly (in our view) is holding out without holding out.

Meanwhile, there's talk that Strahan's leverage is to indeed retire, and then to take a job with a network. But who'd hire him right now? Most of the lineups are set for 2007. And though there are whispers of Strahan thinking that he can make up to $3 million in television, we can't imagine someone forking over that kind of cash for him, especially when financial commitments have already been made for the coming season.


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POSTED 9:20 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

THE OLD ALBERT IS BACK?

Tom Curran of NBCSports.com reports that Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who supposedly learned his lesson after getting a five-game suspension for treating Andre Gurode's face like a block of gouda last season, was back to his old grumpy self in training camp on Sunday.

Writes Curran: "Things initially got chippy when defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch took running back Len[Wh]ale White off his feet during the touch-but-don't-tackle session. From there, guard Jacob Bell got involved and Haynesworth locked up with him in a scrap that lasted about eight seconds.

"Later, after corner Nick Harper picked off Vince Young, Bell whacked corner Reynaldo Hill during the runback from the blindside, infuriating Haynesworth.

"With the units switching up, Vanden Bosch, Haynesworth and defensive lineman Tony Brown were jawing and walking toward the offensive group prompting head coach Jeff Fisher to tell them to get back with the defense.

"Once there, Young yelled to Haynesworth, 'Come on, we're a team here.'

"An inflamed Haynesworth . . . said something back to Young which caused tight end Bo Scaife to take up for Young (albeit from a distance).

"Haynesworth then said to nobody in particular, 'Be a [expletive] man and step up, bitch.'

After practice, Haynesworth explained himself to Curran:

"That's just how we are here on this defense. The Tennessee Tyrants. That's what we're bringing back. The first few years we were good when I came in and we were the Tennessee Tyrants. We were playing hard, didn't care what anyone thought and that's what we're going to get back to. We can't apologize for going hard."

Hey, that reminds us of Pacman's comment that the Titans need more "thugs," which came after Haynesworth's unprecedented face-scraping of Gurode. We wonder how that all worked out for Pac?

And it makes us wonder whether Haynesworth is now ready to revert to the days of bringing a metal pole to the practice field after someone pisses him off.

Albert surely realizes that he's still on thin ice with the Titans. Or maybe he doesn't. Either way, it should be fun to watch.


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POSTED 7:52 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

CARDS INSISTING ON A SIX-YEAR DEAL FOR BROWN

At a time when more and more of the teams who have selected players in the top half of the first round are signing the guys to five-year deals (one less than the CBA-imposed maximum for the fist 16 picks), a league source tells us that the Arizona Cardinals are insisting on a six-year contract for No. 5 overall pick Levi Brown.

Per the source, Brown's agent, Joel Segal, is happy to comply with the team's request, because Segal is hoping to parlay that extra year into a total package, and a per-year average, that surpasses the five-year deal signed by the third overall pick, Browns tackle Joe Thomas.

"That deal will come in at over $50 million," said the source. "Segal will sell it in recruiting as a much bigger deal than Thomas. It's total bullsh-t but that's how he will sell it."

But the other side of the coin is that, if Thomas and Brown both become quality players, Thomas will be in line one year earlier for the next big payday. And since tackles taken at the top of round one generally tend to be more likely to succeed than guys taken that high at other positions, there's a good chance that both guys will be in line for even bigger money down the line.

Don't believe us? Just ask Leonard Davis and Derrick Dockery.


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POSTED 6:57 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

WALKER REPORTED BEFORE TRADE

Bears defensive tackle Darwin Walker, acquired earlier on Sunday in a trade with the Bills, reported to the Buffalo camp on Saturday, a day before being shipped to Chicago.

We wrote earlier that Walker's rights would revert from Buffalo to Philly if a long-term deal were not worked out by August 5. We were incorrect -- Walker's rights would have gone back to the Eagles if Walker had not reported by August 5.

Since Walker reported to the Bills before the trade, that issue is now dead.

Walker also has reported to the Bears, and is expected to practice on Monday. A long-term deal is being negotiated between the player and the team.


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POSTED 5:42 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 6:36 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

RUSSELL DEAL COULD BE FOR FIVE YEARS

A league source tells us that the negotiation of a contract between the Raiders and No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell has been and will continue to be a difficult process, and that the Raiders might end up signing Russell a five-year deal.

Per the source, there are whispers of cash issues in Oakland that could prevent the team from funding a six-year package. Though we don't know whether that's a certainty, there's definitely some wisdom in scaling the contract back by a year, since no one knows at this point whether Russell will be a Peyton Manning or a Ryan Leaf. If it's the latter, the team has less money at risk.

Russell is represented by the firm of Metz, Lock, and Malinovic. They also represent receiver Dwayne Bowe. The No. 23 overall selection is a holdout in Kansas City. Said the source about the situation in Oakland, "It will be a long holdout unless the agents take a bad deal."

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A GOOD IDEA THAT COULD NEVER WORK

We've said it before and we'll say it again -- we hate the Pro Bowl. Despise it. Who wants to watch a low-contact version of the sport we love only one week after the season climaxes with the Super Bowl?

But we're watching the 2006 Pro Bowl on NFL Network right now, and we find the thing to be damn compelling. And we think it's because we haven't seen any real NFL football in nearly six months.

So here's a thought. Why not play the Pro Bowl in Canton, in place of the Hall of Fame game?

We'd play the game (and have the induction ceremony) in the middle of July, a week or so before the opening of training camps. And we'd name two retired coaches to coach the squads, in order to avoid disrupting the preparation of current NFL coaching staffs for the coming season. We'd also give any players who participate in the game a one-week pass from training camp, and an exemption from the first preseason game, in which most starters play a quarter at most, anyway.

Is there a risk of injury? Sure. But there's a risk of injury in every preseason game. With the players in better shape due to extensive offseason workout programs, why not bring in the best of the best for a preseason game that would generate far higher ratings as the official return of the NFL to living rooms throughout the country?

Look, we don't expect this to ever happen. But, man, we'd definitely watch the Pro Bowl if they played the thing at a time when we actually were anxious to watch pro football. We suspect that others would, too.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 5:24 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

COUCH DEAL IS FOR THE MINIMUM IN 2007

A source with knowledge of the contract signed by quarterback Tim Couch with the Jaguars tells us that Couch will earn the minimum salary in 2007, with the opportunity to earn more than the minimum in 2008, if of course he's still with the team.

Our guess is that, if the Jags decide that he's a candidate to become the starter in 2008, they'll sign him to a new deal before the 2008 season begins.

If Couch can make it back to the field, it will be an impressive story of persistence, given that he has continued to knock on the NFL's door despite three full seasons out of the game. He recently said that, if he didn't land with a team this time around, he planned to call it quits.


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POSTED 5:11 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 5:20 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

MORE DETAILS ON PETERSON DEAL

Reported as a five-year deal with a maximum value of $40 million, we're told that the contract signed on Sunday by Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has a realistic value of $5.5 million to $6 million per year, which translates into $27.5 million to $30 million.

Per a source with knowledge of the contract, Peterson will earn $24.75 million over five years if he rushes for more than 1,000 yards one time. If he rushes for 1,000 yards in a season twice, the value goes to more than $27 million.

Peterson can push the deal to more than $28 million in four ways -- rushing for 1,300 yards once is the primary category. If he rushes for 1,300 yards twice, the deal goes to more than $30 million.

The difference between $30 million and $40 million will require, as the source said, "super high-end stuff."

Also, the source said that the $17 million in guaranteed money is significant, since Peterson has an injury history and plays a position with a history of guys getting injured.

And with $17 million guaranteed on a five-year deal, Peterson (the No. 7 pick) actually has done better on a per-year basis that the No. 4 pick, Bucs defensive end Gaines Adams, who received $18.5 million guaranteed on a six-year contract.

Under the "base value," "good starter," and "superstar" levels pursuant to which we compared the deals for the first five players selected in the 2005 draft, Peterson will actually get more money over five years as a "good starter" than the No. 2 overall pick, Fins running back Ronnie Brown, will receive through five years as a "good starter."


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POSTED 4:40 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

COUCH SIGNS WITH JAGS

Quarterback Tim Couch, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft, has signed a two-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Couch worked out for the team earlier in the day.

Couch last played in the NFL in 2003. He has since be plagued by arm problems.

Not long ago, it was widely presumed that the Jags would pursue the No. 11 overall pick in that same draft, quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

The move will surely cause raised eyebrows among the quarterback depth chart in J-vlle. Starter Byron Leftwich and backup Quinn Gray are signed through 2007, and backup David Garrard is signed through 2008. Also on the roster is Lester Ricard.

It's unclear at this point whether Couch is regarded as another camp arm (since Gray is on the PUP list) or whether he has a real chance at making the final roster. If so, one of those three guys mentioned above is in trouble of getting traded or cut.

Maybe the goal here is to simply give the three underachieving signal-callers a kick in the butt.

Still, the deal must be a real one, or Couch would have followed through on a Monday workout with the Falcons, where he would have a pretty clear shot at being the primary backup for 2007.

And if Couch is still represented by Tom Condon, his arrival in Jacksonville creates an awkward situation for the CAA agent, since Condon also represents Leftwich. To the extent that Couch gives the team a realistic option at starter in 2008, if reduces Leftwich's leverage for a new deal.


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POSTED 4:30 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

BEARS GAVE UP A FIVE FOR WALKER

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Bears gave up a fifth-round draft choice for defensive tackle Darwin Walker. Thus, the Bills upgraded by one round the pick that would have come their way if the rights to Walker had reverted to the Eagles on August 5.

Schefter also reports that the Bears are working on a new deal for Walker.

So why would the Bears make this move now? Because the Eagles were likely to put Walker back on the market once his rights went back to Philly, and a bidding war could have erupted. This way, the Bears were able to swoop in and snag Walker at a time when most assumed that the Bills were making a push to sign Walker.

Then again, it would have been wise for the Bills to make it known that Walker was available, in the hopes of getting more than a fifth-rounder from the Bears or someone else. Then again (again), the Bears might have specifically insisted when broaching discussions with the Bills that the talks be kept confidential.


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POSTED 4:24 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

BILLS BUMP WALKER TO BEARS

Faced with an August 5 deadline for working out a long-term deal with defensive tackle Darwin Walker or watch his rights revert to the Eagles for a sixth-round draft pick, the Buffalo Bills opted to trade Walker to the Bears.

The Bears picked up Walker, who'll help fill the void created by the release of Tank Johnson, for an undisclosed selection in the 2008 draft. We assume that it was something more than a sixth-rounder; otherwise, the deal would have made no sense for the Bills.

Walker and a seventh-round draft pick were shipped to Buffalo by Philly in March for linebacker Takeo Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb. Holcomb is now a long shot to make the final roster with the Eagles, and has been the subject of trade rumors, most prominently to the Vikings.

It later was revealed that, if the Bills did not work out a long-term deal with Walker by August 5, Walker's rights would end up back in Philadelphia. We're assuming that this proviso now applies to the Bears, but we also assume that the Bears are ready and willing to strike the kind of deal for which Walker has been looking.

It's also possible that the Bears-Bills deal includes language sending Walker back to Buffalo on, for example, August 4 if a contract isn't finalized by then.

Walker had not reported to Bills training camp, and was subject to fines in the amount of $14,000 per day, along with the potential forfeiture of a portion of any signing bonus money he received from the Eagles that would apply to the 2007 league year. It's unknown whether the right to pursue any bonus money flowed through to Chicago, or whether the Bills have retained that ability.

Walker is due to earn a salary of $1.3 million in 2007, and $1.4 million in 2008.


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POSTED 1:10 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:12 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

VIKES LAND ADRIAN

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Vikings have agreed to terms with running back Adrian Peterson, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2007 draft.

Per Schefter, Peterson has signed a five-year, $40 million contract, with $17 million in guaranteed money.

Schefter adds that the base value of the five-year package is $25 million.

Peterson is the latest player drafted in the top 16 picks to sign a deal for less than the maximum term of six years.

The maximum annual average of $8 million is actually greater than the average value of LaDanian Tomlinson's contract, who signed nearly three years ago an eight-year, $60 million deal. But it's not presently known what Peterson will have to do in order to cash in on the $15 million or so in incentives.


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POSTED 12:18 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

DRIVER FLUNKS PHYSICAL

When the Green Bay Packers didn't make a serious run at wide receiver Randy Moss in April, plenty of Packers fans found solace in the fact that they still have Donald Driver.

For now, they don't.

Driver failed his physical on Friday, due to a problem with arm strength.

"He has a re-occurring injury with the shoulder that he hurt last year, so, he will be day-to-day with the shoulder," coach Mike McCarthy said.

For now, Driver is on the PUP list. When he passes the physical, he'll be added to the active roster.


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POSTED 12:10 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

BELICHICK HINTS THAT 2007 ISN'T HIS LAST YEAR

The New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick zealously protect highly sensitive information such as, um, the number of years that Belichick remains under contract. The only other NFL team that won't reveal such data is the Raiders, who probably don't want to admit that owner Al Davis prefers to have no contract, so that Davis will never owe a coach a buyout.

So the fact that this fact isn't disclosed invites speculation as to whether any year is the last year of Belichick's contract.

This year, the speculation already has commenced, fueled by the appearance that the Pats are loading up the cannon for what could be one last run to a fourth Super Bowl victory.

On Saturday, Belichick suggested that 2007 won't be his final tour of duty with the Patriots.

"I don't talk about contracts, but I would say I like working here, I like the organization -- ownership, coaches, scouts, players, and the guys I work with. I appreciate the opportunity to work here and it's a good situation," Belichick said, according to the Boston Globe.

"I don't see that changing any time soon."

On one hand, it's hard to ever take at face value anything that an NFL head coach says (e.g., "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach"), and while Belichick isn't above a little prevarication (thanks, Tiki) when it comes to injury reports, we think that he is one of the more honest coaches in the game. So we'll take him at his word.

Still, would he say anything else even if he regarded 2007 as possibly his final year? Coach Chin proved in 2006 just how damaging a public will-he-or-won't-he routine can be to his team's success, or lack thereof. In this day and age, every NFL coach must view the job as a year-to-year proposition, since anything can happen to make this year the guy's last year.

Belichick handled the situation the right way, in our view. Whether he'll be the head coach beyond the 2007 season doesn't matter until the 2007 season ends. And talking now about anything that won't be relevant until after the 2007 season ends is, by definition, a distraction to the work that Belichick and the organization are now trying to do.

So while Belichick's quotes don't provide a conclusive answer, it should be enough to make the story a non-story, at least until January.

Or, quite possibly, early February.


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POSTED 11:42 a.m. EDT, July 29, 2007

NFL SLAMS DOOR ON DEION'S COLUMN

The folks at the Fort Myers News-Press were more than willing to publish columns from Deion Sanders regarding the current controversy engulfing Falcons (for now) quarterback Mike Vick, regardless of how misguided Deion's message might have been.

But Deion's other employer isn't.

The News-Press discloses in its Sunday edition that the NFL has refused to allow the newspaper to print Deion's response to the storm of criticism that was prompted by his column from a week ago, in which Deion cobbled together a misguided defense of Vick, and at the same time explained Deion's belief that Vick has a "passion" for dog fighting, and that many other NFL players do as well.

Writes Ed Reed of the News-Press:

"Understandably, the NFL did not like that one of the faces of its network was being portrayed as a Vick apologist. [Editor's note: Reed apparently hasn't seen much of Jamie Dukes' commentary on the matter.] Deion sent a column responding to the criticism to The News-Press and the NFL Network on Friday morning.

"That night, I received an e-mail from Thomas George, the NFL Network managing editor, which read: 'This column and subsequent variations of it [are] not approved by NFL Network. It cannot run.'

"It's unfortunate because Deion really wanted you to see it. It was his best work since he started writing his column in January."

We wonder whether the News-Press got approval from the NFL to wave this dirty laundry around in public. Frankly, we have a feeling that the league won't appreciate the decision of this Gannett publication to expose the league's sensitivity to these issues, and that Deion's decision to continue writing any columns for the News-Press could jeopardize his continued employment with the NFL.

And if Deion is so anxious to tell his side of the story, why not do an interview with ESPN or NFLN or any other media company (including, you know, this one)? The NFL might be able to prevent him from providing written content to the News-Press, but surely the NFL can't put a muzzle on Deion's mouth.

To a limited extent, Deion has shared some additional views with the News-Press on the matter: "The NFL is like a fraternity," Sanders told the News-Press. "The real issue to me is, I think anybody, if someone in their family has done wrong or is doing wrong or made a bad, terrible decision, do we stone them or do we pray for them? I definitely, absoluetly [sic] do not condone anything, but I am praying for him."

Deion, if that's the "real" issue, then why didn't you say that in your first column on the subject? Instead, you offered up flimsy logic to justify Vick's actions and startling admissions about the conduct of Vick and others, with a stunning degree of nonchalance.

Meanwhile, when will the NFL insist that Deion name the names of the NFL players who have a "passion" for dog fighting? This is bigger, we think, than the question of whether the NFL should, could, or would bump Bryant Gumbel out of the broadcast booth based on his blatant bashing of the NFL Players Association; this issue focuses on whether the NFL will require any and all of its employees with knowledge of the extent to which dog fighting has infiltrated the league to assist in the investigation.

And though we do what we do in part because we have a "passion" for the NFL, the league should be criticized heavily if it does not demand that Deion tell everything that he knows.

Any other employer who takes a workplace problem seriously would require this. The NFL should be no different.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 9:59 a.m. EDT, August 1, 2007

RACE A REALITY OF VICK CASE

We haven't spoken much about the racial component of the Mike Vick prosecution because, in our firm belief, the investigation and prosecution of Mike Vick has nothing to do with skin color.

But, clearly, race is a factor in the manner in which the court of public opinion has received this issue, just as it was 12 years ago when O.J. Simpson was being tried for murder.

Most recently, racial tensions reared their ugly heads when a hate-filled note was sent to the Surry County Courthouse.

We'd like to think that our society has evolved past the point of allowing superficialities like race to guide our thought processes. But it would be naive to think that the 100 percent presumed guilt of Vick by many whites and the unconditional support of Vick by many African-Americans is unrelated to the fact that Vick is black.

But why didn't the Kobe Bryant rape prosecution stir similar feelings? Though Bryant was accused of raping a white woman, we never got the impression that a segment of the white population was ready to stone him without a trial, or that a segment of the black population was ready to throw the alleged victim in jail for making up false accusations.

Then again, the Bryant brouhaha never struck the same chord with the public that the Vick case or the Simpson trial ever did. Vick's case involves shocking brutality against man's best friend; Simpson's involved the slaughter of two human beings.

Many people, of various races, suspect that the intense publicity directed to the Vick case also is driven by the color of his skin, and that it wouldn't be as big of a story if the defendant were a famous white NFL quarterback.

We don't buy it. Not for a second. Tom Brady's impregnation of a woman became national news. Tony Romo's love life is regarded as a matter of actual significance (although the fact that a guy who looks like Gomer Pyle can get a date with any celebrity probably is newsworthy). Last year, Brett Favre's press conference about nothing drew the entire Green Bay media to Mississippi on a dreary Saturday morning.

If Brady or Romo or Favre or Manning were accused of owning property from which 54 live dogs, 17 dead dogs, and various piece of dog-fighting equipment had been removed, and any of them were later indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to maintain an interstate gambling operation and to engage in interstate dog fighting, it would be every bit the story that the Vick case is. We are absolutely certain of it.

With all that said, there's no escaping the fact that race is a factor in the public's perception of the Vick case. Our only hope is that race won't be a factor in the courtroom, and that it won't be a factor (consciously or otherwise) in the jury room.


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POSTED 8:52 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:23 a.m. EDT, August 1, 2007

ANOTHER PIT BULL INCIDENT

Although Mike Vick is the only current NFL player who has been linked to dog fighting, there are plenty of other NFL players who own pit bulls and other large dogs -- and not all of these players are good at keeping their animals from causing harm.

Last year, two of Joey Porter's dogs killed a horse. It was a small horse. But, still, a horse.

Now, three dogs (a pit bull and two boxers) owned by Colts tackle Charlie Johnson, one of the potential replacements at left tackle for Tarik Glenn, attacked a woman and her small child. The child had minor injuries; the woman suffered "non-life threatening" injuries to both legs and an arm.

Lisa Whitehead, 41, and her husband had been caring for the dogs, since Johnson is at training camp. The animals attacked Whitehead when her child began to cry while Whitehead was feeding them.


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JOE NEEDS TO LET IT GO

When a reader sent us an e-mail on Tuesday with the link to Leonard Shapiro's article in the Washington Post about the decision of ESPN to dump Joe Theismann from the Monday Night Football broadcast, we assumed it was one of those e-mails that got lost in the pipeline for a couple of months before showing up.

But, as it turns out, there's a new article about the Theismann demotion, which contains more of the same old stuff from Joey Sunshine about the decision to yank him out of the MNF booth.

Joe. Let it go. Move on. Move out. Whatever. Just quit talking about it.

"It was a total and complete shock to me that they were going to make a change," Theismann said in a "recent telephone interview" with Shapiro, which in many respects was an exact duplicate of other interviews Theismann has given since getting the word.

Echoing past comments on the matter, Theismann explained: "I asked them 'was it the quality of my work?' They said no. They said they noticed that when they studied the tape, when it came back to me, I talked about football. I guess that was the problem, but you'll have to ask them."

For his part in the process, Shapiro shakes the pom-poms for Sunshine, suggesting that there was some unspoken (and thus sinister) reason for the decision to make the change from Theismann to Ron Jaworski.

Hmmm. Maybe Theismann had discovered a secret group of vampires in Bristol, and was dangerously close to figuring out that the head vampire wasn't Chris Berman, but that it was one of the people that no one ever expects it to be, like Erik Kuselias or Sage Steele.

Len, wake up. Theismann was and has been terrible on the air. He is humorless, especially when he is the subject of the attempt at humor. He contradicts himself. And, though he earned his name "Joey Sunshine" for heaping undue praise on the players playing in the games he was covering, the real problem with his analytical skills is that there was no middle ground -- 95 percent of the time, what he saw was great; five percent of the time, what he saw was horrible.

We also suspect that Theismann heard what he wanted to hear when he was told that he was being sent to the showers. Maybe the concern was that, when Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser attempted to inject some levity into the broadcast, Theismann opted instead to rigidly change the subject back to something about the Xs and the Os.

Though the show got a better as the year went on, there's more chemistry in a meth lab than there was in that booth. Regardless of whether Theismann and Kornheiser got along when the red light was off, the combination was a disaster when they were on the air. And since we know that Kornheiser can bring it in other settings, the fair inference is that Theismann was the impediment to making it work.

The real problem here, as we see it, is that ESPN opted too quickly to combine Joe Theismann with Al Michaels during the period of time that Michaels was going to make the leap to the four-letter network -- you know, before he was traded for a rabbit. We suspect that Theismann got the nod when Michaels was hired because ESPN didn't want the search for a new analyst to overshadow Al's arrival, without regard to the reality that Theismann really wasn't all that good. More than a year, that decision now means that, for the next few years, ESPN will get to pay Theismann a lot of money to do not very much at all.

It's still better than paying him a lot of money to be on Monday Night Football.


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POSTED 8:34 a.m. EDT, August 1, 2007

BRADY'S IN LINE FOR A "FAIR" DEAL

Mired in a holdout with the team that traded up to provide a last-minute safety net for his first-round free-fall, Browns quarterback Brady Quinn recently explained his position: "t's a long contract, and I have to make sure it's fair in the event I become the starter."

We're told that Quinn's agent, Tom Condon, deems "fairness" in this regard to be paying Quinn more guaranteed money and a bigger total package than his draft slot -- No. 22 -- dictates.

But let's take a broader view of this. The guy drafted in front of Quinn at No. 21, Jags safety Reggie Nelson, received $7.2 million in guaranteed money. So let's say that Quinn's slot will pay him $7 million in guaranteed money.

So if Quinn, who has never taken an NFL snap, gets $7 million in guaranteed money to become the Browns starting quarterback, is that "fair"?

Um. YES.

Jeff Garcia, who has played in a few more NFL games than Quinn, got $3 million in guaranteed money to become the starter in Tampa. Joey Harrington got less than that, and he'll be the de facto starter in Atlanta. Is Joey now bitching about his deal being "unfair"?

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo got $2 million in guaranteed money last year, at a time when it was surely clear to him that he could be the starter at some point before the end of the 2007 season. Jon Kitna? He $3.5 million to be the Lions' starter.

Damon Huard, one of the potential starters in Kansas City, received $2.75 million in guaranteed money on an extension that he signed afterthe 2006 season. And if Huard loses out to Brodie Croyle, Brodie will become the starter despite receiving only $515,000 in guaranteed money, due to his draft slot.

Quarterbacks selected in round one, but like Quinn after the first 20 picks, who became starters include J.P. Losman, Jason Campbell, and Rex Grossman.

Losman got $4.7 million in guaranteed money. Campbell got $4.9 million. And Grossman, taken in the very same slot as Quinn in 2003, got $4.42 million.

So is it fair for Quinn to get $7 million in guaranteed money and then become the starting quarterback of the Browns? We ask all Browns fans to let us know their thoughts on this.

And we ask the "real" media to ponder this reality a bit before presuming that this is another case of team management stepping in something brown.


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POSTED 8:02 a.m. EDT, August 1, 2007

CLAYTON OFF THE MARK ON RUSSELL REPORTS

ESPN's John Clayton continues to insist that no progress has been made in talks between the Raiders and No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell since prior to the draft in April.

We continue to hear that progress has indeed been made, and that the two primary impediments at this point are the structure of the deal, and the reluctance of Russell's agents to pull the trigger until Calvin Johnson has signed a contract at No. 2.

As to the structure of the contract, we heard earlier this week that the snag is the amount of money that will be devoted to an option bonus. Unlike the Panthers, who supposedly want to give No. 25 pick Jon Beason no option bonus, the Raiders (as we hear it) as resisting efforts by Russell to maximize the option bonus.

The option bonus is the second-tier of the signing bonus, earned as of (in many cases) the outset of the next league year. Exercising the option bonus extends the contract by a finite period of time, usually one or two years. Many option bonuses also have a non-exercise fee that is equal to the amount of the option bonus, which means that the money gets paid even if the option isn't exercised.

The only way to avoid having to pay the option bonus is by cutting the player prior to the due date.

But option bonuses have fallen out of favor of late, due to a ruling in a grievance involving former Broncos receiver Ashley Lelie. After his 2006 holdout, the team tried to recover a big chunk of his option bonus, based on contractual language allowing the team to do so. It was determined, however, that option bonuses are not subject to forfeiture.

Thus, teams that want to restrict option bonuses are looking merely for protection. Some of the first-round contracts signed this year have pushed option bonus money into roster/reporting bonuses paid in future years, thereby giving the player an incentive to not holdout, and to not get suspended -- and protecting some of the team's money in the event that the player isn't available.


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POSTED 7:41 a.m. EDT; UPSET 7:51 a.m. EDT, August 1, 2007

PORTIS STILL HAS TENDONITIS

Redskins running back Clinton Portis was suffering from tendonitis in his knee during offseason workouts. It supposedly was healed before the start of training camp.

It isn't.

Portis missed practice on Tuesday due to the condition, which typically entails nagging pain at the bottom of the kneecap that gets worse with use. He is regarded as day-to-day.

Portis was plagued by injuries in 2006. Unless the 'Skins can get this thing cleared up, we might see more of a two-back approach this year, with Ladell Betts getting plenty of touches.


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JUICE SQUEEZES HELMET?

There's video of an interview of O.J. Simpson on TMZ.com, and the folks who did the interview made the mistake of allowing people to call in and ask question.

The video is right here.

Says one caller: "My kid Chris was wondering, do you think it was a bigger feat to break 2,000 yards in one season, or slice two necks in one night?"

O.J.'s response, to the clearly audible question: "I'm having a little trouble, Kevin, hearing you."

Says another: "It was reported back during the famous chase that when on in '94 . . . that you were squeezing your helmet."

Says O.J.: "That I was what?"

Juice, when are you going to just go away?

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 9:52 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:15 a.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

DID THE BUCS SCREW THE POOCH ON PLUMMER GRIEVANCE?

Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times tells us that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers filed their grievance against quarterback Jake Plummer on Monday, August 6.

But if Plummer's initial default on his contract occurred when he failed to report for a mandatory minicamp that opened on June 19, it's possible that the Bucs filed the grievance one business day too late.

The final outcome will be driven in large part by the language of Plummer's contract. Many such deals require signing bonus money to be repaid in the event of the player being "in default." The argument on Plummer's behalf would be that he was "in default" as of the date on which he failed to show up for the mandatory minicamp, and at that point the Bucs had 45 days to file a grievance. In other words, once a guy is "in default" the clock begins to tick, and a subsequent event that would put him "in default" doesn't matter, since he already was "in default."

The Bucs will likely argue that the subsequent retirement was the trigger for the 45-day time period. Under the specific terms of Plummer's contract, they could be right.

Still, with the Buccaneers being sufficiently prudent about ensuring that they had standing to pursue the money by getting the Broncos to join in the grievance, why wouldn't the Bucs have filed the thing on or before August 3?

Article IX of the CBA couldn't be any more clear: "A grievance may be initiated by a player, a Club, the Management Council, or the NFLPA. A grievance must be initiated within forty-five (45) days from the date of the occurrence or non-occurrence upon which the grievance is based, or within forty-five (45) days from the date on which the facts of the matter became known or reasonably should have been known to the party initiating the grievance, whichever is greater."

Thus, barring an agreement between the parties to extend the deadline, it's possible that the Bucs filed the thing one day late. Even if they win that argument in the end, why take the risk?


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WEDNESDAY MORNING TRAINING CAMP ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith

Cowboys WR Terrell Owens plans to play in Thursday's preseason opener.

But S Ken Hamlin is likely to miss the game after getting the worst of a goal-line collision in Monday's practice.

Mathias Kiwanuka won't know if he's playing linebacker or defensive end for the Giants this year until he knows if Michael Strahan is retiring.

The Giants' defensive tackles prefer the aggressive schemes of new coordinator Steve Spagunolo to the read-and-react approach of previous coordinator Tim Lewis.

Eagles TE L.J. Smith participated in full-contact practices for the first time since hernia surgery.

S Quinton Mikell delivered a devastating hit to WR Jason Avant at Tuesday morning's practice.

Redskins DT Joe Salave'a says he feels better than he's felt in two years.

When rookie DE Alex Buzbee tells people he went to Georgetown, he then has to follow it by explaining that yes, Georgetown does have a football team.

Bears DT Tommie Harris left practice early because of dehydration.

Coach Lovie Smith says he monitors the heat and the players' water intake, but he won't consider canceling practice on hot days because "[t]here's a chance we could have to play in a situation like that."

Lions G Damien Woody weighed in at 330 at the start of camp -- 48 pounds below his weight last season.

Injured RB Kevin Jones says he intends to play in the Lions' regular-season opener against the Raiders.

Although most teams wanted him to play wide receiver, Paul Thompson is making a run at the No. 3 quarterback job in Green Bay.

Packers DT Justin Harrell, the team's first-round draft pick, is currently not in the top four in the defensive tackle rotation.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson missed his tenth practice Tuesday with a hip pointer.

Vikings DT Pat Williams says of going up against C Matt Birk in practice, "He's a whole lot stronger than last year."

Falcons WR Noriaki Kinoshita, a native of Japan who led NFL Europa in kickoff returns, will get some playing time in the preseason opener against the Jets Friday.

Billy Cundiff is the only kicker in the Falcons' training camp, but that doesn't mean he has the job locked up. (Are you out there, Mike Vanderjagt?)

In his retirement speech, Mike Minter asked his Panthers teammates to win him a Super Bowl ring.

With Minter gone, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson wants DE Julius Peppers to be more of a leader.

Saints coach Sean Payton changed the practice schedule and had the team in full pads Tuesday.

Rookie Saints CB Usama Young has looked good in early workouts.

QB Chris Simms made some wobbly throws in Tuesday's practice.

Cardinals assistant Russ Grimm is telling the offensive linemen that one mistake is understandable, but the second time they make a mistake, "we're going to have a problem."

QB Kurt Warner plans to play out his contract, which expires after the 2008 season. (Translation: "Standing on the sidelines pays better than bagging groceries.")

Rams LB Pisa Tinoisamoa spent the off-season watching himself on film and concluded, "My tackling was horrible. It was horrific."

The Rams' coaching staff thinks WR Marques Haggans has advanced more than any other player on offense.

Mike Nolan doesn't know how many receivers will make the 49ers' roster, telling reporters Tuesday it could be "four, five or six."

49ers NT Isaac Sopoaga was once a 282-pound high school safety, fullback, and kicker.

Seahawks LT Walter Jones took part in his first practice since last Thursday.

Secondary coach Jim Mora says Seahawks CB Marcus Trufant "has the ability to be one of those top, top-tier guys."


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POSTED 9:26 a.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

BUCS WANT PLUMMER TO PAY

Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have filed a grievance against quarterback Jake Plummer for repayment of roughly $7 million in signing bonus money that previously was paid to Plummer on the contract that Plummer now refuses to honor.

The concept of retired players being required to repay bonus money is nothing new. The first guy required to do it was Lions running back Barry Sanders. We recently reported that Giants defensive end Michael Strahan could have to repay $4.5 million if he follows through on his plan to retire.

Contrary to popular belief among many players, a signing bonus is not free money. It is advance compensation for future services. For example, a $4 million signing bonus on a four-year deal represents $1 million in advance pay for each of the four years of the deal. If the player doesn't perform for the final two years, he fairly should be required to give back $2 million.

The Denver Broncos have joined in the grievance, presumably to prevent Plummer from arguing that the Bucs have no right to the money since the Bucs didn't pay it. However, the Dolphins are still owed money from running back Ricky Williams that was paid in part by the Saints. With that said, it's always prudent to seal off any arguments that a party to a legal dispute could make, and adding Denver to the grievance could aid significantly in this regard.

Some might think that the Bucs filed the grievance early in camp in order to squeeze Plummer into coming out of retirement. But our guess is that the grievance was filed on or before August 3, which would have been the 45th day after Plummer failed to report for a mandatory minicamp that opened on June 19.


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POSTED 8:58 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:05 a.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

MCINTOSH OUT 4-6 WEEKS

The struggles on the offensive line continue with the Chiefs. But the revelation that left tackle Damion McIntosh will miss 4-6 weeks is treated as good news in Kansas City, since many feared that McIntosh's knee sprain from Monday could keep him out much longer.

McIntosh could be back for the regular-season opener. Until then, third-year backup Will Svitek will take his place.

If Svitek struggles, Kyle "Crazy Joe Davola" Turley could be moved to the left side.


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SPEAKING OF CRAZY JOE . . .

Our buddy Todd Wright of Sporting News Radio gave yours truly an assignment during the weekly Tuesday night PFT appearance. After offering up our take on which NFL figure is most like Kenny Banya of Seinfeld fame, Wright expanded the project to include other figures from the show that gets a reference from time to time (eye roll) in this space.

So help us out, PFT Planet. Who's Newman? Kramer? Uncle Leo? Babu Bhatt?

We've previously dubbed Herm Edwards the Jackie Chiles of the NFL, and Tom Coughlin is the Soup Nazi. So those are taken. As is, you know, Crazy Joe.

Send us your thoughts and we'll take if from there.


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POSTED 8:53 a.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

STEINBACH OUT UP TO TWO WEEKS

Last year, the big-money offseason acquisition of the Cleveland Browns blew out a patellar tendon on the first day of training camp, and has yet to return. This year, the team's high-priced lineman is injured, too. But not nearly as seriously.

Guard Eric Steinbach reportedly will misses up to weeks after falling on his knee during practice on Tuesday.

"We're having it evaluated," coach Romeo Crennel said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We were inside on the turf and he came down on the knee. I would say he bruised it, but I haven't looked at it, and I'm not the doctor, so I don't know."

The Steinbach injury comes less than a week after it was announced that right tackle Ryan Tucker will miss the first four games of the season due to a violation of the steroids policy.

Lennie Friedman will fill in for Steinbach while the injury heals.


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POSTED 10:22 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2007

JOHNSON A "MAN AMONG BOYS"

Though Lions coach Rod Marinelli has said that receiver Calvin Johnson needs to get in shape, a league source tells us that the rookie for Georgia Tech looks like a "man among boys" in training camp.

Johnson possesses every desirable attribute that a receiver can possess, and none of the attitude. He's fast, he's tall, he runs great routes, and his hands are softer than Warren Sapp's bosoms (not that we have any personal experience in that regard).

As we see it, Johnson's impact in 2007 will be determined by the extent to which opposing defenses opt to use two men to cover him. If they don't, he'll make them pay. If they do, Roy Williams and/or Mike Furrey will run wild.

Maybe Jon Kitna isn't so crazy after all for predicting 10 or more wins.


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POSTED 7:59 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:27 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2007

REVIS, JETS STILL AT ODDS

With only two first-round holdouts remaining, the Jets and No. 14 pick Darrelle Revis continue to be locked in a stare down regarding the length of the contract.

Because Revis, a cornerback, was taken among the first 16 picks, the Jets are entitled to require him to sign a contract with a maximum length of six years. But all of the other guys taken in the vicinity of Revis have signed five-year contracts (or six-year deals that easily void to five). Thus, the Revis camp wants the Jets to ignore the rule that permits a six-year term because most of the other teams exercising picks in the top half of round one already have done so.

The Jets, however, aren't budging.

So what happens next? Per a league source, the indications are that Revis would do a six-year deal if the money is right not only in year six, but also in year five.

The thinking is that incentives pushing the Revis salary in year six to the amount of the franchise tender won't be enough to get the agents to bite, since a player who signs a five-year deal already faces the possibility of being slapped with the franchise tag in year six. For a six-year deal, however, the first true franchise tag year would be the seventh season.

But if the deal were to have fair triggers that would push the pay in year five and year six to extraordinary levels, then the team would have a strong incentive to negotiate an extension after four years.

The other reality here is that, with so many guys taken in the top 16 signing five-year deals, agents Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod risk having a six-year deal used against them in recruiting. As we've said before, and surely will say again, it shouldn't be an issue. But it is. And will be.

So the Jets can either do a five-year deal, or they can negotiate a six-year package that makes it wise for Revis to defer free agency one more year into the future. Until that happens, they'll get nothing in return for everything they sacrificed to move up in round one to draft Revis.


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TUESDAY NIGHT TRAINING CAMP ONE-LINERS

Bills rookie RB Dwayne Wright had an allergic reaction to something he ate.

Bills DE Anthony Hargrove missed practice on Tuesday while dealing to his legal entanglements.

Fins rookie DT Marquay Love has been moved to guard.

The Pats have traded for Bears CB Dante Wesley.

Jets G Pete Kendall doesn't think the decision to drop him to the second team was made by his position coach.

Bengals LB Odell Thurman turned himself in on charges of probation violation.

Bengals WR Tab Perry (hip) returned to practice on Tuesday, but won't play in the preseason opener.

Browns LB Willie McGinest and G Eric Steinbach missed practice on Tuesday with minor injuries.

Steelers OT Max Starks is playing the left side and the right side.

Rookie DT Ed Johnson could be one of the guys who gets a crack at replacing Booger McFarland.

Jags TE George Wrightster has been removed from the PUP list.

There was a rash of minor injuries in Denver on Tuesday.

Chiefs LT Will Svitek is the starter while Damion McIntosh recovers from a knee injury.

Coach Norv Turner is looking for more ways to get RB LaDainian Tomlinson involved in the passing game.

Rookie CB Paul Oliver spends his down time watching film.

WR Jerheme Urban could win a roster spot in Big D.

Former Vikings owner Red McCombs gave former Vikings QB Brad Johnson a hug during a visit by Red to Cowboys camp. (Boy, they really bonded during those two games Johnson started while McCombs owned the team.)

Giants TE Jeremy Shockey (leg) and WR Plaxico Burress (ankle) missed practice on Tuesday.

The Eagles have released their first depth chart, and QB Kevin Kolb isn't in one of the top three spots.

The Redskins have released OL Will Whitticker.

S LaRon Landry isn't listed as a starter on the Redskins' first depth chart.

Vikingds DE Erasmus James, who tore an ACL last September, has yet to participate in team drills.

Now that Mike Vick is out of the picture, we're amazed by all of the good things being said about the Falcons' receivers.

Panthers S Mike Minter makes it official.

Cards QB Matt Leinart is on a diet.

Rams TE Randy McMichael had to improve his blocking skills. (Maybe he imagined that opposing defenders were his wife.)

The Raiders have placed LB Isaiah Kacyvenski on injured reserve.


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POSTED 7:08 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2007

WILFORD INJURES KNEE, TOO

It's been a week of knee injuries in training camp. For the most part, however, they have not been serious.

Jags receiver Ernest Wilford jammed his left knee against the ground during practice on Tuesday, and was carted from the complex for evaluation.

Wilford is listed as a starting receiver on the Jags' unofficial depth chart, ahead of first-rounders Matt Jones and Reggie Williams. The other starter is Dennis Northcutt.


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POSTED 7:00 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2007

MORE ON THE QUINN CONTRACT

A league source tells us that, as we previously explained, the base value of the Brady Quinn contract is not $20.2 million over five years.

Instead, the value pushes to $20.2 million based on incentive payments due in the final two seasons of the deal if, and only if, Quinn takes at least 55 percent of the snaps in two of the first three years of his career or at least 70 percent in his third season. Without these payments, the maximum base value is $8.55 million.

Also, we're told that the maximum value of $30 million requires Quinn to achieve various high-end incentive triggers, and that it's unlikely that he'll unlock the full possible payments under the contract.


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POSTED 6:53 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2007

BROWN IS OKAY

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that X-rays and an MRI on the injured knee of Saints left tackle Jamaal Brown were negative.

Brown was injured in practice on Tuesday, and a reporter from WLW-TV described it as serious.

Fortunately for the Saints, it wasn't.


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POSTED 6:50 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2007

STOVALL LEAPFROGS CLAYTON

Our friends at PewterReport.com have pointed out to us that second-year Bucs receiver Maurice Stovall has passed over Michael Clayton on the team's first official 2007 depth chart.

Joey Galloway and Stovall are listed as the top two receivers. Clayton is number three.

Clayton has faded in two seasons since generating more than 1,100 receiving yards as a rookie in 2004. Stovall, a rookie in 2006 who caught only seven passes for 102 yards last year, has come on strong in 2007. Not bad for a guy who was under consideration for a move to tight end.

Another surprise on the depth chart is the presence of David Boston as the primary backup to Joey Galloway. Boston, a first-rounder in 1999, was cut by Tampa last season and sat out the season.

Also, tight end Jerramy Stevens is listed as a third-stringer, which suggests that he might not make the final roster. Also showing up on the third unit is quarterback Chris Simms, who despite a horrible camp is still in front of Bruce Gradkowski.


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POSTED 3:33 p.m. EDT, August 7, 2007

VALUE OF QUINN DEAL GROSSLY OVERSTATED

With the Brady Quinn contract being widely being reported as having a base value of $20.2 million, multiple league sources have contacted us for the purposes of calling bullsh-t on this concept.

The Browns, we're told, had only $1.14 million remaining in rookie pool space. By rule, the value of the rookie deal cannot increase by more than 25 percent of the first-year salary, excluding any signing bonus proration.

Thus, assuming that there was no signing bonus (and surely there was not), the maximum value of the Quinn contract is $1.14 million in 2007, $1.425 million in 2008, $1.71 million in 2009, $1.995 million in 2010, and $2.28 million in 2011.

That's a grand total of $8.55 million over five years as the maximum base value.

Unless the Browns included a one-time minimum play-time incentive in the amount of nearly $12 million, there's no way that the deal fairly can be described as having a base value of more than $20 million.

And there's no way that the Browns did that, in our opinion. The sum of $12 million is too much to pay for the fact that Quinn participates in 35 percent of the snaps in any one of the years of the contract.

Even if the Browns inserted a one-time payment of this magnitude based on the achievement of minimum playing time, it's still not part of the "base deal" -- it's part of the incentive package.

Of course, details like that don't matter here, since Quinn's agent will now use that $20 million number (as validated by members of the "real" media who are either unaware of its inaccuracy -- as we initially were -- or complicit in the ruse) to lure next year's crop of first-round picks.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 10:02 a.m. EDT, August 9, 2007

BRADY QUINN CONFIDENT HE'LL START THIS YEAR by Michael David Smith

Quarterback Brady Quinn held out for the first 11 days of the Browns' training camp, but when asked on Wednesday if he'll start this year, he answered, "Without a doubt."

However, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that he was less confident in his ability to start the regular season opener.

"I think it's up to the coaching staff," Quinn said. "There are some things you can't control. All I can do is come in, try to catch back up and do the best I can."

The absolute worst thing Quinn could do right now, after angering lots of Browns fans with his holdout, is act as though he's entitled to the starting job. So while the "Without a doubt" quote might have been intended to show confidence, the "it's up to the coaching staff" quote is probably more along the lines of what he should be saying right now.

When asked if there's a risk that fans will perceive Quinn as a spoiled kid, he responded, "You never want to come off as [spoiled]. If anyone knew me, they wouldn't say those words."

Browns fans will get to know him in the coming years and make their own judgment.

Note: The Plain-Dealer refers to Quinn's contract as "a seven-year deal worth $20.2 million, including a $7.75 million signing bonus. The deal can escalate to $30 million based on playing time." To reiterate what PFT Editor Mike Florio has reported, the deal isn't seven years, the $20.2 million figure is bogus, the $7.75 million guarantee isn't a signing bonus, and the $30 million figure is even more bogus than the $20.2 million figure. Other than that, the Plain-Dealer got it right.


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THURSDAY MORNING TRAINING CAMP ONE LINERS by Michael David Smith

Rookie Anthony Spencer will start at outside linebacker in the Cowboys' preseason opener tonight.

OLB DeMarcus Ware is doing Karate Kid-style training to work on his hand placement.

WR Amani Toomer is the only player in Giants camp who played for the team in the Super Bowl after the 2001 season.

Kawika Mitchell has moved from middle linebacker with the Chiefs to weakside linebacker with the Giants, and he says of the new position, "It's actually a little bit easier."

Eagles coach Andy Reid is a big fan of rookie TE Brent Celek.

G Shawn Andrews will see a specialist in Philadelphia for an examination of his injured right ankle.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs says of C Casey Rabach, "he's one of the most valuable people on our team."

S Pierson Prioleau was so disgusted with how the Redskins played last season that he didn't even watch the games on TV as he sat at home with a knee injury.

Bears RB Cedric Benson is looking forward to getting tackled when the Bears start the preseason Saturday.

LBs Brian Urlacher, Hunter Hillenmeyer and Michael Okwo all missed practice Wednesday, but coach Lovie Smith says they'll be fine.

QB J.T. O'Sullivan will play most of the game in the Lions' preseason opener tonight.

WR Calvin Johnson will play about a half.

The Packers have $13.3 million in salary cap space.

The Green Bay coaching staff is confident in rookie KR David Clowney's ability to contribute this season, even though he returned only five kickoffs at Virginia Tech.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson says he's ready to play in the preseason opener, but coach Brad Childress isn't so sure.

The Vikings plan to use more starters on special teams, including both starting safeties on kickoff coverage.

Falcons QB Joey Harrington will get the first 10 to 12 plays Friday night, and then backups Chris Redman and D.J. Shockley will get the rest of the game to show who should be No. 2.

Atlanta's coaching staff is raving about WR Roddy White.

S Chris Harris was promoted to the first-string defense after just four practices in Carolina.

Panthers WR Keary Colbert has moved past Drew Carter on the depth chart and is now the starter opposite Steve Smith.

The Saints waived LB Trev Faulk.

Saints DT Hollis Thomas says, "I'm a fat guy. I have a different makeup."

QB Jeff Garcia says that before he signed with the Bucs, the mental drag of moving from team to team each year "started to take all the fun out of the experience of being on the field."

Jon Gruden thinks tight end is a position of strength in Tampa Bay.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt called off the morning practice session and took the team to the movies.

The Cardinals have three undrafted rookie fullbacks on the roster, but they haven't decided if they'll keep any fullbacks besides starter Terrelle Smith.

After taking some hard hits during practice, Rams RB Steven Jackson said, "I think you should take care of your feature back."

Coach Scott Linehan says of rookie DT Adam Carriker, "He's ready. He's worked with the [first team] from the get-go and never looked out of place. It'll be fun to watch him play."

WR Ashley Lelie is on the third string on the 49ers' current depth chart.

San Francisco coach Mike Nolan doesn't like the NFL's preseason schedule.

Seahawks CB Marcus Trufant made a one-handed interception in Wednesday's practice.

A crowd of 2,000 turned out to watch the Seahawks practice at Husky Stadium.


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POSTED 7:29 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:02 a.m. EDT, August 9, 2007

THE FORGOTTEN HOLDOUT

There are only two rookies who aren't in camp (Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis), one unsigned veteran (Pats cornerback Asante Samuel), and two veterans who are under contract (Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and Chiefs running back Larry Johnson).

The dispute that arguably has gotten the least attention, at least nationally, is the one that arguably should get the most: the L.J. holdout.

One of the reasons for the Johnson holdout getting so little play is that neither side is saying very much publicly. And the media isn't writing much on the topic, even though the Chiefs would be a dramatically different team with their featured back out of the lineup.

But while the principals of the dispute, Johnson and Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson, are regarded as two of the most hard-headed figures in the NFL, the sense that this one won't get worked out anytime soon has yet to take root in the football-watching consciousness.

The holdout was a big issue in Wednesday night's debut of HBO's Hard Knocks series, and the attention to the tug-o-war between tailback and team could increase because of it.

Still, it's not like the issue came off as being all that sexy during the premiere episode.

For one thing, Johnson didn't sound like a guy who is all that strong in his resolve to stay away.

"A lot of times I wish I was with my teammates," Johnson said during the show, according to the Kansas City Star. "I've never been a fan of the holdout process . . . [but] Earl Campbell only played six years. I could be like that. Be on top and then. . . ."

Actually, Campbell played eight seasons. But you get the idea. There's a finite number of years in which a guy can get pounded around with the ball in his hands before injury or ineffectiveness inevitably set in.

The most intriguing development in the dispute to date might have been the declaration from former Chiefs go-to guy Priest Holmes, who said that, if L.J. doesn't want to come in and get paid to be the guy, Holmes will do it.

"Somebody has to get the money," Holmes said. "Hey, if L.J. wants to leave the money out there, guess I'm going to take it. If he wants to come get it, it's rightfully his to take. He's earned it. But if he chooses not to come back, well, somebody has to take it. Why won't it be me?"

One reason it won't be Priest is because the team has told him that he'll be used in limited fashion. And because Holmes' comments tend to have the effect of putting some public pressure on Johnson to cave, the Chiefs might find that they need to dump Holmes if/when Johnson shows up with a strong desire to cram a cleat down Priest's throat.

(Then again, Holmes is a bargain for the Chiefs -- at some point in the past several months, he reduced his salary from $4 million to $870,000. As Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star noted recently, Holmes probably would earn more money on the free-agent market.)

But while it seems that the Chiefs and L.J. will eventually resolve their differences, there's no apparent end in sight to the standoff. Johnson wants to rip up the final year of a contract that pays him a paltry $1.7 million this year, and the Chiefs don't want to pay him the kind of huge money that he wants at a position that has been de-valued over the past several season. A trade is still an option, but if the Chiefs won't give L.J. what he wants, why will another team do so, especially since another team would have to also cough up enough players and/or picks to placate Peterson?

So while no one seems to be talking very much about the Johnson holdout, it possibly could be the one that lasts as long as any, with Johnson not showing up until week ten of the regular season, so that he'll then have a chance to become a free agent in 2008.

Before, of course, the Chiefs use the franchise tag on him, and we get to do it all over again.


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NFL.COM MOVES ON, MOVES OUT STRAHAN?

In a recent item on CBSSportsline.com regarding Michael Strahan's retirement deliberations (or, as most believe, his holdout that he's trying desperately not to have called a holdout), Mike Freeman notes that Strahan's name already has been expunged from the NFL.com database.

We checked it, and Freeman is on the money. Under "S", right between "Stover" and "Strait," there's nothing.

But, apparently, it's a device used by NFL.com only as to players who choose not to honor their existing contracts. Because Larry Johnson's name doesn't show up in the "J" listing, either.

Indeed, unsigned holdouts are listed. Like Darrelle Revis. And JaMarcus Russell. And Asante Samuel. But, technically, none of those players are members right now of the teams listed next to their names.

It seems unusual to us that someone within the league office would apparently go to the affirmative effort of removing those who disregard their contractual obligations from the alphabetical listing of players. But we kind of like it. If the player chooses not to live up to the terms of the agreement to which he signed his name, there should be consequences, even relatively insignificant ones like a refusal by the league to acknowledge their existence.


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POSTED 9:39 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:10 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

DOES PACMAN THINK WRESTLING IS REAL?

Titans cornerback Pacman Jones is going to spend his exile from the NFL as a pro wrestler. Despite some stated concerns from the franchise as to whether Jones' contract permits such activities, Jones apparently intends to go through with it, as evidenced by an interview he recently gave to NBCSports.com.

As further evidenced by the interview, Pacman apparently thinks that wrestling is real.

He says that his goal in wrestling is to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. "I want to prove that I am the greatest team sport athlete," Jones said. "I really want to show that I'm a team player."

No, really. He said that.

Of course, as to the Titans' legimate concerns regarding whether wrestling constitutes a breach of Pacman's NFL contract, Pac proves once again that he's anything but a true team player.

"They really don't know what goes on in wrestling; they just see it on TV," Jones said. "I'm sure they are scared but I'll be alright [sic]. What I do with my time is up to me."

See, Pac, this is where you're wrong. It's that very attitude that has gotten in you in the predicament you now face, and unless and until you fundamentally change that mind set, the only thing you'll even win is whatever the wrestling writers choose to let you win.



WEDNESDAY NIGHT TRAINING CAMP ONE-LINERS

The Jags-Fins game at Miami has been declared a sellout.

The Dolphins hope to have LB Joey Porter back in time for the regular-season opener.

The Pats have added TE Marcellus Rivers.

Rookie hazing at Patriots camp is pretty freaking lame-o.

Jets coach Eric Mangini isn't opposed to letting his starters play into the second quarter in the preseason opener.

Ravens coach Brian Billick says that training camp is essentially over.

Steelers DB Tyrone Carter is getting work at both safety positions, and at cornerback.

After the top two quarterbacks screwed up on Wednesday during a two-minute drill, coach Gary Kubiak got the team together to tell them to minimize mistakes.

The Colts want to improve on their 1-8 record over the past two preseasons. (Um . . . why?)

QB Byron Leftwich will get about 15 snaps in the preseason opener, and backup David Garrad will get 15-20.

Broncos WR Rod Smith and WR Brandon Marshall are still sidelined.

Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp will work from the press box. (It's closer to a toilet in the event he gets nauseous.)


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POSTED 9:18 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

NFL CANCELS QUARTERBACK CHALLENGE AND NO ONE NOTICES

The National Football League pulled the plug on ESPN's broadcast of the 2007 Quarterback Challenge.

The show was supposed to air initially on Friday, August 3, and presumably would have been replayed more than Barry Bonds' 756th home (yawn) run. According to the Caymanian Compass, the NFL's decision arose from the involvement of Michael Vick in the competition that was conducted on May 19, less than a month after dogs and dog-fighting equipment were removed from Vick's secluded Virginia property.

The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism was informed of the decision by the NFL on July 30.

The move isn't surprising. What is surprising to us is that no one noticed.

We heard in May that Josh McCown of the Raiders won the competition.


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POSTED 9:02 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

HUARD HAS INSIDE TRACK?

Adam Schefter of NFL Network suggests that Damon Huard could be the favorite to start the season as the starting quarterback for the Chiefs, primarily because of the schedule.

Three of the first four games of the season are on the road, including games at San Diego and Chicago. This could prompt coach Herm Edwards to opt for experience in the early phase of the season. Huard played well last year after Trent Green suffered a severe concussion in Week One.

But it's clear that Edwards is hoping that Croyle will eventually win the job. He'll get more reps with the first-team offense during the preseason in the hopes that he'll be ready to roll sooner rather than later.


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POSTED 5:56 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

WESTBROOK IS AT A FUNERAL

A league source tells us that running back Brian Westbrook is absent from Eagles camp because he's at a funeral.

With that said, we're confused as to why coach Andy Reid didn't simply say so on Wednesday, instead of creating the impression that something akin to T.O.'s 2005 ticket home had gone down.

Presumably, Westbrook will return soon.


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POSTED 5:45 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE QUINN DEAL

On the surface, Browns quarterback Brady Quinn leapfrogged the guy drafted in front of him with guaranteed money of $7.75 million and apparently jumped several spots higher with a base package of $20.2 million.

We've previously exposed the flaws regarding the reports about the base package, which per NFL rules would have had a maximum value of $8.55 million.

We're now told that the base value is $9.2 million, since the extra money comes from a one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time (i.e., 35 percent of all offensive snaps) in the amount of $1.323 million. Some league insiders refer to this payment as the "falling off of a log" bonus, since the guy doesn't need to do anything other than show up and play football to earn it.

We're also told that the base value with the "log" bonus isn't higher than $9.2 million because the contract doesn't max out the potential salaries in the final years of the deal, in light of the rule that prohibits annual growth from exceeding 25 percent of the first-year pay, excluding any signing bonus proration.

So where does the base value fall in comparison to the players drafted around him? The No. 21 overall pick, Jags safety Reggie Nelson, has a base package of $9.55 million. The No. 23 selection, Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe, has a base value of $9 million.

So the base deal paid to Quinn, the No. 22 selection, is a slotted contract.

As to the guarantee, it's true that Quinn got more guaranteed money than the guy taken in front of him. However, the Browns got to that $7.75 million number by guaranteeing Quinn's second-year and third-year salaries. Per a league source, none of the other guys drafted in the vicinity of Quinn have guaranteed base salaries in years two or three.

And they don't really need it. How many first-round picks are cut more than three years into their NFL careers? Not very many.

Without the guaranteed salaries paid in years two and three, it's a slotted deal.

Finally, as to the escalators that can drive the total value of the package to anywhere from $20 million to $30 million, a league source tells us that the deal is not much different from the incentives included in contracts signed by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, both of whom also were picked after the first 20 selections in round one.

For more on the Quinn contract that isn't mentioned above, check out our latest PFTV commentary on the topic.

< src=http://www.youtube.com/v/164H5VuXwCI width=425 height=350 =application/x-shockwave-flash wmode="transparent">

C'mon. Click on it. It's only a couple of minutes long. What the hell else are you doing right now?

Bottom line -- this deal could have been done two weeks ago. We still can't figure out why it wasn't.


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POSTED 4:59 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 5:20 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

WHAT THE FUJITA ARE THE SAINTS DOING?

WWL-TV in New Orleans reports that Saints linebacker Scott Fujita was "seen on crutches and with his right foot taped up as the team returned from a morning excursion to a local water park."

Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune also reports that tight end Billy Miller emerged from the event with a large bandage on his forehead.

Hey, we generally like the idea of team-building exercises. But there's got to be a better way to let the guys bond that have them romp around -- and twist ankles -- at a water park.

How about bowling? Or cards? Or a Madden tournament? Or anything other than barefooted horseplay on wet, slippery surfaces?


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POSTED 4:41 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

WHERE'S WESTBROOK?

Eagles coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that he has excused running back Brian Westbrook from camp, and that it is the result of "personal reasons." Reid also says he doesn't know when Westbrook will be back.

Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Newspaper Conglomerate (we can't recall which paper Brookover is assigned to, and are too lazy to look it up) says that Westbrook has been resting his knees.

But we can't help but wonder whether the situation is connected to the issue of the unpaid $3 million roster bonus that Westbrook received. A league source says that it has nothing to do with the matter, but that the money still hasn't been paid.

Per the source, the two sides are still working through the issue. The problem is that Westbrook has to pay the Eagles $3 million even though he likely only received $1.5 million or so after taxes in extra money. So basically Westbrook must cough up the gross amount of the extra bonus and wait for the IRS to refund his taxes that the Eagles had withheld.


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POSTED 4:22 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

MORA MUSINGS CAUSING MORE PROBLEMS

Last year, former Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr. cost himself a job by publicly declaring a desire to become the head coach at the University of Washington, even if it meant dumping his then-current gig to do so.

This year, Mora could be costing his new employer some money. Or a lot of it.

Our own MDS noted on Wednesday morning Mora's remarks regarding one of his new pupils in Seattle, cornerback Marcus Trufant. Mora said that Trufant "has the ability to be one of those top, top-tier guys."

A league insider contacted us in response to Mora's comments, and told us that Trufant's agent will be filing the quote away for future use. Trufant will be a free agent after the 2008 season, and Mora has inadvertently bumped up Trufant's leverage.

The source noted that it was a superficially innocent remark from Mora, but it's the kind of thing that any coach has to be careful about saying to the media. Agents will use anything they can to drive up their guy's price tag, and Mora has now given Trufant's agent more ammo to break the bank.


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POSTED 2:22 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:40 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2007

NFL REQUESTED DATE OF VICK ARRAIGNMENT?

A league source tells us that there is a strong belief in some NFL circles that the league office worked the back channels to request that Michael Vick's arraignment on federal conspiracy charges be scheduled for the same day on which the Falcons were due to begin training camp (or, as the case may be, spring training), so that Vick would be in default under his Falcons contract.

Though, in the end, the NFL decided to place Vick on a paid leave sort of thing, excusing him from any finding of default for now, we're told that the initial internal reaction to the news of the Vick indictment was to posture the situation so that the team would instantly be able to pursue bonus money that previously has been paid to Vick.

As we reported a couple of weeks ago, analysis of a contract similar to Vick's suggests that he would owe the team more than $28 million if he were to default before the start of the 2007 regular season.

It's unclear why the league had a change of heart in this regard. Perhaps, in the end, the NFL decided that putting the Falcons in a position where the team would be pursuing Vick's bonus money before any substantive finding of wrongdoing, as a result of either the prosecution or an internal league investigation, was too aggressive under the circumstances.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 10:15 p.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

VICK WON'T ROLL OVER ON PLAYERS

Peter King of NBC reports that Mike Vick, if he pleads guilty, won't roll over on other NFL players who might be involved in dog fighting.

But what if giving up the goods as to what he knows about dog fighting and the associated gambling activities is part of the plea offer that's on the table? We suppose that he could try to say "I don't know" when it comes to NFL players, but if the feds expect him to come clean and he tries to zip his lips, the plug could be pulled on the plea bargain.

King's report came as part of an insightful halftime discussion during NBC's Sunday night game between the Ravens and the Giants. Cris Collinsworth raised the gambling angle, and King said that the NFL is as concerned, and possibly more concerned, about the gambling angle than the dog-fighting aspect of the case.

King also said that any suspension from the NFL most likely will begin after Vick gets out of prison.

And Tiki Barber suggested that, if Vick names names regarding other players who are involved in dog fighting, Vick would never be accepted in another NFL locker room.

So, Tiki, are you saying that NFL players don't like it when one of their own speaks out of school? Such as, for example, commenting on another player's contract? Or criticizing teammates and/or coaches to the press? You mean like that, Tiki?

As Tiki's new on-air teammate Peter King wrote less than two years ago after Tiki ripped the coaching staff following a playoff loss, "It was a bad decision to make that statement. Just as you don't impugn your quarterback for a lousy game (and Eli Manning was a lot worse on Sunday than Tom Coughlin), you don't rip your coaching staff, even if you think it did a bad job. Hey, I love to see people speaking the truth, and if Barber believes what he said, good for us. Great story. But I also think it's something you don't do as a team guy."


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FEW TEN-DOLLAR WORDS FROM TIVI

We tuned in to the halftime show on NBC primarily to see what Tiki Barber had to say. Specifically, we were looking for some of his patented ten-dollar words.

Unfortunately, we were disappointed. "Convoluted" was the closest Tiki came to expanding anyone's vocabulary.

Heck, Peter King was far more prodigious (thanks, um, Peter) in his vocabulary, throwing around terms like "concurrently" and "diminution" and "tentacles."


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POSTED 9:43 p.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

GIANTS DROPPING LIKE, WELL, GIANTS IN BALTIMORE

Somebody must have taken an axe to the beanstalk, because Giants are falling left and right on Sunday night.

The most serious of the bunch is receiver Michael Jennings, who ruptured an Achilles' tendon while making a reception in the first quarter.

Also, safety Will Demps dislocated an elbow, and cornerback Sam Madison pulled a hamstring. Receiver Steve Smith has a concussion.

And whenever Giants players get hurt we recall the words of coach Tom Coughlin, who suggested when hired that players could somehow will themselves to stay healthy.

The Ravens haven't avoided the injury bug. Cornerback Samari Rolle and receiver Derrick Mason each has sustained ankle injuries.


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POSTED 7:33 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:19 p.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

BURRESS MILKING ANKLE INJURY?

It seems that some members of the New York Giants are of the opinion that receiver Plaxico Burress is milking the ankle injury that he suffered on August 2.

"I think his milk is going bad," said a player who overheard what another player said, according to Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger.

Said Burress in response: "It's fine. But when I get back on the football field, when I get back out there and back to being No. 17 and making plays, everybody's going to shut up and get in line.

"You think I'm not out there because I don't want to? That would be crazy to think that. Everybody's entitled to their opinion. If they think that, then good for them. But when it comes time to strap it up on Sunday, I'll be one of the best players on the field."

Maybe it's just us, but shouldn't Burress be pissed off about this, if he really isn't milking the injury? And isn't he going to want to know who it is that thinks he's milking the injury, if he isn't milking the injury?

Regardless, it's good to know that there will still be plenty of drama in New York, even without TiVi Barber on board.


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SUNDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Bills DE John Denny is out indefinitely with a broken foot.

Jaws thinks that Peyton Manning will be even better after winning the Super Bowl.

Jags coach Jack Del Rio doesn't think that S Reggie Nelson's ankle injury is serious.

Chiefs LT Damion McIntosh made an unexpectedly quick return to the practice field after suffering a knee injury.

Could RB Ronnie Brown be returning kicks for the Fins instead of WR Ted Ginn?

Are four throws enough to get Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson ready to play?

How many consecutive questions can we ask?

Does anyone really give a sh-t?

Is any of that even remotely funny?

Free-agent WR Robert Ferguson visited with the Vikings on Sunday.

Maybe Pats K Stephen Gostkowski needed someone in camp to push him, after all.

Jets coach Eric Mangini isn't happy that the agent for RB Thomas Jones was talking about his condition.

Jets RG Brandon Moore wants more money, even though he has four seasons left on his contract.


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POSTED 5:43 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 6:07 p.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

CAMPBELL IS OKAY

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that an MRI on the bruised knee of Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell shows that he suffered only a bruise to his knee on Saturday night.

Campbell is now day-to-day.

Schefter also reports that linebacker Marcus Washington has a dislocated elbow, which was been relocated. He nevertheless will miss two weeks.


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POSTED 5:39 p.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

BRONCOS BOO-HOO ABOUT 'BOYS

To the extent that there are unwritten rules that apply in the preseason, the Broncos believe that the Cowboys broke them on Saturday night.

"They came out and game-planned us, blitzing every play," safety John Lynch said. "They came after us. It's no excuse for the way we played. But I think they might have broken the code of ethics for the preseason."

Dallas coach Wade Phillips said that blitzing is a big part of what they do in a 3-4 defense.

From our perspective, we think that the Broncos shouldn't complain. The preseason is the time for the doing whatever a team thinks it needs to do to get ready for the season. The score doesn't (or at least shouldn't) matter.

Besides, the league wants to see "real" football, so that fans will continue to plunk down "real" money for these necessarily not "real" games.


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POSTED 2:18 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:49 p.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

ROGERS RESORTING TO THE CFL

Lo, how the mighty have fallen.

Four years after entering the NFL as the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, receiver Charles Rogers will try to resurrect his football career in the CFL.

Rogers was cut by the Lions prior to the 2006 season, and was unable to secure a contract with another team. We'd heard rumors of workouts involving times in the 40-yard dash at our about 5.0 seconds.

Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com reports that agent Jason Fletcher says that three CFL teams are interested in Rogers. In our view, however, Rogers would have to dominate Canada before anyone in the NFL would show any interest in him. His history of injuries, ineffectiveness, and inhalation presents a huge hurdle for Rogers, and his experiences are further proof that there's no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL draft.


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SUNDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Cards QB Matt Leinart, who wears jersey number seven, was seven for seven for 70 yards and a seven-pointer on Saturday night. (Okay, we know a touchdown is technically worth only six points, but we didn't want to disrupt the whole "seven" thing.)

The Falcons are waiting to find out whether QB D.J. Shockley is out for the year.

The Ravens wrapped up what coach Brian Billick called a "phenomenal" camp on Saturday.

Baltimore K Rhys Lloyd finally showed up after having trouble getting a work visa. (Could we have a new Babu Bhatt for the All-Seinfeld team?)

Panthers QB Jake Delhomme was unhappy with his team's performance on Friday night against the Eagles.

Bears DE Alex Brown suggests drafting QB Rex Grossman for fantasy football.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis wasn't happy with the performance of his starters against the Saints.

The Cowboys held the Broncos' starting offense to a pair of field goals.

The Colts reportedly are eyeballing DT Tank Johnson.

Broncos RB Travis Henry says that his MCL sprain isn't serious.

Four Packers suffered MCL sprains on Saturday night.

Good news: The Texans scored on six straight possessions against the Cardinals on Saturday. Bad news: The Texans don't play the Cardinals during the regular season.


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POSTED 11:51 a.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

QUINN WINS OVER THE FANS

Not long ago, Browns rookie quarterback Brady Quinn was close to becoming persona non grata (thanks, Tiki) in Cleveland, due to a protracted holdout and the horribly misguided decision prior to training camp to charge a minimum of $75 for his autograph.

But those days could be gone forever (or, at least until he stinks it up in the regular season) following Quinn's stirring debut in a Saturday night game against the Lions. Playing from behind, Quinn passed on every snap during his two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, completing 13 of 20 throws. Four of the 20 attempts that didn't result in receptions were clock-killing spikes.

Highlights of Quinn's performance are available right here.

One of the efforts saw the Browns cover 92 yards in less than two minutes. It wasn't quite "The Drive," but it was enough to make fans think that Quinn could be Cleveland's long-awaited answer to the guy who authored it more than 20 years ago.

And at a time when the other Browns quarterbacks are playing like the brown stuff that might be found on the floor of the Dawg Pound, the outcry for Quinn could begin, soon.

"I can sit here and say he had a limited offense, but they're going to be encouraged by what they saw," coach Romeo Crennel said after the game. "Their best guys weren't in there, but ours weren't either. Let them get excited, but we still will do what we feel is best for this team."

Translation -- Quinn won't be the Week One starter. But unless Charlie Frye and/or Derek Anderson step it up soon, Quinn might be thrown into the fire earlier than expected, especially in light of the fact that his holdout prompted most observers to assume that he wouldn't play at all in 2007.


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POSTED 8:12 a.m. EDT, August 19, 2007

BAD NEWS FOR BRONCOS

The primary objective of the preseason is, in our opinion, to avoid injuries.

And if that's the real test for the games that aren't real, the Denver Broncos failed on Saturday against the Cowboys, when defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon, and running back Travis Henry went down with a knee injury that will require an MRI on Sunday. Henry is believed to have a sprained MCL; such an injury heals without surgery, but requires rest. His availability for the start of the regular season could be in doubt.

As to Ekuban, the season-long absence creates more need on a defensive line that the Broncos hope will improve significantly in 2007. With defensive tackle Gerard Warren still on the trading block, why not give the Giants a call and offer Warren straight up for holdout defensive end Michael Strahan?

Strahan supposedly would be inclined to play for a contender, and the Broncos are one. If, of course, they can get some solid play on the defensive line -- and if Travis Henry is available.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 10:19 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:32 a.m. EDT, August 23, 2007

KENDALL SENT TO 'SKINS

A league source tells us that the Jets have sent guard Pete Kendall to the Washington Redskins. It is believed that Washington sent a fourth-round pick to the Jets in exchange.

Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News reported on Thursday that a deal to an unnamed team was close. Our source says that a deal to D.C. is done.

Cimini also reports that Kendall will get, in his new NFL city, the $1 million raise that he craved for the coming year, pushing his salary from $1.7 million to $2.7 million.

It had become increasingly clear that a divorce was needed. Cimini devoted a recent item to Kendall's history of using painkillers to allow himself to play. Though Kendall stopped short of saying that he wouldn't continue to use medications in order to be able to suit up and perform, a source with knowledge of the situation made it clear to us that Kendall would not be using any pain medication if the team didn't adjust his contract.

The root of the problem, as we understand it, is that when Kendall restructured his deal in 2006 at the team's request, the team verbally promised to re-adjust the deal if he performed well. Kendall's perspective was that he fulfilled his end of it, and then the Jets reneged on a commitment that necessarily was unenforceable.

Kendal and the team traded barbs in training camp, with Kendall being relegated to the second team and assigned initially to the rookie dorm. Kendall loudly complained, piping down only when it seemed that the organization was getting ready to suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team.

Last week, the Jets had him play center in a preseason game, a position that he strongly dislikes. There were suspicions that two bad snaps in the game were influenced, consciously or otherwise, by Kendall's unhappiness.


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POSTED 9:33 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:51 a.m. EDT, August 23, 2007

TROTTER RELEASE SPARKING LOCKER ROOM REVOLT?

We're hearing rumblings that the release of linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has sparked a locker-room revolt against management.

Trotter was regarded as a T.O. guy -- an in-house supporter of the talented but troublemaking wideout who disrupted the team in 2005 as he tried to get more money. And, as we hear it, some of the guys on the team who are the most upset about Trotter's release are the other T.O. sympathizers.

But it's not just the remaining pro-T.O. crowd that is unhappy about Trotter being gone. Quarterback Donovan McNabb has expressed his own questions about the move.

"The decision that was made was from the ones upstairs," McNabb said at a press conference on Wednesday. "But as a player, I just didn't see it at all. And I don't think any of us saw it.

"Sometimes when you get injured people may say you lost a step. But as you get older you get wiser and you understand more about the game. You begin to understand more about your strengths and weaknesses and you play to your strengths and [Trotter] continued to do that. He played well.

"It's unfortunate what happened but I think this is a test for not only the older guys but a test for the younger guys."

It would be easy to assume that McNabb is speaking out because he knows that he could be the 2008 version of Trotter. Maybe there are multiple motivations at work here, with McNabb thinking about about his own interests down the road, and the team's interests right now.

There is some suspicion that the release of Trotter was driven by coach Andy Reid's desire to justify keeping linebacker Matt McCoy, a second-round pick in 2005 who has been unable to stay in the starting lineup. If Trotter had stayed, McCoy could have been the odd man out. McCoy currently is listed as a backup at the weakside linebacker position.

Regardless of the motivation, folks who wear the uniform apparently aren't pleased. Whether it affects the team's performance in any way is a different issue. We doubt that it will, but we think that Reid needs to do some in-house damage control in order to get past this one.


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SUSPENDED VICK CAN'T GO TO THE CFL

We mentioned last night the possibility that Mike Vick will try to resume his football career after he gets out of jail in Canada. His criminal record, we explained, could be a barrier to entering the country. Which would tend to prevent him from playing in the CFL. We also suggested that the CFL might not want to become the safe haven for the NFL's miscreants.

Our own MDS noted in a FanHouse post on Wednesday that the CFL already has in place a rule that prevents a player who has been suspended by another league to play the game north of the border. The rule was implemented after the Ricky Williams experiment.

So the question is whether Vick would look to Canada after the expiration of any NFL suspension, if Vick simply can't find an NFL team that is interested in his services. He'd still have to get special permission to enter the country, and he'd still have to find a CFL team willing to take the P.R. hit in the name of winning.

But we still think that Vick could end up being a target of the coming UFL, which plans to use cut-rate players to compete with the NFL by playing on Friday nights during the fall. Vick's notoriety would provide non-stop media coverage of the site, and the new league could attract some NFL fans who believe that the "real" pro football league has been too harsh with Vick.

And that's why we think that the NFL would be inclined to ask the Falcons to squat on Vick's rights during any incarceration and ensuing suspension. To be clear, Vick wouldn't be paid -- his contract would be tolled and it would cost virtually nothing to keep him on the payroll. But it would allow the Falcons and the NFL to prevent Vick from playing for anyone else while still under contract with the NFL.

This reality could push Goodell to impose a multi-year suspension to be served after Vick gets out of jail, which would mean that Vick would be well over the age of 30 when he is able to return to the NFL or any other league. And, by that time, the UFL could be long gone.


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POSTED 10:22 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:22 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

TROTTER TAKING A TRIP TO TAMPA

Our friends at PewterReport.com report that former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter will visit with the Buccaneers on Thursday.

The Bucs have a need in the middle after placing two linebackers -- Antoine Cash and Sam Olajubutu (gesundheit) -- on IR this week. But Trotter has no experience in the Tampa Two defense, and we're not sure that the 30-year-old has the mobility to cover the big hole in the heart of the field that opens up when the safeties cover the deep end of the field.

An added bonus is that, if the Bucs sign Trotter, it'll keep him away from another NFC team that might end up competing with the Bucs for a wild-card playoff berth. And with Bucs coach Jon Gruden likely needing to make it to the playoffs in order to save his job, every little bit helps.


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POSTED 9:50 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

CROYLE ON TRACK TO BE CHIEFS' STARTER

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the starting quarterback job in Kansas City is Brodie Croyle's to lose.

Croyle has been battling Damon Huard. Huard, who performed well after Trent Green got Humpty-Dumptied last September, has been nursing a leg injury.

The return of workhorse Larry Johnson makes it easier to justify taking a chance at the position with a second-year player having only limited experience in the regular season.

But it's not a done deal yet. If Croyle crumbles against the Saints on Thursday night, the door might be opened for Huard to get the job back.


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POSTED 7:59 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

BRADY IS A DADDY

Pats quarterback Tom Brady has one child. That he knows of.

On Wednesday, a Brady baby boy popped out of actress Bridget Moynihan in Los Angeles.

Brady left the Boston area this morning to be with his ex-ladyfriend.


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POSTED 7:49 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

CFL NOT EXPECTED TO BE INTERESTED IN VICK

Though many (including us) has assumed that Mike Vick might have to head to Canada in order to continue his football career after being released from federal custody, a CFL source tells us that the NFL's northern cousin won't be the avenue for Vick's second chance.

Currently, no CFL teams holds the negotiating rights to Mike Vick, which is a prerequisite to signing him.

And, as several readers have told us, the felony charges to which Vick will plead guilty will prevent him from entering Canada. Technically, however, a felon can enter Canada, but must first get permission.

Still, the CFL has gotten sensitive to the appearance that it is a haven for wayward NFL players, and we have a strong feeling that Vick won't find a home there. He's more likely to find refuge in the UFL, which could use Vick to attract NFL fans who believe that the league is being unfair by imposing a stiff suspension on him and/or blackballing him.

Taking that a step farther, it could be that the league asks the Falcons to squat on Vick's rights during his incarceration and suspension, since the Falcons would then be permitted to go Pacman on Mike if he were to try to play in another football league while on suspension from the NFL. Then after Mike is cleared to return to the NFL, the Falcons could cut him.


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POSTED 6:56 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:23 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

NO L.J. ON OPENING DAY?

Hold the phone, fantasy owners. The end of the holdout of Chiefs running back Larry Johnson doesn't mean that L.J. should return to the top of the fantasy draft board.

Per the AP, Johnson isn't sure that he'll be ready to play by September 9, the date of the team's first regular-season game.

"No, it'll take a little bit more than that," he said.

But, then again, maybe he'll be ready.

"It all depends on how I'm feeling. Of course, the adrenaline takes over," Johnson said. "You're excited about playing. So we'll see. It all depends on what type of game we'll get ourselves into."

In other words, if the Chiefs can roll the Texans without L.J. on the field, L.J. might stay on the sidelines.


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HOWARD BRYANT, WHOEVER HE IS, IS AN IDIOT

ESPN.com should double-check its security measures. Because it appears that someone has hacked into the system and posted a phony column under the name of Howard Bryant.

Bryant, whoever he is, claims that the NFL Players Association and executive director Gene Upshaw should be loudly defending Mike Vick and Pacman Jones in connection with their scrutiny from Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Says Bryant, in part: "Must the union, to preserve balance with an ambitious commissioner, defend even the indefensible? Today, in the case of Vick and during Goodell's short term, the union's answer appears to be no. In the coming years, that will prove to be a colossal mistake."

It's very easy to spot the journalists who have little or no common sense, because their writings typically scream it. In this case Howard Bryant, whoever he is, shows his lack of common sense by suggesting that Upshaw should undermine the credibility of truly worthy causes by whining about all of them, including the weakest ones.

Even little kids understand the lessons of story like "Chicken Little" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

But yet Bryant, whoever he is, would have the NFLPA banging the table about every cause, regardless of merit. That would be the colossal mistake.

Crowing about lost causes does not strengthen a union. It renders its message dilute and hollow in cases where the league is truly overreaching.

So conceding certain issues is a good thing. It shows that the unions "gets it."

In Vick's case, what should the union have done differently? More importantly, how would Vick's situation be any different based on anything the union could have done?

While we've been plenty critical of the union in the past, we think that Upshaw and his staff got it right with Vick and with Jones. And that Bryant, whoever he is, should have thought his argument through a bit more before popping off.


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POSTED 6:42 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

TIKI IS A "FRAUD"

As the catfight between former Giants running back Tiki Barber and current Giants quarterback Eli Manning continues, one league insider shared with us some strong opinions regarding Barber's decision to take aim at Manning.

"He never gave a rat's ass about the Giants when he played for them or now," the source said. "Any Giant fan that cannot figure this out now and any Giant fan that gives him a penny of their money or time is an idiot."

The source summed it up by calling Barber a "fraud."

We didn't hear Tiki's weekly Sirius NFL Radio show on Tuesday night, but we heard a quick sound bite in which Barber said something like, "Manning's job isn't to talk, it's to play football."

And then we nearly wrecked the official PFT Ford Fiesta.

Of all people, Tiki Barber is the last person who should be saying that a football player's job isn't to talk. Talk is something of which Tiki did plenty while he was playing. Whether he was criticizing Michael Strahan's contract demands or slamming the coaching staff, Tiki did as much talking as any NFL player, ever.

And Tiki will keep talking, because talking is what he now does. Talking is good for business. People will watch him on NBC and listen to him on Sirius to see what outrageous thing he talks about next.

But there's a difference between commanding an audience because he is an engaging, entertaining analyst and attracting attention because he is a spectacle. The reality is that folks will tune in because Tiki is at the opposite spectrum of the jockocracy; he's willing to call out former players and teammates solely because doing so attracts attention to him.

That routine can only work for so long. The guys with whom he played will eventually become former NFL players, and then there really won't be any reason for anyone to listen to him.


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POSTED 6:23 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

DID NFL ASK FEDS TO GIVE VICK A DEAL?

One of the questions making the rounds in league circles regarding the Mike Vick situation is this: If the feds had such a great case against Vick, why did they offer him a plea deal?

This question has spawned the theory/hypothesis/speculation that the NFL privately plowed political connections to get Vick a reasonable offer, in order to avoid the damage that a public trial of Vick would have done to the league.

We're not sure that we buy this, but it's definitely being discussed in league circles. Though the NFL has vast influence, we can't imagine the league being able to influence a federal prosecutor who is ready and willing to go after Vick as hard as possible, especially in the wake of the debacle that occurred earlier this year in the wake of the firing of various federal prosecutors who supposedly weren't playing ball with the politicos.

Still, it's hard not to wonder why the feds didn't go all in on this one.


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POSTED 3:54 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

ATLANTA NAACP STILL SUPPORTS VICK by Michael David Smith

The head of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP thinks Michael Vick should be allowed to return to the Falcons after serving his prison sentence.

"As a society, we should aid in his rehabilitation and welcome a new Michael Vick back into the community without a permanent loss of his career in football," said R.L. White, president of the NAACP's Atlanta chapter, according to the Associated Press. "We further ask the NFL, Falcons, and the sponsors not to permanently ban Mr. Vick from his ability to bring hours of enjoyment to fans all over this country."

White said Vick has made a mistake and should be allowed to prove that he has learned from that mistake.

White is wrong on a number of levels. First of all, saying that society should rehabilitate criminals is a very different thing from saying that criminals are entitled to get their jobs back as if nothing had happened as soon as they get out of prison. If an NAACP employee committed a crime that caused harm to the NAACP's reputation, and then had to miss a year or more of work to serve a prison sentence, is White really saying the NAACP wouldn't take any action against that employee?

Secondly, Vick didn't make "a mistake." He broke many laws, many times, and still has not shown any remorse at all. No one seriously believes he's pleading guilty because he feels guilt; everyone knows he's pleading guilty because he knows the government has overwhelming evidence to use against him at trial.

The NAACP has a long history of speaking up for innocent people who don't have the means to speak up for themselves. What does White think he's accomplishing by speaking up for a guilty person who does have the means to speak up for himself?


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POSTED 2:11 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

JEROME BETTIS ADMITS HE FAKED IT by Michael David Smith

Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis reveals in a new book that he faked an injury to avoid getting cut in training camp in 2000 and that he thinks former coach Bill Cowher conspired with Steelers management to run quarterback Kordell Stewart out of town.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Bettis says in his new autobiography, The Bus. My Life in and out of a Helmet, that in 2000, he reported to training camp with an injured left knee and didn't say anything about it because he thought the Steelers would release him on the spot. Instead, he waited until he was tackled during a short-yardage drill, then yelled and grabbed the knee so the Steelers would think it was a new injury and that they'd be on the hook for his 2000 salary if they released him.

"Man, did I do a nice job of acting,'' Bettis writes. "The thing is, I wasn't faking that I had an injury. I was just faking that the injury happened on that short-yardage play. I had to fool the coaches and the team's medical department into thinking the injury had occurred on that play. Otherwise, the Steelers would have had their reason to cut me and my salary."

Bettis might think the "I wasn't faking ... I was just faking" excuse is an acceptable justification, but still: He lied to the team. At the same time, given the way NFL teams often treat injured players, it's not a big surprise that players aren't always completely honest about their injuries.

Bouchette reports that Bettis also suggests that Cowher wanted Stewart to fail because if Stewart had become a star quarterback, he would have commanded more money than the team wanted to pay. Stewart played in Pittsburgh from 1995 to 2002, and Bettis believes that Cowher was looking for an excuse to replace him with Tommy Maddox as the team's starter in 2002.

"Nothing against Tommy, but I always had my doubts that he won the job fair and square," Bettis writes, adding, "I can't prove it, but in my heart I really believe that Kordell was set up for failure that season."

Bettis's other revelations include that he thinks former Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski is "a coward" and that he had a secret appendectomy before the 1999 season, which the team told him not to tell the media about. To avoid having his name show up on hospital records, he registered under the name Tex Goldstein.


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POSTED 12:25 p.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

MANGINI CROSSING THE LINE ON INJURIES by Michael David Smith

A report this weekend from Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News is raising eyebrows and raising questions in league circles about whether Jets coach Eric Mangini is going too far in his demands for secrecy about injuries.

Cimini reported that Mangini was livid when Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for running back Thomas Jones, revealed that Jones had a strained calf and would be back by the start of the regular season. According to Cimini, Mangini threatened the team, and told players he'd fine them if their agents released information on injuries.

When it comes to keeping injury information close to the vest, Mangini had a good teacher, Bill Belichick. But some league sources say Mangini is going too far, trying to bully his players. Teams have neither the right to restrict what players can say to their agents nor the right to prevent the agents from talking to others about injuries.

It's particularly odd that Mangini would make an issue of this at a time when the NFL claims it wants more openness when it comes to injuries. The league says it has a newfound commitment to encouraging players with concussions to resist pressure to play before they're ready. So how does the league square that with a coach telling players they can't talk to their agents about injuries? If a player tells his agent he's concerned about having suffered a concussion, and the agent then tells someone else, does the player's coach have the authority to fine the player?

The NFL also says it wants injury information to be publicly available because if it isn't, bookies and gamblers could try to make inroads with NFL training staffs to try to get inside information. So shouldn't the league tell head coaches to stop acting like the severity of a calf strain is a state secret?


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POSTED 10:45 a.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

VICK COULD CLEAN TOILETS FOR 12 CENTS AN HOUR by Michael David Smith

Dave Forster of The Virginian-Pilot reports today that the federal prison sentence Michael Vick is likely to serve will feature a lifestyle of jobs like mopping floors for 12 cents an hour and living in a dorm with 100 other inmates.

Forster quotes Mike Truman, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, who says that many factors go into determining where to place an inmate, but someone with a relatively short sentence and no previous criminal convictions would likely be sent to a minimum security camp within 500 miles of his home address.

But a minimum security camp isn't a country club. Barring an illness preventing him from working, every inmate must have a job, which might include waxing or mopping floors, cleaning toilets, painting walls or cutting grass. Inmates get paid for their work, at a rate of 12 cents an hour. Vick can buy items like shoes and sweat suits from the commissary, and while he's not limited to buying whatever he can afford on his 12-cents-an-hour job, he also can't spend much beyond that. Inmates are held to spending limits of about $290 a month at the commissary, Forster reports.

A big question about Vick's prison sentence is whether he'll be able to stay in shape. Forster reports that most federal prisons have a running track and a basketball court. Some locations have weight rooms; others don't. In any event, Vick won't be getting the kind of training he's accustomed to as a professional athlete.

Will Vick be able to watch NFL games from behind bars? Probably some, as dorms typically have two televisions. But Monday Night Football might be out: Not all facilities have cable.


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POSTED 8:51 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:02 a.m. EDT, August 22, 2007

COULD VICK BE FORCED INTO BANKRUPTCY? by Michael David Smith

Michael Vick will most likely never collect another NFL paycheck. And he may be forced to write the Falcons a very large check, for more than $28 million in bonus money the team has already paid him.

But that might not be the end of Vick's financial woes. Vick has damaged the reputations of the companies that had endorsement contracts with him, and he's cost them money in products and marketing campaigns tied to him that they won't be able to use. Nike, for example, was all set to roll out the new Zoom Vick V shoe before Vick's indictment led them to halt the campaign.

That leads to the question of whether companies might be able to sue him for damages to their brands resulting from his conduct. Some endorsement contracts specifically mention this possibility; the specific language of Vick's endorsement deals is not known.

Although Nike might decide that going after Vick would just create more headlines that would remind people that it was once closely associated with him, it would be completely reasonable for Nike and other companies to expect Vick to compensate them for what he's cost them.

If the Falcons, Nike and others line up to try to get money from Vick, he could be forced to file for bankruptcy. Vick doesn't seem like the type of savvy investor who would have tens of millions of dollars saved up in a rainy day fund, and it seems extremely unlikely that he would be able to withstand such claims against him.

It wouldn't be unprecedented for a man who was once among the highest-paid athletes in the world to go broke. Mike Tyson earned around $300 million in his boxing career, and he ended up filing for bankruptcy. Vick may follow in Tyson's footsteps.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm



POSTED 9:39 p.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

URLACHER, MERRIMAN TRADING VERBAL BARBS

With the Bears and the Chargers poised to open the season with a potential Super Bowl preview, two of the biggest stars on these two teams are jawing at each other.

Earlier in the week, Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher criticized the "Lights Out" dance performed by San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman.

"The thing is, if you're going to do it, do it all the time," Urlacher said. "Do it when you make a bad play, too. You'll never see me doing any stupid [stuff] like that after a play. The only thing I'll do is get a little happy with my teammates."

Merriman responded on Thursday, according to the North County Times.

"Say what you want, but you have bigger problems than my 'Lights Out' dance Sunday," Merriman said. "I wouldn't be too concentrated on my dance or what I do. . . . Nothing they can say or do can fire me up more than I already am. It doesn't matter. People have took shots at me before -- players, people period -- so that stuff doesn't even break the first layer of my skin."

Okay, so it's not a full-blown, Tiki-style catfight. But whenever two of the baddest dudes in the NFL start giving each other crap, it makes for a potentially interesting encounter on Sunday, even if they won't be on the field at the same time.

Still, it would have been a lot more compelling if Merriman had said something like, "You tell Urlacher that my momma didn't raise a little pussy."


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POSTED 9:08 p.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

WILSON CLEARS THE AIR ON HGH SUSPENSION

On Friday afternoon, Michael David Smith posted an item (scroll down) regarding the explanation provided by Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson regarding his five-game suspension for admitted possession and/or use of one or more banned substances. Speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Wilson said that he used banned substances to treat complications from diabetes, including impotence.

As MDS wrote, "All snickering aside, it's understandable that erectile dysfunction is a medical problem that Wilson would feel uncomfortable discussing. But as anyone who's ever watched an NFL game on TV knows all too well, there is no shortage of pills that doctors can prescribe for the problem, and it's hard to have much sympathy for Wilson, who chose to go through an illegal Internet pharmacy instead."

That passage prompted Wilson to drop us a line on Friday afternoon. On Friday night, I spoke with Wilson by phone for 30 minutes, and he addressed all aspects of the situation.

Echoing some of the comments he made to the Dallas Morning News, Wilson said that he discovered an alternative therapy after seeing an item on 60 Minutes regarding the use of controversial treatments to improve the quality of life in persons who were feeling the effects of age and/or illness. Wilson admitted that he knew that the use of such substances is "controversial" in the medical community, but he says that he had no idea that it is illegal.

He explained that, while he was researching the topic on the Internet, an ad popped up (um . . . we won't go there) for the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center. The web site seemed legitimate, and he eventually found himself taking a physical and providing a blood sample in Chicago, and thereafter talking by phone to a doctor in Florida, whom Wilson assumed to be on the level.

Wilson took the physical in September 2006, and began using the substances he purchased in October 2006. He used a personal credit card in his own name to buy the substances, and had them delivered to his office in Halas Hall, the headquarters of the Chicago Bears.

He said that he stopped using the substances after a couple of months, because it was causing his blood-sugar levels to spin out of control.

Wilson's name thereafter surfaced as a purchaser of banned substances in the wake of a criminal investigation regarding the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center and Signature Pharmacy in Orlando. And Wilson says that, once he landed on the NFL's radar, he was up front and he came clean.

He went to the league office in New York without legal representation because, as he said, "I had nothing to hide." He explained that the NFL asked him to bring all bank statements, financial records, credit card statements, and phone records so that the NFL could determine whether he had purchased a banned substance for his own use, or whether he was buying it for others.

As Wilson explained it, the NFL was particularly concerned about the possibility that the Bears' Super Bowl season might have been undermined by the use of HGH or any other banned substance. Three years earlier, the Carolina Panthers made it to the Super Bowl, and later it was disclosed that Dr. James Shortt was providing steroids to several members of the team.

The league was satisfied, Wilson said, that there was no dissemination. And we believe him, because the objective evidence supports his position on this. If the league thought that Wilson had given a banned substance to a player, Wilson would have had two options -- identify the player(s), or not work in the NFL until he does so. Since no member of the Bears has been suspended for using HGH or any other banned substance given to him by Wilson, it's logical to conclude that any banned substances were for Wilson's own use.

As to our Friday afternoon story, Wilson said that he finds it to be inconsistent for us to suggest that he should have sought treatment for diabetes complications through normal medical channels, but to not raise similar concerns regarding Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, who admittedly used HGH as an alternative to standard rehab and treatment techniques. Though we appreciate Wilson's concern, the possibility that he was merely buying a banned substance for one or more players creates a greater degree of skepticism.

Wilson also didn't like our reference to "snickering" in connection with his impotence. "When Korey Stringer died," Wilson said, "was it something to snicker about? When is a medical condition something to snicker about? . . . It's not like I drove naked through a Wendy's."

He's right. Medical conditions aren't something to snicker about. But the reality is that it's human nature for folks to snicker about matters regarding non-functioning genitalia. It doesn't make it right. But that's the difference between the two situations, as best we can discern.

With all that said, we think Wilson is telling the truth. He was diagnosed with Type I diabetes more than 20 years ago, while playing in the NFL. He has struggled to control the condition. He wanted to improve his quality of life, and his actions were unrelated to the use of any banned substance for competitive means.

Though Wilson says he is a bit "miffed" by the extent of the penalty, he also says that he understands that the league needs to hold the coaches and front-office employees to a higher standard. We hope that the Cowboys and the NFL will allow him to put the episode behind him, and that he will be able to continue his career in pro football -- one which has covered more than 25 years as a player and as a coach.


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POSTED 7:25 p.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

COLEMAN OUT 2-4 WEEKS

On Thursday night, we heard rumors that Falcons defensive tackle Rod Coleman would undergo surgery on a knee injury, and that Coleman could miss the rest of the season, and possibly more.

We saw nothing more about the situation on Thursday night or Friday morning, so we assumed that the rumor was merely a rumor. In fact, Friday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution has quotes from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in which Zimmer expresses hope that Coleman will be able to play on Sunday, with no reference to any impending surgical procedures.

But Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com now reports that Coleman indeed underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee on Friday, and that he'll miss 2-4 weeks.

It's not season-ending, and it apparently wasn't the result of a fresh injury. But the Falcons will not have Coleman for the regular-season opener, and that's bad newz for a defense that will face a relentless rushing attack in Minnesota this week.


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POSTED 3:45 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:47 p.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

JERRAMY STEVENS GUILTY OF DUI

The St. Petersburg Times reports that Buccaneers tight end Jerramy Stevens has been found guilty of driving under the influence in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Stevens was arrested in March. He signed with the Bucs in late April.

The one-time first-round pick of the Seahawks now faces up to 30 days in jail. He will be sentenced on October 2.

Stevens also is subject to discipline by the NFL. In April the Personal Conduct Policy was revised to bring within its scope criminal charges relating to alcohol and drug abuse, removing such offenses from the scope of the substance-abuse policy. Given his history, which Commissioner Roger Goodell surely will take into account, Stevens could be facing a suspension of four or more games.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have the right under the Standard Player Contract to cut Stevens. But we doubt that they will. In our view, coach Jon Gruden has a "boys will be boys" attitude toward charges of this nature -- especially since both Gruden and his brother Jay, a Bucs assistant coach, have been charged with DUI in the past.



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POSTED 11:29 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:59 a.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

NO SUSPENSION FOR FROSTEE RUCKER by Michael David Smith

PFT Editor Mike Florio checks in to report that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reduced the league sanction on Bengals defensive end Frostee Rucker from a one-game suspension to a fine of one game check.

Rucker, the Bengals' 2006 third-round pick, pleaded guilty in May to one count of false imprisonment and one count of vandalism related to an incident that took place when Rucker was in college at USC.

Rucker and his agent had both confirmed that the league planned to suspend Rucker, but they also said they planned to appeal the suspension based on the fact that Rucker was not a member of the NFL when the incident took place.

As a practical matter, this might not make a big difference to Rucker -- the impact on his paycheck is the same, and Rucker was not expected to play in the opener anyway because of a hamstring injury.

But the move does show that although Goodell has the power to rule on any appeals of his own discipline, that doesn't mean appeals are meaningless -- he'll give players a fair shake and reduce the penalty if they make a good case. Apparently Rucker made a good enough case that he walked out of the principal's office without a suspension on his permanent record.


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REPORT: TERRY GLENN OUT FOR SEASON by Michael David Smith

Yesterday the Dallas Cowboys' official web site had two conflicting reports about the health of wide receiver Terry Glenn. Today the report that owner/G.M. Jerry Jones said that Glenn would miss the entire season has been taken off the web site, while the report that Glenn's absence will be two weeks and possibly more is still there.

So does that mean the "out for the season" report was wrong and the "two weeks" report was right? Not according to Matt Mosley of the ESPN Hashmarks blog, who says Glenn will miss the year.

"Late Thursday night, a member of the organization told me Glenn was indeed finished for the season," Mosley writes, "but that the Cowboys decided (a little too late) to hold off on making the announcement."

Losing Glenn, who had surgery last month to have a cyst removed from his knee, would be a tough break for the Cowboys, who would likely move Patrick Crayton into the starting lineup across the field from Terrell Owens.


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POSTED 10:57 a.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

RAIDERS: PROGRESS MADE, BUT NO RUSSELL SIGNING IMMINENT by Michael David Smith

Disputing reports that No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell could sign with the Oakland Raiders soon, team officials say the progress they've made doesn't amount to an imminent deal.

Specifically, a report that Russell's uncle referred the the contract as "almost done" was dismissed.

"I wouldn't really pay attention to what someone's uncle said about the negotiation process," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "I know our people are dealing with JaMarcus' agents. And like I said before, there is some progress being made."

Reporting on the negotiations has been scarce, and neither Russell nor his agent, Eric Metz, have commented publicly.

Russell's holdout is already the longest for a No. 1 overall draft pick since Bo Jackson sat out the entire 1986 season and re-entered the 1987 draft, when the Raiders selected him. The difference between Russell and Jackson, of course, is that Jackson could make more money in Major League Baseball than the Buccaneers were offering him. No one is offering Russell a multimillion-dollar contract in another sport.

Josh McCown appears to own the starting quarterback job for the time being, with Daunte Culpepper the No. 2 and Andrew Walter likely to lose his spot on the Raiders' 53-man roster whenever Russell shows up.


POSTED 10:20 a.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

OTHER ANALYSTS TAKE ISSUE WITH TIKI by Michael David Smith

Tiki Barber's criticisms of his old coach, Tom Coughlin, and his old quarterback, Eli Manning, aren't just rankling people in the Giants' locker room. They're also drawing criticism from some of Barber's fellow players-turned-commentators.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today reports that an informal survey of other NFL analysts finds that most of them think Barber crossed the line by going after his own former coach and teammate.

Rodney Peete, a former NFL quarterback who's now a commentator for Fox Sports Net, said, "To go at somebody's character after you're done playing is cowardly."

Phil Simms of CBS said he has "some things I'd like to say" publicly about old coach Bill Parcells but cited "respect for the game" for why he won't say those things.

Michael Irvin, formerly of ESPN, said Barber was "absolutely wrong."

Troy Aikman of Fox said, "now I understand why that team underachieved," apparently suggesting that Barber was undermining the team in the locker room.

For his part, Barber says that as long as he's cashing his paycheck from NBC -- not the Giants -- he's going to say what he thinks NBC viewers want to hear, not what the Giants want him to say.

Barber is correct that his loyalties should lie with his viewers, and that providing the audience at home with insight is more important than maintaining collegiality with his former teammates and coaches. But since leaving the Giants, Barber has come across as though he's going out of his way to find reasons to criticize his ex-mates. At some point, he's going to need to find something new to talk about.


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POSTED 8:45 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:38 a.m. EDT, September 7, 2007

RAVENS OUT OF RUNNING FOR LEFTWICH?

The decision of the Baltimore Ravens to ink backup quarterback Kyle Boller to a one-year extension, putting him under contract through 2008, likely means that the Ravens won't be signing Byron Leftwich.

"This is good news for us," coach Brian Billick said in a statement. "We have said all along how important Kyle is to this team, and this secures him for at least another season for us."

Adam Schefter of NFL Network and Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun reported that the extension could be worth more than $3 million.

The development suggests that the Ravens plan to use Steve McNair as the starter for at least the next two seasons, and to continue to monitor whether Boller can grow into the starting job that he once had after joining the team as a first-round draft pick in 2003.

As to Leftwich, we think there's a slim chance that the Ravens might decide to cut Troy Smith in the hopes of sneaking him onto the practice squad (if he clears waivers), creating a roster spot for Leftwich. Then, Leftwich could be groomed to potentially succeed McNair.

[chi-town324]

i will be checking out the chargers , bears game for sure

[Katydid]

[/B][/QUOTE]

[ALinChainz]

LMAO ...

Thanks Granny.

I will be sure to send these to JOY FM and let them know YOU posted them.

[Katydid]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
LMAO ...

Thanks Granny.

I will be sure to send these to JOY FM and let them know YOU posted them.

What's wrong AL? You can dish it out but can't take it?

Kind of makes you sick in your stomach when someone fouls your thread, right?

[ALinChainz]

Nah, not really.

I mean, you make me sick.

Its okay ...

Tell me ...

When you lose those "rotharmy" names, will you die?

When JOY FM sees you are one of the worst people here "sinning", you think they may sue you to get their name off your site?

How will that look I wonder?

Man, your life must really ... really ... suck.

And I couldn't be happier.

[Katydid]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Nah, not really.

I mean, you make me sick.

Its okay ...

Tell me ...

When you lose those "rotharmy" names, will you die?

When JOY FM sees you are one of the worst people here "sinning", you think they may sue you to get their name off your site?

How will that look I wonder?

Man, your life must really ... really ... suck.

And I couldn't be happier.

You don't bother me with your insane posts. I lived before rotharmy, I will live after rotharmy. Would you be able to live without DLR ARMY??
I don't worry about appearances. Those who see my site know what I stand for. Actually I have had a good life. I have had tradegies and I have had triumphs. But GOD has been the one constant, no one else that I answer to. I figure that GOD has carried me when I couldn't go on. Who carries you during your tradegies and feel you can't go on?
Why he sent you as my assignment several years ago is beyond my comprehension. A little red headed dummie who has caused me all sorts of problems; I've had little time to be bored as others my age are. I don't expect people to understand; hell, I don't even understand it. But don't press your luck.

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by Katydid
You don't bother me with your insane posts. I lived before rotharmy, I will live after rotharmy. Would you be able to live without DLR ARMY??
I don't worry about appearances. Those who see my site know what I stand for. Actually I have had a good life. I have had tradegies and I have had triumphs. But GOD has been the one constant, no one else that I answer to. I figure that GOD has carried me when I couldn't go on. Who carries you during your tradegies and feel you can't go on?
Why he sent you as my assignment several years ago is beyond my comprehension. A little red headed dummie who has caused me all sorts of problems; I've had little time to be bored as others my age are. I don't expect people to understand; hell, I don't even understand it. But don't press your luck.

Fuck you.

God wouldn't do that to me.

He's your excuse for being a lonely, old, bitter, skanky stalker who has searched out my profile, posted my email address and commented on how good I looked numerous times until I decided it was time to tell you toget fucking lost.

The fact is you told JOY FM that we are all sinners here, and you have never stopped coming here and the posts are there to prove what you're about.

You've wished death on people, women and children and have taken credit for God's work regarding natural disasters.

You have openly bashed Jews and Blacks and I can prove it all.

Do yourself a favor, wake up and do what a normal person would do.

You are not liked here.
You are not wanted here.

Why not leave and save some of that old catcher mitt face.

Take your faggot pedo-son with you. I am sure they would love to see the filth he has posted here as well, and you feature him on your CHRISTIAN site.

How stupid. All I have to do is tell them to do a search for "pooterbutt" and it will take them to two sites, this one and yours.

How smart you are.

[ALinChainz]

And I am dropping serious bucks on those names so you don't get them back.

Fuck off.

[Katydid]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Nah, not really.

I mean, you make me sick.

Its okay ...

Tell me ...

When you lose those "rotharmy" names, will you die?

When JOY FM sees you are one of the worst people here "sinning", you think they may sue you to get their name off your site?

How will that look I wonder?

Man, your life must really ... really ... suck.

And I couldn't be happier.

[ALinChainz]

real smart ...

[ALinChainz]

how did I know you wouldnt answer any of those questions ...

Doesn't make them go away Sea Hag ...

[Hyman Roth]

LMAO - God sent Al as Katydud's "assignment". That's just about the funniest thing I have ever read on these message boards!!

[Hyman Roth]

Ew - those pictures Katydid posted are dis-guisting!! "And that's alot of guisting"!!