Mannings worried about money? Go figure...
Mannings worried about money? Go figure...
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by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:15 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:07 p.m. EDT, May 4, 2004
WILL POOLE'S A PRE-DRAFT DUI
We've confirmed that Dolphins cornerback Will Poole was arrested for DUI prior to the draft. The arrest came in March, not February (as has been reported elsewhere).
A league source tells us that only a handful of teams knew about the arrest prior to the draft, and that the arrest likely had less to do with his slide to the fourth round than his relatively slow 40 times in two separate workouts, coupled with the fact the NFL plans to police more actively violations of the five-yard chuck rule -- a reality that promises to undermine the effectiveness of big, physical corners.
The former USC defensive back was pulled over in California with two teammates. He was projected as a late-first rounder before falling to day two of the draft.
BULGER BECOMES THE GUY IN ST. LOUIS?
Rams quarterback Marc Bulger agreed on Tuesday to a four-year contract, making him the presumptive starter in St. Louis, and likely nudging former MVP Kurt Warner even closer to the door.
ESPN's John Clayton reports that Bulger signed his one-year, $1.824 million tender and a three-year extension worth $17.25 million, including a $9 million signing bonus.
Though the contract likely means that the Rams can't justify keeping Warner's sky-high salary, Bulger hardly is being paid like a high-end signal-caller. His status as the starter, then, will likely be a year-to-year proposition.
Clayton also reports that Rams coach Mike Martz hopes to keep Warner at a reduced salary. As we see it, that bridge be burned -- and any suggestion by the Rams that they'd keep Warner is nothing more than an effort to save a little face following two years of acrimony between Martz and Warner.
NFL NETWORK TO SHOW PRESEASON GAMES
We'll admit it -- we love the NFL Network. We turn it on and we can't walk away from it, even as certified idiots like Julian Peterson attempt to barf up a cogent sentence while appearing on Total Access.
And as Commissioner Paul Tagliabue suggested a year ago when plans for the NFL Network were announced, the channel will be carrying preseason games this year.
How many? How about 54 of them -- which is every contest other than the 11 games that will be televised on the broadcast networks.
For games being played at the same time, the network will "whip around" to the different games before broadcasting each of them in full on a tape-delayed basis.
When we cited the Commish's promise last summer, we received a flood of e-mails from long-suffering fans who were frothing at the possibility that we'll all finally be able to see something more than a 30-second highlight package of the exhibition games, which are meaningless come September but which likewise are all that a football-starved public has in the dog days of summer.
So kudos to the NFL for giving us a lot more of the thing that we crave. The major cable operators, in our view, should be falling all over themselves to add this channel to their lineups.
STEELERS WERE HAPPY AT ELEVEN
Despite rumors reported in this space regarding the Steelers' desire to trade up into the top ten of the draft for a crack a Philip Rivers, a league source tells us that while the Steelers were interested in Rivers, they were happy to stay put because they knew that, at the 11 hole, a quality player would fall into their laps.
Per the source, the Steelers had identified up to 15 different players whom they could have taken with their pick, so they saw no need to move up for Rivers or anyone else.
And despite their interest in Rivers, there are still some misgivings in the 'Burgh about his accuracy on the deep ball and his mechanics. Of course, there are similar concerns around the league regarding Ben Roethlisberger's ability to throw the deep ball, but it's not as if the Steelers spend a lot of time stretching the field vertically.
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The NFL Network does rule. Like the article said, sometimes they have guys on Access that shouldn't have a mic, but all the classic shit they show and the Europe games. They had the combine this year, but they kind of dropped the ball with that.
Killer shit.
And the NFL Ticket is going to be about $200 this season. Keeps going up.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:35 a.m. EDT, May 5, 2004
JETS PLAN TO PLAY HARDBALL WITH JORDAN
A league source tells us that the New York Jets' plan to stand their ground in an ongoing contract dispute with running back Lamont Jordan.
Jordan, who is entering the final year of his contract, wants a deal that pays him like a starter (even though he isn't one), or a trade.
The Jets, we're told will do neither.
When Jordan was drafted in 2001, the thinking was that he'd give starter Curtis Martin a breather in the short term as Jordan evolves into the featured back. It's never happened.
And with Jordan stuck at No. 2 on the depth chart again this year, his value on the open market will remain relatively low once he becomes a free agent in 2005.
Of course, that is a plus for the Jets. In our view, Jordan will continue to piss and/or moan about the lack of a new deal -- and when free agency comes along he won't find anything on the open market better than what the Jets are willing to pay him.
Assuming, of course, that the Jets even decide they still want him.
SEATTLE EXODUS COMING?
With deposed BailRazers G.M. Bob Whitsitt flexing his muscles in the Seahawks front office, word out of the Pacific Northwest is that a few familiar front office faces could be hitting the road.
We're hearing that V.P. of Football Operations Ted Thompson could be leaving soon, for Dallas.
Also, Director of College Scouting Scot McCloughan could be heading to Tampa with his brother Dave, a Raiders scout who could be reunited with former Raiders exec Bruce Allen.
Previously, capologist Mike Reinfeldt got run out the door after Whitsitt supposedly tried to make him a lowball contract offer.
This story has its roots in a report we ran more than a year ago, which predicted that Whitsitt would fly the coop in Portland and focus taking charge of the Seahawks, in order to maintain some degree of influence in Microsoft gazillionaire Paul Allen's sports empire.
At this rate, however, we can't imagine Whitsitt keeping his Seahawks' gig for long. Perhaps Bob's next stop will be the PBA, an Allen charity case that could always use an extra pin-setter.
COUGHLIN OKAY SO FAR
Word out of Giants camp is that, despite a recent stare-down between new coach Tom Coughlin and Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan, the initial reaction to Coughlin has been favorable.
Coughlin, we're told, allows his assistant coaches to do a lot of the on-field work, and that the reputed taskmaster hasn't been down the throats and/or up the arses of any of his players. Yet.
And that's the key word. With voluntary minicamps, offseason conditioning, quarterback schools, mandatory minicamps, organized team activity, passing camps, and frosted miniwheats (oops), there's plenty of time for Coughlin to get in training-camp form for his new charges.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 10:10 p.m. EDT, May 5, 2004
NEW YORK'S NEW ODD COUPLE
Word out of New York is that there's a budding new couple odd enough to make Oscar Madison and Felix Under hang a rainbow flag by the front door.
A league source tells us that coach Tom Coughlin and running back Ron Dayne are quickly developing a solid relationship, which has blossomed as Dayne has shed 20 pounds and worked hard in minicamps.
In fact, there's already talk that Dayne will have a key role on the team this year, and that he might even end up with more touches than Tiki Barber.
Dayne has been, to date, a bust in New York. Taken with the eleventh overall pick in the 2000 draft, the former Heisman Trophy winner formed a formidable "Thunder and Lightning" combination with Barber in Dayne's rookie season. But as the season unfolded, Dayne's role diminished.
Since his rookie year, in which he rushed for 790 yards on 228 attempts, Dayne's carries have dropped, culminating in a 2003 season in which he was on the inactive list every single week, as Delvin Joyce took his spot on the game day roster. Marring Dayne's tenure was an awkward effort by his agent, Terry Lavenstein, to get Dayne into a better position, including a letter from Lavenstein broaching the issue of a trade -- and a denial from Dayne that he had authorized such a communication.
But after a season of rotting in street clothes while his team stumbled to a 4-12 record, Dayne now gets an unexpected fresh start with a new coach who's by all appearances giving him a clean slate.
FAT ALBERT STAYS AWAY FROM PRACTICE
The Associated Press reports that Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth failed to show up on Tuesday for an organized team workout with the Titans.
Word is that Haynesworth is working out in Knoxville with his college trainer, and that the third-year pro currently is 40 pounds over his playing weight. There's skepticism, however, as to whether Haynesworth is really doing anything to get ready for the 2004 season.
The only sure thing is that he wasn't with his team on Tuesday.
"For a guy that's a three-year vet ... I think he should be here," said quarterback Steve McNair, according to the AP. "I hope he comes in in shape. He's got a lot of pressure on him. He's put a lot of pressure on himself."
"I'm not concerned with Albert Haynesworth right now," coach Jeff Fisher said. "I only care about the ones who are here, not the ones who are not."
Haynesworth's agent, Jason Waugh, described the player's absence from practice on Tuesday as a misunderstanding. "What he’s got on his calendar that it was Wednesday and Thursday," Waugh said, according to the Nashville City Paper. "He was visiting a sick friend, and is flying from in from North Carolina. It was a sincere mistake in terms of what he’s got on his calendar."
There's speculation in some league circles that Haynesworth might be on his last legs in Tennessee, given a disappointing debut in 2002 and a lackluster 2003 season, along with an increasing unwillingness to show a strong commitment to the team. Indeed, the Nashville Tennessean speculated last week that the Titans' addition of defensive tackles via the draft -- and the conversion of Kevin Carter from the outside to the inside -- could be enough to spark Haynesworth's eventual exit.
''We weren't trying to send anybody a message,'' G.M. Floyd Reese said at the time. ''We were just trying to fill our needs at different positions.''
And one need they might have is at defensive tackle, where their 2002 first-round draft pick could be developing into a first-rate turd.
McGUIRE, OTHERS NOT O.K. IN OKLAHOMA?
The Oklahoma Daily reports that agent Kennard McGuire could face charges in Oklahoma for contacting a University of Oklahoma administrator regarding Tommie Harris without being registered to do so.
According to the Daily, a sports agent may not contact, directly or indirectly, a student athlete without registering with the Secretary of State, per the Uniform Athlete Agents Act. The Daily reports that McGuire's firm, CSMG Sports, is not registered to act as an agent in Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Secretary of State's office.
McGuire had contact on 19 occasions with C. Don Bradley, OU's assistant dean of students, from October through January.
McGuire admitted that he called Bradley, but McGuire explained that he did so at the request of Harris's family. "Tommie's family told me that I should talk to Mr. Bradley," McGuire said on March 20. "They asked me to introduce myself to him as well, but everything I did would be mainly through the family."
Other agencies that contacted Bradley include IMG, SFX, and Athletes First, according to the Daily. Bradley said that the calls from IMG and Athletes First also came at the request of Harris's parents, and that the call from SFX related to Bradley's relationship with former Oklahoma player Roy Williams, a Pro Bowl safety with the Cowboys.
When the Daily raised the issue with McGuire on Tuesday evening, McGuire promised to sue the publication if he were in any way defamed. (Easy, big fella.)
With all that said, it's hard to tell whether any action will be taken. Oklahoma's attorney general said the issue would have to be taken up by the Cleveland County district attorney, whom the Daily couldn't reach for comment on Tuesday night.
Per the Daily, penalties for violating the Uniform Athlete Agents Act may include a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to one year or both. The Secretary of State also may assess a fine of up to $25,000.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 6:00 a.m. EDT, May 6, 2004
BEARS WARMING UP TO WARNER?
Despite denials by new coach Lovie Smith regarding the Bears' interest in adding a veteran quarterback, our Chitown mole says that the Bears will pursue Rams quarterback Kurt Warner if Kerry Collins signs with Oakland.
If Collins doesn't sign with Oakland, the Bears will consider both Collins and Warner, and our guess is that they'll sign the one that comes the cheapest.
Word is that Collins is leaning toward Oakland because he envisions a better chance to play for the Raiders, where new coach Norv Turner has yet to declare that Rich Gannon will be the starter in 2004.
Browns quarterback Tim Couch is now off of the Bears' radar screen, per the mole. The Packers recently have upped the ante for the failed former No. 1 pick in the draft, and it now appears that the Bears were being used merely as leverage for Couch's (and Cleveland's) efforts to get as much as possible out of the Pack.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
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POSTED 11:00 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:11 p.m. EDT, May 6, 2004
BOSTON ALREADY A PROBLEM FOR FINS
A league source tells us that Dolphins receiver David Boston got into it on Thursday with Miami strength and conditioning coach John Gamble, due to Boston's failure to stick with a plan intended to help him shrink his oversized body.
The story is reminiscent of reports that Boston's tenure with the Chargers began to go downhill after he got into a shouting match with San Diego strength coach Dave Redding -- which was punctuated by Boston telling Redding to "suck my d--k."
The Miami Herald reports merely that a "small rift" is developing between Boston and the team, but the Herald says nothing about the beef between Boston and Gamble. Instead, the Herald points to a shin injury that apparently was caused by Boston's 240-pound girth.
''He's been training. Until he got hurt out here, he hasn't missed a day as far as his running and lifting and stuff," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "He's got five percent body fat. We're not talking about losing fat. It's a matter of toning down the muscle tone, really. It sounds simple, but that's what the situation is. He's too muscled up right now and he doesn't have any fat to lose. It's just a matter of toning down."
The Dolphins acquired Boston from the Chargers earlier this year in a high-risk/high-reward transaction that could either put the team over the top, or drag it to the bottom. As of now, the indications are that Boston could be the anchor that runs these mammals aground.
49ERS POINTED OUT ARRINGTON ERROR?
Word around the league is that agent Carl and Kevin Poston first became aware of the fact that linebacker LaVar Arrington's deal with the Redskins was light to the tune of $6.5 million during negotiations with the 49ers regarding a new contract for linebacker Julian Peterson.
We're hearing that the Postons told the Niners that they wanted for Peterson a deal similar if not identical to the Arrington contract. And when the 49ers reviewed the terms of the Arrington deal with the Postons, the Postons realized that the contract was missing $6.5 million.
Though our opinion was, is, and always will be that the Postons are responsible for the mistake because they didn't read the final version of the Arrington contract, this development tends to lend credence, in a weird sort of a way, to the notion that they genuinely believed that the deal was worth $6.5 million more than it really was.
But whether they believed it remains a far cry from whether the 'Skins scalped them. Based on everything we've heard, our sense remains that the 'Skins are in the right.
But the reality in many cases is that two different people can have two different versions of the same events, and both can genuinely believe that their own version is the true and accurate one. If the Postons first found out about the true terms of the Arrington deal whilst trying to get those same terms for another client, it's possible that they're telling their own inadvertently skewed version of the truth, which of course lacks the benefit 100 percent accuracy because, as they've admitted, they didn't read the final deal.
David Boston is a fucking cancer...Miami deserves what it gets...and I hope Wannstadt's job goes right down the shitter with this pick up...
Ah...who the hell cares about the fins...
Fiedler is the worst starting QB in the league... they should have dealt higher up to get a rookie QB!
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They may not be done looking for a QB, even with the trade for Feeley. Collins, Warner, and Couch all out there.
Yeah...Feeley sure as hell isn't the answer there...although you never know when you find a hidden gem...I just don't see it...
Carlos Beltran to the Red Sox?
Of course this would get the Yanks into play (like they need another outfielder...the Tigers and Dodgers are also supposed to be involved in early murmurings...
Man...would that be a big deal...
Funny thing about it though...the Tigers would have the best young players available...
Damn, I forgot about Feeley... he sucks!
Soriano deal a waystation for a return trip to the Yankees?
Well...rumor has it that the Rangers are ready to deal Soriano back to the Yankees in what would be one of the biggest fucking travesties in baseball history...
Of course...he could end up in Boston...lmfao...one upmanship at its finest...
I would be curious to see Feeley start for a few games though...I think he has some talent...
I don't know about Feeley..., but it does look like your steelers have an answer at quarterback (finally)!!
I don't know WARFY...
It certainly won't be this year...I think Rothlisberger has two years of learning before he can be consistently effective...
good name thought....
ROTHlisberger
of course...I may be misspelling that bastards name...
LMFAO, do like I do Poj, it's just Ben....
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He's the Madonna of football...
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 11:00 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:11 p.m. EDT, May 6, 2004; UPDATED 9:05 p.m. EDT by Len Lasagna
BOSTON STORY GETS US ROCKED
Loyal readers of this site know that this morning we broke a story about a supposed altercation between WR David Boston of the Fins and Miami strength coach John Gamble. Well -- as usual -- some sources -- including inside sources from the team itself -- are telling us that we are out of our Flipper minds. Per the sources no such altercation occurred - and Gamble and Boston are tight as a pair of 45 lb plates.
The previous story was based on another source telling us that Dolphins receiver David Boston got into it on Thursday with Miami strength and conditioning coach John Gamble, due to Boston's failure to stick with a plan intended to help him shrink his oversized body.
The story is reminiscent of reports that Boston's tenure with the Chargers began to go downhill after he got into a shouting match with San Diego strength coach Dave Redding -- which was punctuated by Boston telling Redding to "suck my d--k."
The Miami Herald reports merely that a "small rift" is developing between Boston and the team, but the Herald says nothing about the beef between Boston and Gamble. Instead, the Herald points to a shin injury that apparently was caused by Boston's 240-pound girth.
''He's been training. Until he got hurt out here, he hasn't missed a day as far as his running and lifting and stuff," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "He's got five percent body fat. We're not talking about losing fat. It's a matter of toning down the muscle tone, really. It sounds simple, but that's what the situation is. He's too muscled up right now and he doesn't have any fat to lose. It's just a matter of toning down."
POSTED 8:32 a.m. EDT, May 8, 2004
RAIDERS LEAN TOWARD DUMPING GANNON
A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders presently are leaning toward releasing Rich Gannon, if they can lure a guy like Kerry Collins to the Bay Area.
Per the source, there are concerns that the 38-year-old Gannon won't be able to hold up for a full season, and that the shoulder he injured in 2003 might not be fully healed. In contrast, Collins in younger and he has a strong arm and he'd give the Raiders a longer-term answer at the position.
We're also hearing that the Raiders harbor some resentment toward Gannon. He engaged the team in a public pissing match two years ago regarding his contract, and word is that owner Al Davis is still upset about Gannon's handling of the issue.
There is also, we're told, a lingering problem regarding whether Gannon should have waited on shoulder surgery until after the 2003 season, which would have enabled him to try to help reverse an embarrassing campaign for one of the proudest franchises in all of sports.
With news that 49ers presumptive starter Tim Rattay has suffered a serious groin tear (insert cringe here), the Raiders might not be the only Cali team taking a run at Collins. Even if Rattay is fully healthy, he's unproven. And if he'll be missing up to 10 weeks of preparation for his first season as a starter, the Niners might need to revisit whether another guy should be added to the mix.
If Collins lands in Oakland and Gannon is gone, Gannon probably will have trouble finding a starting job. But the feeling is that he'll be in demand as a backup.
The obvious fit for Gannon is Tampa, where he'd be reunited with coach Jon Gruden. Under Gruden's tutelage, Gannon made a late-career transformation into one of the best quarterbacks in the game, culminating in the 2002 MVP award. We're hearing that the Bucs aren't happy with their stable of backup quarterbacks (which is headlined by Brian Griese), and there were rumors earlier in the offseason that Gruden would be interested in getting Gannon as a possible replacement for starter Brad Johnson.
As we see it, the likelihood that Gannon would end up with Gruden might be the one thing that keeps him in Oakland. Even if Al Davis pays Gannon his full salary to sit the bench behind Collins, the possibility that Gannon and Gruden would both get their way by getting together is something that the Raiders likely wouldn't be able to stomach.
GREEN PULLED TRIGGER ON NIENKARK
A league source tells us that Cardinals coach Dennis Green wanted Jay Nienkark out after nine years with the team.
So Nienkark was shown the door.
Nienkark helped manage the salary cap and he negotiated contracts with all mid-to-low-round picks. Per the source, Nienkark has a reputation of being very antagonistic with agents for those players, and Green doesn't like that approach.
In our experience, guys who tend to be "very antagonistic" in their dealings with outsiders (e.g., Dante) typically are pains-in-the-ass for insiders, too (e.g., Dante). Our guess is that Nienkark has been an in-house cancer for the Cardinals and Green, in his valiant effort to remake the franchise, decided to get rid of him.
MARTZ TAKES JABS AT WARNER?
As Rams quarterback Kurt Warner's departure from St. Louis has gone from "likely" to "freakin' inevitable," coach Mike Martz is talking more and more about the guy who helped Martz become a football genius.
And though Martz isn't saying anything blatantly negative about Warner, there are plenty of between-the-lines indications that Martz doesn't necessarily regard Kurt's seasons of excellence from 1999 to 2001 as the three best years a quarterback ever had.
"He was in the right place at the right time," Martz said regarding Warner's three-year reign as the top quarterback in the game. "This was just not Kurt. Look at Marshall [Faulk] and those receivers. It was just a real special place in time."
Martz also recognizes that, like Kramer after his garlic bath, Warner has lost his kavorka. And Martz isn't sure he'll ever get it back.
"If I was convinced he would, then he would still be our starter," Martz said. "There is still some doubt. I think that's possible. Nobody is pulling for him more than I am. There is still a little bit of doubt in my mind obviously because I made Marc [Bulger] the starter."
There are indications that Warner will get that opportunity. The Giants want Warner to take care of the offense while Eli Manning gets up to speed. There are rumors that the Bears are interested as well, and that the Dolphins still haven't ruled out adding a veteran like Warner or Kerry Collins.
We're also hearing that the Bills were close to dumping Drew Bledsoe and locking on to Warner, if Bledsoe hadn't accepted a restructured contract.
Another league source tells us that several personnel execs view Collins as a better prospect than Warner because Collins is more durable and "he's not hen-pecked by his wife." Those execs, however, are with teams who don't need another quarterback.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 9:24 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:35 a.m. EDT, May 9, 2004
BURRESS ABSENCE PERPLEXING TO MANY
League insiders are scratching their noggins regarding the failure of receiver Plaxico Burress to report for the Steelers' first mandatory minicamp of the 2004 offseason.
Burress, who is entering the final year of his contract, hasn't been griping about the lack of a contract extension, and he hasn't pushed for a trade -- despite the fact that teams like the Chiefs have made no secret about their desire to obtain his rights.
Indeed, with USC receiver Mike Williams kept out of the April draft, it would have been a great time for Burress and/or his agent to declare a desire to be dealt absent a new contract.
That's why many within the league can't understand the decision, only two weeks later, not to show up for an activity that he is contractually obligated to attend.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Burress hasn't linked his absence to his contract status. Instead, the absence has been characterized by his agent as a personal matter, on which the agent won't elaborate.
"I'm not comfortable describing the nature of the personal thing," Scott Parker said. "Nothing about his contract was mentioned in my discussions with him."
There has been speculation that Burress is down in the dumps, given that it's Mother's Day weekend and his own mother died unexpectedly two years ago.
Burress already has pocketed $207,000 of his 2004 pay via a March roster bonus. He's scheduled to earn $535,000 in salary, and more than $1 million of his 2000 signing bonus applies to this fifth year of the contract. Though the raw dollars Burress will make in 2004 arguably is a bit on the low side, Parker said that Burress will be at training camp.
Even stranger is the fact that Burress has been present and active in the voluntary phases of the Steelers' offseason program.
So what's happening here? One of our sources has floated an interesting theory, and before we 'splain it we need to say plainly and clearly that this is speculation, not fact.
Our source tells us that the first mandatory minicamp of the offseason is the first opportunity for players to be tested for the presence of certain recreational substances in their, ahem, liquid byproducts. So if (and, again, this is speculation only) Burress has any reason to fear the (piss) reaper, bolting the 'Burgh on the eve of the minicamp would be the smart thing to do.
Under these circumstances, facing a potential fine of up to $7,446 is a no-brainer in comparison to possibly getting on the wrong side of the substance abuse guidelines as Burress attempts to get a big-money contract.
The problem, however, is that there's no good way out of this mess for Burress. If he isn't AWOL because of concerns that he has certain compounds in his body that might get him in trouble with the league office, he needs to explain to the powers-that-be in Pittsburgh each and every reason for his absence -- and it had better be persuasive.
Otherwise, the Steelers might start shopping the former Michigan State product to teams like the Chiefs and the Bears. We're even hearing that the Lions might be interested in Burress, which we frankly find hard to fathom given that they've already got a burgeoning stash (whoops) of receivers in Motown already.
Stay tuned on this one. There has been a difference of opinion in the front office as to whether Burress should be traded, and this latest episode could be enough to make the team make a move.
STRAHAN CONFIRMS OUR REPORT
Giants defensive end Michael Strahan confirmed our May 1 report that he has refused to take part in certain of coach Tom Coughlin's drill.
On Saturday, Strahan made this concession when asked about the growing brouhaha regarding whether Camp Coughlin violates the rules regarding offseason work: "I probably haven't violated any rules because I've kind of got my own set sometimes," Strahan said, according to the New York Post. "It wouldn't be fair for me to sit here and say, 'I've done this and I've done that,' because I actually haven't done everything."
Strahan then was asked if Coughlin had approved his lack of total participation, and Strahan ignored the question. "I don't have anything to say because I don't have a press conference this afternoon," he said.
And for those of you who think the term "scroll" refers only to something found in the Dead Sea, here's the relevant text of our May 1 report:
"Giants defensive end Michael Strahan recently took a stand against coach Tom Coughlin's request that the Pro Bowl defender participate in certain drills during offseason workouts.
"Strahan told Coughlin that the drill was against the rules applicable to offseason work, and that Coughlin couldn't force him to participate."
MANY PLAYERS PREFER PADS
As the various NFL teams spend more and more offseason time on the practice field in helmets, T-shirts, and shorts, we're hearing from multiple league sources that many players actually would prefer wearing pads for these sessions -- beginning at a minimum with shoulder pads.
The problem, especially in the trenches, is that the play during these sessions is typically as intense as during training camp practice, and many players emerge with dinged-up shoulders, courtesy of getting hit with hard plastic helmets on unprotected flesh.
"Guys already are fighting for jobs," said one league insider. "They're not going to take it easy because they don't have pads on."
As we see it, adding pads to the offseason practices is the next logical step in a gradual evolution of the offseason from a time when guys worked out (if at all) on their own or in small groups to an extension of the regular season, with more and more players recognizing that, regardless of the label applied to the sessions, success in September will happen only if guys submit to the program in March, April, May, and June.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 7:55 a.m. EDT, May 10, 2004
GIANTS NEED TO SHUT UP AND WORK
A high-level NFL insider, who has no reason to say or do anything to benefit the New York Football Giants, has shared with us some biting insights regarding the pissing-and-moaning that is going on by the players attending Camp Coughlin.
"Any time a new, hard-working coach comes to town and makes a group of losers work hard, we read the same stories," said the source, pointing to guys like Dick Vermeil, Bill Parcells, and Bill Belichick. The question, per the source, is simple: "Do you want to win or not?"
"Coughlin is about winning," said the source. "Just like Parcells, just like Belichick, just like Vermeil. Different guys, different personalities, but veteran players get pissed and grumble when they arrive because they know the gravy train is coming to an end."
In contrast, the source believes that former head coach Jim Fassel "was all about him and how many commercials he could do." And the source noted that the same observation could be made as to several of Fassel's former players.
"Radio shows, TV shows, commercials. Hey, shut the f--k up and win some games. I know you went to the Super Bowl a few years ago, but everyone knows how good that team was, or wasn't."
The source specifically pointed to the efforts of guys like Tiki Barber and Michael Strahan to chime in with their two cents regarding the unfolding fiasco.
"I've seen this stuff before," said the source. "We all have. Guys that have had good/very good careers, are quasi-icons in their NFL city, have the important local media manipulated, are on the downside, haven't won jack-sh-t. They say all the right things and have pretty smiles, but winning and knowing how to win are secondary. They are a part of the problem and they don't know anything about the solution. But they think they do.
"Hey Strahan, how much winning have you done in your career? Not too much, because you've held a salary cap gun to the Giants' head, and shame on them for giving in to you. Strahan has been a very good player, but it's always been about him. He is a media whore, a spin-doctor and a fraud.
"Hey Tiki, maybe if you spent as much time learning to hold on to the football as you do marketing yourself, you might be worth a shit.
"Nice guys? They appear to be. But what are [they] trying to accomplish? . . . . These guys are kingpins in one of the world's largest market and they don't want life to become uncomfortable. They say they want to win, but they want to continue to work the same way they used to."
TEXANS UPSET WITH COLEMAN DUI
The May 6 DUI arrest of Houston defensive back Marcus Coleman potentially puts a major crimp in the Texans' play to reconfigure their secondary, and a league source tells us that the Texans aren't happy with the development.
When cornerback Dunta Robinson was drafted by the Texans with the tenth overall selection last month, the plan was to slide Coleman from corner to free safety.
Coleman was arrested after he struck a tree with his 2005 Mercedes early Thursday. The source tells us that, if convicted, Coleman could be suspended for up to four games, since the word is that it isn't Coleman's first offense.
BENGALS "ELATED" WITH PALMER
A league source tells us that the Cincinnati Bengals are "elated" with the performance of quarterback Carson Palmer at the team's first mandatory minicamp, which started Friday and ended Sunday.
Last year, Palmer was parked on the bench while Jon Kitna almost took the Bengals to the playoffs. Though Kitna is sticking around, there's no dispute or controversy in the Queen City -- the reins have been handed to Palmer, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft.
And based on the results of the minicamp, Palmer is ready to play like it.
"He's got the most skill and ability of anybody we've got in the building," Marvin Lewis said after Friday's practice.
MONDAY ONE-LINERS
Giants QB Eli Manning struggled with accuracy, touch, and arm strength in his first minicamp.
The Vikings have released two veterans following the first mandatory minicamp of the offseason: LB Henri Crockett and FB Charles Stackhouse.
Vikings LB E.J. Henderson will have an MRI to assess swelling in his knee.
The $10.8 million roster bonus the Vikings gave to CB Antoine Winfield raised Charles Woodson's franchise player salary by $2 million.
Giants RB Tiki Barber concedes that, in an effort to reduce the number of times he put the ball on the ground, new coach Tom Coughlin and running backs coach Jerald Ingram have "been on me since day one to change the way I carry the ball and change the way my mentality is in going through traffic and with contact."
Broncos tackle Matt Lepsis is in the process of making the move from the left side to the right side.
49ers QB Tim Rattay will undergo surgery to repair a groin muscle that tore from the bone on Friday.
The Broncos will be releasing QB Steve Beuerlein on Monday; Beuerlein otherwise can be seen telling war stories about which no one cares on NFL Europe broadcasts.
49ers WR James Jordan is moving to tight end.
Broncos rookie CB Jeremy LeSueur made a big hit in practice over the weekend; the only problem is that the guy on the other end of the hit was defensive backs coach David Gibbs.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 10:22 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:33 p.m. EDT, May 10, 2004
MCKENZIE, PACK HAD A DEAL
A league source tells us that the Green Bay Packers and cornerback Mike McKenzie reached earlier this year an agreement in principle to resolve his misgivings with his current contract before McKenzie opted to demand a trade from the team that drafted him in 1999.
Per the source, McKenzie generally was unhappy with his contract, especially since he'd been hearing from other players and agents that he'd signed a bad deal prior to the 2002 season. But the source tells us that McKenzie and the Packers reached in February an agreement that would have placated McKenzie.
At issue was a $200,000 workout bonus that McKenzie is scheduled to earn each of the next three seasons. McKenzie requested -- and the Packers agreed -- to convert $100,000 of the amount each year to a mandatory minicamp reporting bonus and the other $100,000 to a training camp reporting bonus.
Though on paper the change would have resulted in no additional money for McKenzie, the revision would have allowed him to work out in the offseason away from Green Bay. And it would have permitted McKenzie to say that he extracted some concessions from a team that arguably got the better of the agent who represented McKenzie prior to his most recent advisor, Brian Parker.
But we're told that after the Packers committed to the arrangement, McKenzie backed out, eventually requesting a trade.
The problem for McKenzie was, and still is, that he has zero leverage in these discussions.
And we're hearing that if McKenzie opts to retire in lieu of playing out the final three years of the deal, the Packers can recover from him $43,750 per game, which equates to $2.1 million of the $3.5 million signing bonus that McKenzie received when he signed the contract.
Another snag for McKenzie is that when he agreed to convert a $1.75 million roster bonus in 2003 to a guaranteed payment for the purposes of allowing the Pack to spread the cap hit over the life of the deal, the Packers added language that arguably permits them to recoup the unallocated portion of the payment to the tune of $27,343 per game, or an additional $1.312 million over the next three seasons. At the time, McKenzie had no agent, and the insertion of that language is a prime example of what can happen to a guy who tries to deal with a team without the benefit of good, sound guidance,
In all, then, McKenzie could be forced to repay the Packers more than $3.4 million -- nearly as much as his full 2002 signing bonus -- if he doesn't honor his contract.
It remains to be seen whether the Packers will try to seek trade value in exchange for McKenzie. If it happens, look for the Ravens, Steelers, and Cowboys to talk to the Packers about getting a deal done.
And though the Packers are feeling better about their receiving corps with the emergence of Robert Ferguson and Javon Walker, we think that a McKenzie-for-Plaxico swap would be a good deal. The Steelers, however, might have to pony up a draft pick or two to placate the Packers, given that Burress is under contract for only one more season.
TROTTER HEADED TO NEW YORK?
Despite a belief in some league circles that linebacker Jeremiah Trotter will high-tail it back to Philly after he's cut loose in a few weeks after two disappointing seasons with the Redskins, a league source tells us that it's highly unlikely that Trotter will return to the Eagles.
Per the source, there's still plenty of bad blood between Trotter and Eagles coach/G.M. Andy Reid, and the possibility of Trotter agreeing to a deal with Reid is slim, at best.
Instead, the thinking is that Trotter will stick in the NFC East by joining the Giants, who need a middle linebacker given the team's decision to release Micheal Barrow.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:42 a.m. EDT, May 11, 2004
BEARS ANGLING FOR A NEW MCMAHON?
With the market for veteran quarterbacks apparently too steep for Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo, our Chitown mole tells us that Angelo might try to swing a trade for Lions backup Mike McMahon.
The Lions are shopping their No. 2 quarterback, a 2001 fifth-round draft pick who at one point supplanted Charlie Batch and Ty Detmer as the starter during McMahon's rookie season. On December 16, 2001, McMahon helped the then-winless Lions get their first win of the season, against the Vikings, to avoid becoming the first team to lose 16 games in one season.
Angelo, we're told, prefers to land Kurt Warner, but he doesn't want to pay upwards of $2 million for a backup quarterback. So he's considering making an offer of a conditional draft pick for McMahon, a three-year veteran who played at Rutgers for new offensive coordinator Terry Shea.
Exactly twenty years ago (do we sound really old if we say, "Has it been that long?"), quarterback Jim McMahon provided the spark of leadership on offense and just enough raw talent to take the Bears deep into the playoffs one season before helping the Bears to their only Super Bowl title.
Then again, Mike McMahon seemingly has as much in common with Jim as he does with Ed, or Vince.
TUESDAY ONE-LINERS
Jags S Donovin Darius finally has decided to love the one he's with.
Rams QB Kurt Warner arrived Monday night in New York for a get-acquainted meeting with the Giants; ironically, it was the Giants who ended Warner's career in St. Louis by scrambling his eggs -- repeatedly -- in week one of the 2003 season.
The 49ers are looking at a "handful" of quarterbacks, including Damon Huard.
The Packers also will be talking to Huard, given their inability to strike a deal with Browns QB Tim Couch.
The Giants could lose a week of offseason practice time if there's a determination that coach Tom Coughlin broke the rules regarding springtime drills.
Dolphins offensive coordinator Joel Collier cites exhaustion as the basis for the decision to step back into a lesser role with the team.
Steelers LB Joey Porter is hoping for a shot in the ass to help overcome a 2003 season that never got rolling after he was, well, shot in the ass.
Bucs RB Michael Pittman had his 30-day jail term cut in half due to good behavior.
Jets RT Kareem McKenzie, a restricted free agent, signed his one-year qualifying tender of $1.38 million.
The Pats visited the White House on Monday (we wonder whether Bush asked Belichick if he might have a project or two to keep Rumsfeld occupied over the next few months).
Veteran QB Steve Beuerlein reportedly will consider a return to the NFL this year only if he can swing a new deal with the Broncos, who released him on Monday to clear some cap room.
An Orlando report says that the Mavericks will trade Antwoin Walker and a group of spares to the Magic for Grant Hill and the #1 draft pick if they get it.
Good or no?
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by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 1:26 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:07 a.m. EDT, May 12, 2004
CAMP COUGHLIN "A BREEZE"
Word out of New York is that Giants players generally regarded the team's recently-completed mandatory minicamp as "a breeze," and several league insiders believe that coach Tom Coughlin deliberately backed off in the wake of reports that arose late last week regarding complaints from unnamed players as to the intensity and duration of Coughlin's voluntary drills.
Multiple newcomers to the Giants, we're told, characterized the minicamp as less demanding than minicamps they'd attended in other NFL cities.
We're also hearing that the Giants are expected to lose one week of their offseason program once the NFLPA's ongoing investigation is concluded. As we see it, it's a small price to pay for getting caught breaking the rules -- and it provides not much of a deterrent for other teams who might be tempted to follow suit.
In this regard, we've been told to keep an eye on the Browns. The NFLPA is keeping close watch, we hear, on Butch Davis's offseason activities, and it's possible that another investigation could be launched in the near future.
RAVENS WRESTLE WITH COLLINS
A league source tells us that the powers-that-be in Baltimore currently are wresting with the question of whether to pursue free-agent quarterback Kerry Collins.
We're told that head coach Brian Billick and assistant Jim Fassel are in favor of adding Collins to a team that arguably has the horses to contend for a Super Bowl berth. However, G.M. Ozzie Newsome and other members of the front office prefer sticking with Kyle Boller and Anthony Wright.
The Billick-and-Fassel camp believes that Boller will be a good NFL quarterback, but that he's not ready to maximize his talents. In a league where the pressure to win now is greater than ever, grooming a young quarterback via a baptism by fire is becoming a less palatable option for head coaches who face an increasing string of "If they can win, why can't we?"-type questions from ownership.
But since front offices in most cities rarely feel the same pressure as the coaching staffs to produce in the short term, it's understandable that the execs will lean toward using the guys whom they've already acquired -- especially when the Ravens gave up a first-rounder in 2004 for the ability to jump back into round one and bag Boller in 2003.
Newsome and company also believe, we're told, that Wright provides a more-than-capable contingency plan in the event that Boller isn't ready. As we see it, however, Boller is far more likely to accept another year or two in the background if the starter is a guy like Collins, who was drafted higher than Boller and who has a Super Bowl appearance on his resume.
SAN FRAN NOT STRIKING GOLD SOON
One of the hotter topics in league circles is the systematic demise of the once-proud San Francisco 49ers.
The problem, per a league source, is ownership.
Denise DeBartolo York picked up the team from her brother, Eddie, once he got himself into trouble with the law in Louisiana. Mrs. York has been allowing her hubby, Dr. John York, to play with all of the shiny buttons and switches over the past several years, eventually creating a clusternutfudge that has pushed the team toward the same kind of funk from which it emerged in the early 1980s.
The source tells us that the league office would like to see a change in ownership in the Bay Area before the situation gets much worse. But as long as revenue sharing essentially guarantees that an NFL team will turn a profit, we don't envision the Yorks walking away.
In the short term, the sudden loss of starting quarterback Tim Rattay for several months with a serious groin tear requires the Niners to find another quarterback. The best name they can conjure thus far is Damon Huard, a career journeyman who might do well in a clear backup role -- but who likely isn't in position to push Rattay, or to play if Rattay can't get healthy.
We're hearing that the Niners aren't likely to land either Kerry Collins or Kurt Warner because the team doesn't want to spend the money that they'd expect to receive, and that neither player is willing to hold down the fort until Rattay is ready to take over.
Another option in San Fran that would be far cheaper than signing an established veteran would be to swing a trade with the Steelers for Tommy Maddox. Actually, we could see the Steelers packaging Maddox and receiver Plaxico Burress in a trade, possibly for a defensive back and/or some picks.
WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS
Eagles coach/G.M. Andy Reid soon will sign a contract extension that will put him among the highest-paid coaches in the league.
Bengals RB Rudi Johnson has signed his one-year, $1.824 million RFA tender.
The Miami Herald reports that Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt recently told DE Adewale Ogunleye that he's optimistic that a new contract for the restricted free agent will be worked out in the offseason.
QB Kerry Collins will be spending the next two days with the Raiders as both sides explore the possibility of adding him to a roster that might not include Rich Gannon come June.
The chances of the Cowboys getting talks aimed at lining up a new stadium completed by June 30 are about as slim as the chances of Iraq being handed over to the Iraqis by June 30.
The Pats have added OL Bob Hallen.
Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo has reiterated that he's not interested in soon-to-be-former Rams QB Kurt Warner.
The Jags are getting two new big-ass scoreboards at AllTell Stadium.
The Broncos have re-signed LB Johnny Rutledge.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 7:42 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:09 a.m. EDT, May 13, 2004
PACKERS TIRING OF COUCH DEMANDS
Though there are reports in both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Green Bay Press-Gazette that the Packers remain interested in Browns quarterback Tim Couch, we're hearing that the team is tiring of Couch's contract demands, and that the Pack soon will be cutting the cord.
Per the Plain Dealer, Couch wants either a one-year deal or a two-year contract with a starter-sized salary in 2005. The biggest sticking point is that Couch doesn't want to sit behind Brett Favre for two years.
The Packers don't want to commit to paying Couch like a starter in 2005, when the team has no idea whether Favre will stay or go after 2004. Also, the Pack aren't thrilled with the idea of giving up a draft pick (reportedly a fifth-rounder or a sixth-rounder) for a one-year deal with Couch.
The Pack instead might wait for Couch to be released, even though Browns coach Butch Davis is hinting that he might keep Couch around as a backup at $7.6 million in salary. (And if anyone believes that Davis won't cut Couch, I'll be auctioning off a few thousand cubic feet of USDA quality open air later this month.)
As we see it, Couch falls into the "beggar" (not the "chooser") category when it comes to determining his current football worth. This is his shot at a second chance, and the last thing he needs to worry about is getting paid like a starter when he hasn't shown that he deserves to be one.
And, more importantly, when no team has indicated that they're interested in making him one.
We know that agent Tom Condon wants to be able to jack up the quarterback market and to show that he pulls the strings of the NFL. But the Packers have no reason to cave in to the demands of a guy who had the world at his fingertips in Cleveland, and who managed to drop the ball.
Unless and until Couch acquires a little thing known as "leverage," he should take the best deal he can get -- especially when that deal involves an opportunity to learn from one of the best quarterbacks ever as he prepares to hand the ball off to his successor.
BURRESS CALLS STEELERS "INCONSIDERATE"
Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress explained on Wednesday his decision not to attend last weekend's mandatory minicamp in Pittsburgh.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Burress told James Brown of Sporting News Radio that he missed the minicamp in order to be with his brothers on Mother's Day weekend. Burress's mother died two years ago.
"I have two younger brothers that still live in the same house that my mother lived in," Burress said. "My brothers need me to be there for them more than anything. I felt that me going to camp wasn't as important as being with my family. On Mother's Day, I owe it to my brothers, and especially my mother, to pay my respects to her and grieve."
Burress also said that it was "inconsiderate" of the Steelers to schedule the minicamp for Mother's Day weekend.
"I don't always make the right decision, but I do what I feel is right. The fact that the camp was on Mother's Day weekend was inconsiderate towards the guys on the team, especially since they stress family first.
"I've had people upset with me in the past and missing a three-day camp is not going to hurt me. I made that decision based on myself and I didn't really care what anybody else thought. I think it was totally inconsiderate by having a camp on Mother's Day especially since there are four other weekends in May."
Of course, the Steelers also could say that it was "totally inconsiderate" (and grossly immature) for Burress to decide not to show without saying a word to anyone, even though he presumably knew in advance that the minicamp was scheduled for Mother's Day weekend.
Burress said that the absence had nothing to do with the fact that he's entering the final year of his rookie contract, and that there have been no serious talks regarding an extension.
"If it was based on my contract, then I never would have showed my face around there during the offseason," he said. "Several weeks before camp I sat down with the coaches and watched film. I was there for two or three weeks during the offseason. I don't see how anyone could say this has anything to do with my contract."
Still, Burress wouldn't commit that he'll be present for voluntary coaching sessions that begin on May 18. Instead, he only said that he'll be present for training camp on July 30.
JORDAN STILL SAYING "PLAY ME OR PAY ME"
Jets running back LaMont Jordan's request is simple. As he enters the final year of his contract, he wants the Jets either to play him in 2004, or to pay him.
"I would like some sort of commitment -- whether it's with a contract extension or by giving me the ball," Jordan said Wednesday, according to the New York Post. "I think I am capable. From the moment I stepped foot in here, Curtis has done nothing but teach me. How would anyone know if you learned your lesson until you take the test? I think I am ready for my test, and that test is to play."
If Jordan gets neither, he presumably wants to be traded. As we've previously reported, the Jets won't do it.
Why should they? The team needs a solid No. 2 behind Curtis Martin, and as Martin gets more and more wear on his wheels, it makes sense to hold onto LaMont as long as they can.
Coach Herm Edwards is talking like a guy who wants to find a middle ground. "His representation is coming up here on Tuesday and we're going to sit down and talk," Edwards said. "I've already spoken to LaMont. We're just going to talk about trying to get something done with the guy. Hopefully, he can be a Jet and retire a Jet. We have to get LaMont in there more, and we know that. This year we have a lot of things planned to get him into the game and carry the football."
The problem is that the Jets have been singing this same song when Jordan was drafted in 2001. But Martin continues to get the bulk of the touches -- and Jordan continues to get the scraps
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 9:30 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:15 a.m. EDT, May 15, 2004
ANGELO PISSED OVER LEAKS
Our Chitown mole tells us that G.M. Jerry Angelo has his undies in a mild uproar due to recent leaks relating to the front office's plans and intentions.
Angelo and company believed that a member of the former coaching staff was responsible for spilling the beans to media outlets, including this here site. Now, Angelo is concerned that a holdover from Dick Jauron's coaching staff is funneling information to Jauron, who joined the Lions after he got poop-canned in Chicago.
The Motown connection has been fueled by reports over the past week or so regarding the possibility that Bears receiver David Terrell will be cut (which was reported by a Detroit newspaper), and that the Bears are interested in trading for Lions backup quarterback Mike McMahon.
MCKAY THE NEXT COMMISH?
There is growing speculation in league circles that Falcons G.M. Rich McKay could be in line to succeed NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, when the long-time poobah rides off into the sunset with a John Facenda voiceover resonating in the background.
McKay is well-respected throughout the league, and his law degree gives him the business credentials to step into the NFL's ultimate position of leadership.
A dark horse candidate for the job, we're told, is NFL executive vice president and chief counsel Jeff Pash, who holds the position that Tagliabue occupied before ascending to the throne when Pete Rozelle retired.
But as one league insider explained to us, there isn't the same need for an experienced legal mind as there was prior to the negotiation of the landmark collective bargaining agreement, which created real free agency and the salary cap. Before that deal was done, the league faced many legal uncertainties and potential challenges, making it far more important for the captain of the ship to know his way around the whole law thing.
Tagliabue recently agreed to a three-year extension of a contract that was set to expire next year, meaning that he'll be around until 2008. Our guess, however, is that the process for locating Tagliabue's successor will commence not long after the ink is dry on the new broadcast rights contract. The current deal expires after the 2005 season, and the league (in our opinion) is girding for difficult negotiations, given that the networks took a bath on the current deal when the advertising market evaporated in 2001 -- and the NFL refused to provide the TV honchos with any relief.
RICKY WILLIAMS FAILS DRUG TEST
The Miami newspapers are reporting that Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has tested positive for marijuana, in violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.
The result currently is under appeal. If the result is upheld, Williams faces a fine of up to $878,823 (per the Sun-Sentinel) -- and an additional violation would trigger a four-game suspension.
According to the Palm Beach Post, Williams disputes the report that he was in New York on April 16 for the appeal of the test result.
"I'm in good standing with the NFL and the Dolphins," Williams said. "There is not a story here. I was in New York a few weeks ago and I did visit the league headquarters.
"I guess that's how rumors get started. But I was just visiting friends in the city and I just decided to go in. I will be at training camp on Tuesday."
A source close to Williams suggested, however, that where there's smoke there's, um, toke. "He's been in New York this week with all of the crap that's been going on," the source said. "If they tested all of us for weed, half of America would be out of work."
Perhaps we're too sheltered or naive to believe that half of America spends their free time smoking pot, but we continue to be amazed by the number of NFL players and other athletes who (allegedly) compromise their on-field abilities by taking recreational drugs.
Then again, the time-honored formula of young plus stupid plus money usually equates to that kind of behavior.
SATURDAY ONE-LINERS
The Giants have signed K Bill Gramatica -- and we hope he didn't jump for joy when he got the call.
Though we're big fans of Pittsburgh-area columnist and radio guy Mark Madden, we think his defense of Steelers WR Plaxico Burress is an exercise in contrarianism (and we hope like hell that that's a word).
Last edited by ALinChainz; 05-16-2004 at 02:05 AM.
POSTED 6:20 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:49 a.m. EDT, May 14, 2004
RAIDERS LIKELY STICKING WITH GANNON
A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders likely will not be signing quarterback Kerry Collins, which means that the team will be sticking with Rich Gannon, at least for one more season.
Per the source, when the Raiders and Collins sat down to talk about numbers during Collins' visit to the Bay Area, it became clear that the two sides were in different ballparks. As a result, a contract is highly unlikely at this point.
So the Raiders instead will stick with a guy who broke into the league in 1987, and who suffered a shoulder injury in 2003 that might or might not be healed when the 2004 season opens.
For Collins, the options might be drying up, especially if he's hoping to be a starter. His best bet might be Baltimore, even though the team denies interest in giving Collins the ball while Kyle Boller continues to develop. We stand by our report that coach Brian Billick and assistant Jim Fassel are lobbying to add Collins to the roster, and as we see it the chances of it happening increase as Collins' price tag necessarily moves downward.
BUTCH COMPLETES CLEVELAND COUP
Browns coach Butch Davis ran out of Cleveland on Thursday chief contract negotiator Lal Heneghan, abruptly firing the respected cap specialist.
The move completes a transformation of the front office, which now includes no key employees who predated Davis's arrival in Cleveland.
Davis struggled with former team president Carmen Policy for control over the operation, and a compromise apparently was reached when Ron Wolf was hired as a consultant. Most folks assumed Davis was on board with the move, since both he and Wolf are represented by agent Marvin Demoff.
But Davis refused to use Wolf, who quit less than two weeks after Policy announced his resignation.
And with each departure, Davis gains both control and accountability. So if the team struggles, there will be no one he can blame.
BUCS STILL LOOKING FOR CAP GUY
Word around the league is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still looking for a cap specialist/contract negotiator to replace John Idzik, who was let go by the team earlier this year.
The Bucs, we're told, are hoping to land a younger guy who has a reputation for getting along well with agents.
New G.M. Bruce Allen has a reputation for being extremely laid back, so it'll be critical for the new cap guy to mesh with Allen's style. We're hearing that Allen quietly has been asking around regarding possible candidates for the job, which Allen likely hopes to fill before July, when negotiations for the new draft picks will begin in earnest.
49ERS GIVING DORSEY A SHOT?
Word out of San Fran is that the 49ers are serious about giving second-year pro Ken Dorsey a crack at the starting quarterback job, pending Tim Rattay's recovery from a serious groin tear, which like an overcooked chicken involved separation of meat from bone.
Dorsey, a seventh-round draft pick who wasn't regarded as a top prospect despite his propensity for winning football games, will get a shot, we're told, if he has a solid offseason.
Meanwhile, the 49ers continue to shy away from the possibility of signing a veteran quarterback to fill the void created when the team cut Jeff Garcia in a salary dispute.
CARDS NOT INTERESTED IN WARNER
Despite lingering rumors that Cardinals coach Denny Green is planning to make a move on Rams quarterback Kurt Warner when he hits the open market in June, a league source tells us that Green doesn't plan to pursue Warner.
Green handed the starting job to Josh McCown shortly after the veteran coach took the job in Arizona, and Green hasn't wavered, signing only Shaun King to serve as the backup and not selecting a new quarterback in the draft.
Perhaps Green learned that it's better to go with a home-grown quarterback in 2000, when he stuck with Daunte Culpepper after a bended-knee pitch to Dan Marino was unsuccessful. Culpepper responded with a breakthrough performance that year -- and he has remained one of the best quarterbacks in the game ever since.
SHARPE CHANGING COURSE?
With Deion Sanders bolting from CBS in a money dispute, the Denver Post reports that tight end Shannon Sharpe could retire from the Broncos to step into the vacancy created by Prime Time.
Sharpe will fly to New York on Tuesday to meet with CBS execs, who are pursuing the loquacious Sharpe to take a seat at the table with Jim Nantz, Dan Marino, and Boomer Esiason.
The Broncos, meanwhile, are planning for the worst by signing tight end Byron Chamberlain to a one-year contract. Chamberlain left Denver for Minnesota, where he became a Pro Bowler before being cut last season. Chamberlain then was signed by the Redskins based exclusively on name recognition, and he rarely was used before being released.
Sharpe's willingness to consider quitting the game one year early highlights the reality that these TV gigs are scarce, and that Deion was foolish to give up his seven-figure gig that amounts to a part-time job from August to January.
Our guess is that Sharpe will make the move now, since it's likely that there won't be a similar job available in 2005.
Shortly before the draft, Sharpe announced that he would be returning to the Broncos, even though he expressed strong dissatisfaction with the team's decision to trade running back Clinton Portis to the Redskins.
POSTED 9:55 p.m. EDT, May 13, 2004
PRIME TIME HEADING TO ABC?
A league source tells us that Deion Sanders and his agent, Eugene Parker, are being criticized heavily in league circles after Sanders' stare-down with CBS resulted in a severance of his relationship with the network on which he debuted following his retirement from the NFL.
The source also reports that there is speculation in league circles that Sanders will resurface at ABC as an additional sideline reporter for Monday night games, joining newcomer Michelle Tafoya on Monday night telecasts.
Sanders landed on the unemployment line because, the source tells us, he treated his discussions with CBS like the negotiation of a player contract. As a player, however, the reality is that there was always a demand for his services elsewhere. In his current capacity, the problem is that all of the other chairs are filled -- and networks generally aren't inclined to tweak their roster of talking heads this late in the offseason.
Part of the problem is that Sanders apparently did no homework regarding the market for TV analysts. CBS reportedly was willing to increase his pay from $1 million to $1.3 million, but Deion wanted to double his money at a time when few, if any, TV guys and/or gals are making that kind of coin for 17-to-20 days' work per year.
Sanders already has a relationship with ABC, given his role on ESPN's American Sportsman. And we speculated after Rush Limbaugh was hired by ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown a year ago that El Rushbo and El Dumbo were being groomed to reprise that magical Cosell-Dandy Don repartee of bygone years.
With John Madden getting no younger (or thinner), look for Deion to explore an experimental gig with MNF, which could land him in the ABC booth, in due time.
PLAXICO'S MOUTH HURTS HIS WALLET
A league source tells us that the decision of Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress to blame his failure to attend the team's first offseason mandatory minicamp on a belief that the team was "inconsiderate" for scheduling the sessions on Mother's Day weekend will hurt his trade value and/or his market worth if/when he becomes a free agent after the 2004 season.
Burress's decision not to report for the minicamp after participating in all voluntary offseason drills was seen as odd, to say the least, among league insiders, prompting speculation in some circles that Plax was hoping to dodge the pissmeister, who can make his first annual pee harvest at the initial mandatory minicamp.
Regardless of whether this rank speculation is on the mark, Burress's beef with scheduling a minicamp on (egads!) Mother's Day is grossly misplaced. Hey, Plaxy -- last time we checked, the NFL don't give a hairy poop whether guys work on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or Rosh Hashanah.
Don't get us wrong. We all love our moms. But the idea that Burress would lash out at the Steelers for dropping a minicamp on the second weekend in May is lame, and it's gonna hurt him.
COLEMAN'S RIDE GETS PIMPED, DUI STYLE
Texans safety Marcus Coleman has a new edition to his ride. And it ain't a subwoofer in the trunk or an Xbox in the seat or a coffeemaker in the armrest or a laptop in the glove box.
Instead, the dudes at West Coast Customs will be pimping out Coleman's ride with a doohickey in the drive train that requires him to blow alcohol-free air into the nozzle before the car will start.
Coleman is required to use the device as he awaits trial on a recent DUI arrest. A pretrial conference has been set for May 27.
And there's no word as to whether the judge plucked the shoulder of Coleman's shirt a la Xzibit after the ruling was announced.
SAINTS GETTING SCREWED OUT OF $10 MILLION?
Though it doesn't have the same intrigue as LaVar Arrington's missing $6.5 million roster bonus, Louisiana currently won't be able to make a $15 million payment to the Saints as part of a deal struck in 2001 to keeps the team in the Bayou.
Specifically, the payment likely will be $10 million short.
Lousiana officials cite a crash in tourism since the September 11 terrorist attacks. However, state budgets generally have been strapped since 9/11, given among other things the increased security expenses resulting from Tom Ridge's horrendous Crayola system for warning of threats.
It remains to be seen what will happen if the $10 million can't be raised. Our guess is that, if Louisiana welshes on its commitment, the Saints might be permitted to bail out of its Superdome lease, moving the team to Mississippi -- or to L.A.
Plax was pissin' out all the drugs he took over the hiatus...that plain and simple...
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:20 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:14 a.m. EDT, May 17, 2004
NEW GUARD TAKING OVER NFL?
There's a growing sense in league circles that young, involved owners gradually are becoming the norm in the modern NFL, supplanting the "old guard" that has been essentially running the show for years.
The arrival of Steve Bisciotti in Baltimore and the elevation of Randy Lerner in Cleveland represent the clearest examples of the trend toward not only youth in the owner's box (relatively speaking) but also guys who aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and get involved in the process.
Both Bisciotti and Lerner already have been compared to the prototypical young, involved owner -- Redskins' chief Dan Snyder.
And the most surprising aspect here is that an increasing number of folks around the league don't necessarily regard this trend as a bad thing. Guys like Snyder are committed to winning and, more importantly from the perspective of the players, to spending money in large quantities in pursuit of victory.
On the other hand, youthful owners with their hands in the stew typically are willing, by their very nature, to challenge the ways and ideas of the existing establishment, even if such settled approaches to doing business are the end result of years of refinement and careful thought.
As we see it, there's been over the years a certain suspension of ego and personal agenda on the part of the various team owners, which has helped the league to grow and prosper on a collective basis since the advent of television. Based on the problems that are plaguing the three other so-called major sports, it's fairly clear that the balance the NFL has achieved is as tenuous as it is uncommon.
And the "I'm gonna get mine" attitude that enabled guys like Snyder and Bisciotti and (though no one ever again will accuse him of being young) Jerry Jones to make truckloads of money in other industries could threaten to bog down -- if not reverse -- the progress that the NFL has made, especially over the past ten years.
Indeed, while hard-charging owners might approve in the abstract of the mutual financial windfall that has resulted from competitive balance, we're certain that guys like Dan Snyder would much rather win the Lombardi every season. This attitude, as it proliferates among more and more of the league's 32 franchises, ultimately could create the same big-market, small-market fiasco that has destroyed (yawn) baseball.
Some might think that a free-spending, no salary cap, no revenue-sharing era in the NFL is decades down the road, if that soon. But with roughly one-to-two franchises changing hands on an annual basis, the NFL ownership ranks could, in theory, be comprised of enough young turks to change fundamentally the way the NFL does business within 15 years, or less.
If the NFL hopes to preserve a sense of decorum among its owners that has enabled them to set aside their own selfish interests in pursuit of a greater good (that coincidentally has made each of them even more obscenely rich), the key in our view will be to ensure that the Commissioner's office always is filled by a person who has the skills and abilities to keep in line those who might be inclined to reverse the progress in the hopes of making more money and/or winning more games. It also will be important, in our view, for the NFL to use a high degree of care when screening potential new owners.
Part of the problem is that few Americans are in a sufficient position to pony up the coin necessary to purchase an NFL team. And the reality is that those who have managed to amass that kind of a fortune in the modern world aren't typically inclined to "play nice" with a group of colleagues, who also are competitors.
The NFL spotted these traits in Donald Trump years ago, and the league smartly kept him from ever getting his hands on a franchise. But in 2004 and beyond, the guys who can put together $500 million or so have far more in common with Trump than many of the old guard owners might be willing to admit.
SHARPE CLOSE TO CBS DEAL?
The Rocky Mountain News reports that CBS officials believe they're close to striking a deal with Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe, who would retire from the NFL for a three-year deal worth less than $1 million per season to jump onto the set of the NFL Today.
CBS Sports executive Leslie Ann Wade said on Sunday that the talks between Sharpe and the network are "serious," and that CBS is "hopeful there will be an announcement early this week."
The spot for Sharpe became available last week, after former NFL Today personality Deion Sanders bolted in a dispute over money.
"I've met with them several times," Sharpe said. "I've done the playoffs. They like what I do. I can think on my feet and I have an opinion. The guys in the league know I speak my mind, I'm fair and there's a 99 percent chance I know what I'm talking about."
Not everyone is enthralled with the idea of Sharpe taking his motormouth to the airwaves (and based on the last sentence of the above quote you can add us to that group). Rocky Mountain News columnist Bernie Lincicome argues that Sharpe shouldn't add his voice to the growing din of folks who typically think they know what they're talking about. Here's a sampling of Lincicome's observations:
"Sharpe has done this kind of TV already, finding a place during last season's playoffs. My recollection is he was pretty ordinary, but possibly his blather is more appealing to those not so used to it. . . .
"The reason Sharpe is attractive to TV is because he is not embarrassed to be a clown . . . . Sharpe is the most likely to be outrageous. He will be there to help catch the Sunday football audience while it still is sober, before the numbness of the games and the gloom of the lost parlay set in. . . .
"Clearly, the bar has been raised -- or lowered, as the case may be -- for Sharpe. Not only does he have Bradshaw across the dial and Dan Marino across the set, as well as any number of cable nits, but he has the reduced expectations of the audience. Who could pass up a chance to get in on this -- for as much money as Sharpe would make getting banged around on his aging back -- before actual journalism breaks out."
Of course, the guys who take these jobs wouldn't know journalism if Edward R. Murrow stuck a notepad in their mouths and a fountain pen in their bungholes. Then again, since real journalists generally don't regard sports reporting as real journalism, why should the networks care?
JOHNSON MAKES BALTIMORE DEBUT
Receiver Kevin Johnson will don Ravens gear for the first time when he joins the team on Monday for a passing camp, which is the team's first organized session since their 2003 season ended with a playoff loss to the Titans.
Johnson was acquired from the Jaguars for a fourth-round pick in April, after the Ravens were unable to pry disgruntled Browns receiver Dennis Northcutt from their archrivals in Cleveland.
Ironically, Northcutt's posture likely was influenced in large part by Johnson's experience with the Browns. Last season, Johnson abruptly was cut based in part on the fact that he wanted out.
But with more than 15 teams making waiver claims for Johnson, perhaps the Browns have realized that giving a player who declares his unhappiness a free pass onto the open market might not be a good idea.
Johnson won't see several high profile teammates at the sessions. Running back Jamal Lewis and defensive back Corey Fuller have been "excused" from the voluntary camp (huh?) so that they can focus on their current legal problems. Also. linebacker Ray Lewis will miss the camp due to a finger injury.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 10:13 p.m. EDT, May 17, 2004
McKENZIE HIRES ROSENHAUS
A league source tells us that disgruntled Packers defensive back Mike McKenzie has hired agent Drew Rosenhaus to assist in McKenzie's extrication for a sticky situation in Green Bay.
Per the source, McKenzie selected Rosenhaus over a gaggle of suitors, including Jimmy Sexton and Leigh Steinberg.
McKenzie parted ways with agent Brian Parker a couple of weeks ago after efforts to obtain for McKenzie a new deal fell on deaf ears in Green Bay. Prior reports were that Parker fired McKenzie, but the source tells us that the move possibly was more mutual than unilateral.
The first order of business for Rosenhaus, we're told, will be to high-tail it to the land of the tundra for a sit-down with the powers-that-be. McKenzie's primary objective remains to persuade the Packers to trade the five-year veteran to another team.
Potential candidates for his services include the Saints, Steelers, and Cowboys. The Texans were interested prior to drafting Dunta Robinson last month, but the current legal troubles involving veteran Marcus Coleman could potentially draw Houston into the bidding.
There's still no guarantee, however, that the Packers will make a move, given that McKenzie has three years remaining on his current contract. The Pack have all the leverage -- and as we previously reported they can recoup nearly $3.5 million in bonus money that previously was paid to McKenzie if he refuses to honor his deal.
FINS MAKE OPENING OFFER TO OGUNLEYE
Word out of South Florida is that the Miami Dolphins have extended to defensive end Adewale Ogunleye an initial offer for a multi-year deal.
Ogunleye, a restricted free agent who was tendered at the highest possible level by the Dolphins, has said that he won't report to training camp without a long-term deal. Instead, he's promised to report after Week Ten, which is the last date on which he can begin playing and still pick up his final year of credit toward unrestricted free agency.
Details aren't available regarding the offer, but we're told that the two sides are far apart. Apparently, the opener wasn't low enough to scare Ogunleye away from the table -- we hear that the AFC sack leader for 2003 plans to respond with an eye toward igniting a back-and-forth that gets the deal done sooner rather than later.
Stay tuned.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 6:40 a.m. EDT, May 19, 2004
BURRESS BURNING BRIDGES IN THE 'BURGH?
Little more than a week after skipping a mandatory minicamp based on an alleged desire to be with his brothers on Mother's Day, Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress was the team's only no-show for voluntary drills that began on Tuesday -- and he likely is setting the stage either for a trade or a decision by the team not to re-sign him after his contract expires in January.
At least one of his teammates is unhappy with Burress's stance.
"I don't know if he is alive, dead or what the situation is," receiver Hines Ward said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"If that's his excuse, Mother's Day, if that's what's he's saying, we have to abide by it," Ward said. "What's the reasoning now? I don't know. I'm clueless . . . . I thought he was going to be here."
Teammate Jerome Bettis took a different view. "If he wasn't here for the first game, it would be a problem," Bettis said. "For right now, it's not a problem. Sometimes people go through some things and you have to give them a chance to sort it out. I think it would be wrong if we judged him right now without knowing what's going on."
Burress called the team "inconsiderate" for scheduling the mandatory minicamp on Mother's Day weekend, but some folks thought Burress's absence was actually related to displeasure with his contract, which expires after the 2004 season. His absence from voluntary workouts suggests that perhaps his excuse for missing the mandatory minicamp was less than truthful.
Our guess is that there will continue to be calls from some corners of the front office to get value for Burress now, before 2005 rolls around and the team gets nothing in return when he leaves via free agency. The problem, however, is that coach Bill Cowher is operating for the first time ever under a deal with only two years remaining, which previously has prompted speculation that he might not be around in 2005 if the team doesn't win in 2004.
So, as a practical matter, Cowher would have no desire to give up a highly talented (albeit at times underachieving) receiver, unless the team could land a solid contributor in return.
Enter Packers cornerback Mike McKenzie. In our view, the Steelers should be drooling at the possibility of shipping Burress to Green Bay for the disgruntled corner. The only problem, however, is that the Packers' receiving corps of Donald Driver, Javon Walker, and Robert Ferguson made great strides in 2003, making Burress less than a necessity for the Pack.
Also, if Burress isn't happy with his contract, any team that requires him in trade surely will need to work out a new deal in order to persuade him to happily join the fold.
In all, it's a bad situation for Burress, and our guess is that it will get worse before it gets better.
PACK WANT FIRST-ROUNDER FOR MIKE
Agent Drew Rosenhaus likely is facing an uphill challenge as he tries to find a team willing to give up a first-round pick or a comparable player -- which, per a league source, is what the Packers expect in return for cornerback Mike McKenzie.
It's possible, as we see it, that the Packers have attached this level of compensation to any deal because they sense that no team will be willing to cough up compensation in that range.
Then again, if the Pack aren't interested in Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress, we could envision coach Bill Cowher offering to send the team's 2005 first-rounder to Green Bay for a guy who would instantly upgrade a lackluster defensive backfield. As explained above, Cowher might not be in Pittsburgh in 2005 if he doesn't win in 2004, so why not give up next year's first-round pick in an effort to make this year's team better?
And, in the end, perhaps the best outcome will be for the Steelers to send a first-rounder to Green Bay for McKenzie, and to recoup that pick by sending Plax to the Chiefs or the 49ers.
Back to McKenzie, we've picked up some additional information regarding the question of whether the veteran corner's split earlier this month with agent Brian Parker was a mutual decision. Per a league source, it wasn't -- and we've gotten an eyeful of documents that make crystal clear that the move was initiated by Parker.
We've also obtained confirmation of the fact that McKenzie faces a repayment obligation of up to $3,412,464 if he makes good on prior threats retire. $2,100,000 of that amount comes from McKenzie's original $3,500,000 signing bonus, and that remaining $1,312,464 arises from a $1.75 million roster bonus that was converted to a guaranteed payment in 2003 in order to provide cap relief for the Packers.
Finally, we've also confirmed that, at one point this offseason, McKenzie was prepared to agree to a modification of his contract that merely would have converted $200,000 per year over the next three seasons into reporting bonuses. Under the modification, McKenzie's 2006 salary also would have increased to $4,850,000 if McKenzie were elected to the Pro Bowl for the 2004 or 2005 seasons.
The proposed deal was far enough along to result in the paperwork being prepared.
At this point, however, that agreement is long gone, and the only ongoing effort will be an attempt to find McKenzie a new home. Though it seems like a possible long shot, the fact that Rosenhaus was able to work out a trade between the Redskins and the Broncos for running back Clinton Portis earlier this year suggests to us that, in the end, something will get done.
WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS
QB Kerry Collins, scheduled to arrive in Green Bay Tuesday night, canceled his visit; the Packers are trying to get it reset.
With 25 years of football in the rear-view mirror, Shannon Sharpe looks forward to "25 million, 30 million people tuning in to see if I know what I'm talking about" (hey, Shannon, you've been hired to replace Deion Sanders on the No. 3 NFL pregame show, not to replace Randy Jackson on American Idol).
The Jags are still talking to DE Tony Brackens about a contract.
WR Keenan McCardell is skipping voluntary workouts in Tampa, due to displeasure with his contract.
Ravens LB Terrell Suggs still faces felony charges in Arizona resulting from an altercation that occurred prior to the 2003 draft; trial is set for September 9.
Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga expressed confidence that the team will sign DE Adewale Ogunleye to a long-term deal, but Huizenga hints that Ogunleye will get a "good" (not "great") salary.
Fully expecting to be released after June 1, Steelers LB Jason Gildon is still working out at the team's facility, even as his teammates practice there.
Jags QB David Garrard might need surgery for Crohn's disease.
The Vikings have signed RB Mewelde Moore, their fourth-round draft pick.
The Falcons have named Phil Emery their director of college scouting; Emery most recently served as a scout for the Bears.
The Bills have signed TE Tim Euhus, their fourth-round pick.
The Patriots are talking to WR David Givens, an exclusive-rights free agent, about a contract extension.
At this point...I like any deal for McKenzie with the Steelers...and getting fucking Plax out of this shit...
And even if Plax moves, he'll be good for a season to get the big coin on his next contract, and then become an asshole again.
David Boston, Daryl Gardener, Jeff George are some names that come to mind.
I'm sure there are more.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 6:55 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:26 a.m. EDT, May 20, 2004
BARBER NEXT BUC TO TAKE CUT?
Word around the league is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have asked cornerback Ronde Barber to take a pay cut.
The request, we're told, isn't going over well with Barber, a long-time cog in the team's Cover 2 scheme.
But new G.M. Bruce Allen has made it known through the handling of mainstays Warren Sapp and John Lynch that there are no sacred cows in Tampa as he and coach Jon Gruden try to re-tool a roster built by former G.M. Rich McKay.
The money that Barber is asked to cough up could be used to help address the demands of receiver Keenan McCardell, who is boycotting voluntary workouts due to displeasure over his contract.
We haven't heard whether the Bucs will bounce Barber if he refuses to reduce his pay, and our guess is that there would be a high demand for the 29-year-old's services in other NFL cities. The most intriguing possibility, of course, would be the Giants, where Ronde's identical twin brother, Tiki, is the starting tailback.
MCKENZIE GENERATING INTEREST
A league source tells us that several teams are interested in Packers cornerback Mike McKenzie, who recently received permission to seek a trade.
The Browns, who at one point were thinking seriously about taking DeAngelo Hall in the first round of last month's draft, are in the mix. We're hearing that, under such a scenario, the Browns would send quarterback Tim Couch and at least one draft pick to Green Bay for McKenzie.
The X factor in such discussions, however, is the willingness of Couch to reduce his salary. To date, Couch's financial expectations have kept a deal from getting done.
Other interested teams are the Ravens, Jags, and Eagles. In Baltimore, McKenzie would replace Corey Fuller, whose off-field troubles are giving the team an increasing level of discomfort. Adding McKenzie would permit the Ravens to keep Gary Baxter at safety. Baxter moved from corner to safety when Fuller was added to the roster as a free agent from Cleveland.
STEELERS SERIOUS ABOUT MOVING PLAX?
As the impasse between the Steelers and receiver Plaxico Burress lingers, we're hearing greater indications of a willingness by the team to send him elsewhere.
We've previously identified the Chiefs and 49ers as possible destinations for the former top-ten pick. Another potential home for Burress is San Diego, where the trade of David Boston and the general failure to address the receiver position in the draft has left the Chargers with a substandard stable of pass-catchers.
Word is that, at this point, Burress might be had for as little as a second-round pick. As we see it, though, coach Bill Cowher likely would prefer to get someone who can help the team win now, since he might not be around to help pull the trigger on any picks that the team picks up for Plax.
UDEZE POOP-CANS BROTHER
Multiple league sources tell us that Vikings first-round draft pick Kenechi Udeze has fired his agents, Jamal Tooson and Thomas Barnes.
The termination of Barnes is surprising because Barnes is Udeze's brother.
Word is that Udeze was very unhappy with the first-round free fall that he experienced in last month's draft, which was fueled by eleventh-hour rumors regarding a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Barnes and/or Tooson didn't make the situation any better by not insisting upon Udeze attending the medical re-check at the scouting combine and by failing to take steps to remove any doubt regarding his health in the days leading up to the draft.
We're hearing that, in the end, Barnes might not be completely out of the picture. Word is that Barnes could be part of the team that represents Udeze, assuming that Kenechi hires a new guy who's willing to work with Udeze's brother.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:10 a.m. EDT, May 21, 2004
BEARS EYEING SEVERAL PROSPECTS
Our Chitown mole tells us that the Bears are keeping close watch on several players who might be available either by trade or by post-June 1 free agency.
Word is that the team continues to consider signing quarterback Kurt Warner, and that they still haven't ruled out swinging a trade for Dolphins defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, even though it appears that Ogunleye and the Fins have commenced the long-term contract mating dance.
We're also hearing that the Bears have an interest in Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress and Tampa defensive back Ronde Barber.
Burress undoubtedly is available in trade, given his recent string of bizarre behavior in the 'Burgh. Barber is getting squeezed by the Bucs to take a pay cut, and could be the next high-profile member of the 2002 self-styled best defense ever to be playing defense elsewhere.
Also, we continue to hear that the Bears will dump receiver David Terrell after June 1. Terrell, a first-round pick in the 2001 draft, has been a major disappointment for the Bears.
WARNER ASKING FOR TROUBLE IN NY?
The talk in some league circles is that Rams quarterback Kurt Warner should have his head examined if he thinks that the best place to resurrect his NFL career is in New York, with the Giants.
With his eggs scrambled a few times too many (most recently by the Giants in the 2003 season opener), Warner needs to be operating behind a solid offensive line that will protect him from any further knocks to the noggin.
And in New York, the Giants' line deteriorated in 2003, and the team has done little if anything to shore it up in 2004.
So why should anyone expect to see anything other than what we all saw last September, when the Giants defense turned Warner's brain into beef stew?
We know that Warner still think he's got it (even if he doesn't), but he needs to consider very, very carefully whether he'll have any reasonable chance to set up and throw behind one of the more porous offensive lines in the league.
It also remains to be seen whether the Giants will pursue Warner in the face of lukewarm comments by Eli Manning regarding Warner's potential arrival.
"I'm not in control of that; it's not my decision. If they bring in Kurt Warner obviously that's what they think is best for the team," Manning said. Since part of the idea is to help Warner tutor Manning, we think that, in the end, the Giants' decision should be influenced by whether Manning wants him there.
RAVENS REVERSE COURSE ON COLLINS?
With backup quarterback Anthony Wright possibly missing the entire 2004 season with surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, the chances of the Ravens pursuing Kerry Collins suddenly have increased.
Despite reports that Collins is close to a deal with the Raiders, look for the Ravens to jump into the fray quickly -- albeit quietly.
We recently reported that the Ravens were debating internally the question of whether to add Collins notwithstanding the presence of Wright and presumptive starter Kyle Boller. As we heard it, coach Brian Billick and assistant Jim Fassel want Collins, while G.M. Ozzie Newsome wants to stand pat.
Newsome's thinking is that Boller is the guy into whom the team invested a first-round pick a year ago, and Wright proved to be a more than capable backup when Boller was injured during his rookie year. So with Wright suddenly gone, there's clearly a need for a strong No. 2 in Baltimore.
And don't rule out the possibility that Collins could come to Baltimore and start, at least for 2004. Collins, working with Fassel, gives the team a better chance to win this year, which would go a long way toward making owner Steve Bisciotti's first year in charge a good one. Then, Collins could hit the open market in 2005 in the early stages of free agency, when a much greater number of teams will be trolling for a starting quarterback. The Ravens, in turn, could give the ball back to Boller next season.
Given talk that the Ravens might instead look to Kordell Stewart or Kurt Warner, it seems clear to us that Kerry is the far better choice.
FRIDAY ONE-LINERS
The Giants brought in DT Dana Stubblefield for a visit, but apparently will not sign him.
Jags WR Jimmy Smith has sage advice for Fins RB Ricky Williams -- admit that you smoked weed, suffer the consequences, and move on.
QB A.J. Feeley's biggest problem to date in Miami is his struggles with the team's terminology.
Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith says he is exploring trade possibilities with other teams; he wouldn't comment on the positions he's targeting for improvement (here's our advice -- try all of them).
Who said the Bengals aren't cheap anymore? Coach Marvin Lewis explains the basis for the decision to drop the players' last names from practice jerseys: "It's a save-money thing. We know who they are."
There continues to be speculation that the Giants will dump the Bachelor, especially after they've added QB Kurt Kittner to the roster.
Steelers WR Plaxico Burress apparently won't return to the team until training camp.
Previously undersized Dolphins LT Wade Smith has packed on 15 pounds, pushing his weight to 310.
The Redskins have added long-time Panthers personnel exec Jack Bushofsky in a consulting role.
Redskins OL Kenyatta Jones was placed on one year probation for pouring boiling water on house guest/administrative assistant Mark Paul.
CB Dale Carter picked the Ravens over the Browns, signing a one-year, minimum-salary deal with Baltimore; he's expected to take 25 snaps per game as the dime back.
POSTED 9:37 a.m. EDT, May 20, 2004
COLLINS WANTED COMMITMENT FROM PACK
A league source tells us that free agent quarterback Kerry Collins canceled his recent visit to Green Bay because the Pack wouldn't tell Collins that he was their No. 1 choice on the current QB market.
Per the source, the Packers told Collins that he couldn't be No. 1 on their list because . . . they'd . . . never . . . met . . . him. The idea, explained the Pack, was for Collins to come and get acquainted so that the team could then decide whether to make Collins an offer.
But Collins feared that he was being used as leverage for the Packers' ongoing discussions with Browns quarterback Tim Couch, who is taken a hard line in his negotiations with the Packers given that he has roughly, um, zero other options.
PLAX'S STOCK PLUMMETS
We're hearing surprising rumblings that teams have little interest in Steelers' receiver Plaxico Burress. The four-year pro's stock has taken a tumble of late, due to a string of questionable behavior beginning with his decision to skip out on the team's first mandatory minicamp of the offseason and his failure to show for voluntary workouts that began on Tuesday of this week.
One league source opined that Burress simply isn't in position to force both a trade and a new contract. Despite flashes of brilliance, Burress generally is regarded as an underachiever. His apparent discontent with his current contract and his erratic behavior is prompting folks to shy away from putting together a package to present to the Steelers.
The key event, as we see it, is whether Burress shows for the next mandatory minicamp in June. If he doesn't, we think the Steelers will move quickly to get whatever they can in return for the former top ten pick.
It could be, in the end, a far cry from what the Steelers could've finagled if they'd tried to shop Burress prior to the draft. The Chiefs were interested in sending the 30th overall pick to the 'Burgh for Burress, but we'd consistently heard that coach Bill Cowher didn't want to part with one of his best players.
And none of this, frankly, will do much to persuade the Steelers to extend the contract of Cowher, who's presently in danger of getting the axe after the 2004 season.
Speaking of Cowher, one of our readers in Pittsburgh tells us that ESPN Radio 1250 personality Mark Madden reported on Thursday that Cowher lost much of his personnel juice after the 2003 season, apparently after complaints from the scouting department that their input routinely was ignored. Those of you who are acquainted with this here site might recall our November 19, 2003 report regarding this very issue.
RAIDERS WAIT, SEE ON GANNON
We know, we know. We've been on both sides of the question of whether the Raiders will keep 2002 MVP Rich Gannon for another season. And, unlike John Kerry, we've now carved out a third position.
It depends.
Word is that the Raiders are taking a wait-and-see approach over the next few weeks with Gannon, so that they can assess the condition of his shoulder -- and so that they can get a feel for whether he'll agree to reduce his salary.
Meanwhile, the Raiders are keeping Kerry Collins on hold. If they decide to dump Gannon, Collins will be the guy that they try to sign as his replacement.
IDZIK LANDS IN 'ZONA
The Arizona Cardinals have hired former Tampa exec John Idzik as Senior Director of Football Operations.
Idzik, according to the Cardinals' web site, will be involved in negotiating contracts, managing the team’s salary cap and football operations budget, assisting in player evaluation and personnel matters, and directing the team’s travel and computer operations.
Cut loose by Tampa earlier this year, Idzik's arrival signifies another step out of the dark ages by the Cardinals organization, which in our view quickly is pulling way ahead of the Chargers in the worst-NFL-franchise category.
Meanwhile, the guy whom Idzik will replace -- Jay Nienkark -- is filling the cap guru slot in Seattle that was unexpectedly created when Mike Reinfeldt quit due to a dispute over his pay. Nienkark worked closely with 'Hawks G.M. Bob Ferguson when both were in Arizona.
So much information but, I love reading this stuff.
Hey Jackass! You need to [Register] or log in to view signatures on ROTHARMY.COM!
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 11:32 a.m. EDT, May 22, 2004
BURRESS FOR THOMAS A POSSIBILITY?
Unsubstantiated rumors have been circulating around the league for the past several days regarding a potential trade of receivers between the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Under this fairly simple swap, the Bears would send disappointing 2001 first-rounder David Terrell to the Steelers for suddenly diss-appointing 2000 first-rounder Plaxico Burress.
But with Terrell's release after June 1 virtually a foregone conclusion, and given (as we see it) a huge talent gap between Burress, a former Michigan State star, and his counterpart from the U. of Michigan, it's not a realistic proposal.
We're now hearing, however, that the deal could work if the Bears were interested in shipping 2001 second-rounder (and fellow Michigan product) Anthony Thomas to the 'Burgh for Burress.
On the surface, Thomas hardly represents an area of need on the Steelers' offense, given the presence of Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis. But their desire to continue to add capable running backs to the roster confirms that Bettis has only one more year, at most, in black and gold.
Regardless, the A-Train likely would welcome the move, since the arrival of Thomas Jones in Chitown likely means that Thomas won't have much of a chance to see the field in 2004.
CAMP COUGHLIN SHORTENED BY TWO DAYS
The New York Times reports that the Giants will lose two days of organized workouts next week as a penalty for violating offseason practice rules.
The players will still receive compensation for the two days off, but none of them will be permitted to report to the team facility.
The penalty resulted from the length of workouts and from the amount of classroom time. The NFLPA also has warned coach Tom Coughlin against describing voluntary sessions as mandatory. Any further violations could result in the loss of draft picks.
Meanwhile, if anyone is interested in playing some pick-up football next Tuesday and/or Wednesday, be at the big grass field next to the 7-11 in East Rutherford at 9:00 a.m. (And don't forget your helmet.)
P.S. If Tom Coughlin happens to stop by for a Slurpee, don't be afraid to invite him over to watch.
HALL'S COMBINE RUN WAS COERCED
Like many fluff pieces put together by "real" journalists, the most interesting stuff often gets buried into the bowels of the story.
Such is the case with Matt Winklejohn's butt-smoocher regarding Falcons rookie cornerback DeAngelo Hall. After suffering through multiple 'graphs regarding Hall's search for a house and his reputation for so-called "athletic arrogance," the patient (albeit bored) reader is rewarded with a revealing "behind-the-scenes" look at Hall's blazing 40-yard dash time at the scouting combine.
The previously untold story regarding Hall's jaunt on a sssslow Indy surface is that, like many blue-chippers, Hall planned to wait until his Pro Day workout to run the 40. The fact that so many prospects skip the 40 at the combine tends to stick in the collective craw of NFL types.
In Hall's case, he paid heed to comments from Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil and others regarding his decision not to run.
"It wasn't just [Vermeil]; it was a lot of coaches," said Hall. "They were like, 'Fast guys run fast. Why don't you want to run?' I was saying, 'I just want to train for it and do it on my pro day and probably run faster than I would now.'
"It was like they were saying, 'I think you're scared.' That's the sense I was getting. So, after hearing it from enough coaches, I was like . . . 'You don't think I can do it? That's what I'm going to do.'"
And he did. In 4.34 seconds.
We doubt that this phenomenon will prompt other guys to run at the combine. Many of them don't realize that the teams take into account the slow nature of the surface at the combine -- and that the teams add time to the numbers generated on supposedly faster surfaces elsewhere.
Still, we've got to hand it to Hall. He accepted the challenge, and he ran a time on the surface at Indy that very well might have been a 4.2 elsewhere, especially if he'd had time to specifically prepare to run.
OLD STEELERS COMMENT ON CHANGED TIMES
In a revealing look at the stark differences between pro football from the 1970s and the modern game, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review talks with former Steelers Lynn Swann and Andy Russell about the way things used to be in the offseason.
Swann, who played in the 'Burgh from 1974 through 1982, explained that football in those days was a part-time gig. "You had six months where you played football and went to camp," he said. "You worked out in the offseason, but you had six months to do anything else you wanted to do and you got paid a lot more money than the average guy."
Russell explained that, in the days before multimillion-dollar signing bonuses, most guys had other jobs during the offseason. "You just couldn't afford to not work," he said. "That meant you had limited time to work out -- unlike today's players who are paid to go to the stadium and who work out four-five hours a day with tremendous programs and all of these weight machines."
Lifting weights in those days was though to make players "clumsy and uncoordinated," Russell said.
"It was for narcissistic guys who wanted to look in mirrors. Of course, they were totally wrong."
Swann says that the money has changed the teams' expectations.
"When you start paying guys who haven't played a down for you $2 [million to] $10 million or more in bonuses, then you expect it to be a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week profession and you expect people to do everything they need to do to enhance their chances of being very, very good and help the team become a winner."
Man...that deal doesn't make much sense...Burress for ATrain...
god...he's a Steeler back though...
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