The Rumor Mill

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 12:35 p.m. EDT, May 23, 2004



COUGHLIN CONFRONTS O'HARA



A league source tells us that Giants coach Tom Coughlin has fingered newcomer Shaun O'Hara as one of the players who complained to the NFL Players Association regarding Coughlin's violation of offseason workout rules.



Following an investigation, the Giants lost two days of voluntary workouts.



Per the source, Coughlin tore into O'Hara so aggressively that it prompted other players in the vicinity to walk away.



We hear that O'Hara, who is expected to play center for the G-men, used to be a player rep with the Browns. Coincidentally, the Browns were accused last year of breaking the offseason workout rules. No violations ultimately were found.



Word also is that morale is low in Giants camp. As one source said, "If this is what it's like in minicamps, what the f--k is the season going to be like?"

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 10:20 a.m. EDT, May 24, 2004



RAVENS, BEARS BLOW IT ON COLLINS



With news that the Oakland Raiders are poised to sign Giants' castoff Kerry Collins, several league insiders believe that the Bears and the Ravens committed a major faux pas (French for "f--k up") by not making a run at one of the most underrated passers in the game.



The Ravens stayed away from Collins, we're told, because they now believe that backup Anthony Wright might be able to come back from shoulder surgery sooner than expected. As one source said, "Am I missing something? Did he just turn into Steve McNair? . . . . Even if he comes back, he sucks."



Another personnel exec suggested to us that Ravens starter Kyle Boller isn't ready to be a successful starting quarterback, and that Collins would have provided a perfect Jon Kitna-type gap-filler until Boller is ready to go.



Yet another personnel guy was befuddled by the Bears' lack of interest in Collins. "All they got now at QB is a bunch of big and little turds," the source said.



Meanwhile, the Raiders pick up a guy who likely will take over the starting job, sooner if not later. At $5 million per year over a three-year deal, Collins ain't being paid to ride the painted pine pony. Our guess is that the Raiders will try to ska-weeze Rich Gannon into a significant pay cut to "compete" for the starting job in 2004, and that Gannon likely will refuse -- and get the boot.



As we see it, the only thing that might make the Raiders inclined to work out a deal with Gannon is the likelihood that he'll catch the first plane to Tampa and reunite with Jon Gruden, if/when he's released by Al Davis and company. Then again, if Davis is convinced that Gannon is washed up, maybe the Raiders' preference is to allow Gannon and Gruden to fail together.



MONDAY ONE-LINERS



Texans QB David Carr is doing the Johnny Damon thing with his hair.



The Jags are gearing up for rookie negotiations, including No. 9 overall pick Reggie Williams -- a Poston client.



Rams RB Arlen Harris is making the move to fullback.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 9:10 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:45 a.m. EDT, May 25, 2004



NCAA SHOULD LET WILLIAMS BACK IN



With the Second Circuit Court of Appeals announcing on Monday its decision to bar from the NFL draft Maurice Clarett and any other underclassmen less than three years removed from high school, it's now time for the biggest winner in this legal three-ring circus -- the NCAA -- to do the right thing and allow USC receiver Mike Williams to regain his eligibility.



Make no mistake about it. The NFL secured for the NCAA the ability of its member schools to continue to earn millions in revenue in exchange for providing (drum roll, please) a free education.



The legal fight technically isn't over, but the overcome has never seemed more clear. Clarett can petition the full Second Circuit to reconsider the decision of the three-judge panel. Also, Clarett can ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.



In most cases, obtaining a reversal of a federal appeals court is, as a practical matter, a long shot. Still, we doubt that Clarett and his lawyer, Alan Milstein, are ready to fold the tents.



The loser in all of this is Williams, who was prepared to return to USC until Judge Shira Scheindlin announced in February her decision that Clarett should be allowed into the April draft.



Though, as we previously have explained, Williams cooked his own goose when he signed with an agent, the NCAA should make a special exception in Williams' case. And even if the NCAA isn't inclined to do it in the interests of helping out Williams, the NCAA should do it in the interests of helping the NFL out of a predicament that it created when it threw the gates open and welcomed all otherwise ineligible players into the April draft.



As NFL V.P. of public relations Greg Aiello told us last month, the league warned Williams that it would revoke the invitation if it prevailed in court. Still, the league now faces a separate suit from Williams, who is left with no realistic football options south of Saskatchewan if he doesn't get back into USC.



So, in our view, Williams rightly should be suing someone -- even if the ultimate culprit is his agent, Mike Azzarelli, who might not have given Williams a full and complete explanation regarding the risks of declaring for the draft and signing with an agent.



The entire mess, however, can be avoided if the NCAA simply lets Williams return to the Trojans.



It could be wishful thinking on our part. The NCAA coaches individually care only about helping their programs win more games than they lose, and they aren't about to extend a gratuity to anyone -- especially if it means allowing the defending AP national champions to reload with one of its best players.



Hell, even as the NFL has been respecting the NCAA's desire over the years to have a hammerlock on young players, many NCAA coaches have done little to help NFL teams get a fair look at players who are getting ready to make the leap to the next level.



So our guess is that the NCAA will once again bite the generous hand that has been aiding in the feeding of the coffers of its member institutions with the blood, sweat, and talent of players whose rewards pale in comparison to the risks they take and/or the revenue they make.



TUBE TALKS TO GET STARTED?



With an improving economy and an increase in ad revenues for sporting events, the NFL apparently is interested in kick-starting discussions on an extension to broadcast rights contracts that expire after the 2005 season.



In the current deal, which had twice the length and twice the yearly haul of the prior package, the networks have taken a deep annual bath. Efforts by the networks to get relief at the height of the recent recession were ignored by the NFL, causing concerns that the networks will draw a line in the sand the next time the parties meet at the bargaining table.



It could be that the networks are willing to accept the fact that they will never make money directly on the NFL, but that having the NFL will allow them to preserve a certain status among their competitors. Coupled with the NFL's apparent willingness to tweak the product in an effort to enhance advertising revenues, it looks like the league will once again find itself rolling (rightfully so) in the billions of dollars that are paid to the 32 teams for the privilege of airing the greatest game ever invented.



As the Washington Post reports, it's possible that talks will commence even before the 2004 season. And, as we see it, the timing is just right. Prime-time television is in a massive state of flux, with every network betting that reality-based shows aren't merely a guilty pleasure of which the masses suddenly will tire.



The last thing that FOX, ABC, ESPN, and CBS should want to do is risk losing the ultimate TV reality series. And the first thing NBC should try to do is get back in.



These dynamics suggest that the NFL will, in the end, win again.



TUESDAY ONE-LINERS



With QB Anthony Wright, the Ravens will turn to Kordell Stewart or Brad Johnson, if he's released by the Bucs after they sign Rich Gannon, if he's released by the Raiders.



Stewart reportedly is mulling an offer from the Ravens that would pay him close to the veteran minimum.



The Lions are interested in DT Dana Stubblefield and TE Stephen Alexander.



Newly-signed Raiders QB Kerry Collins says he "wasn't in too much of a mood to help" the Giants after they picked up Eli Manning.



The Bears have signed fourth-round CB Nathan Vasher to a four-year deal.



The Texans are giving OL Seth Wand a shake at left tackle.



The Chiefs have signed FB Marvin Brown.



The Colts are taking a wait-and-see approach to CB Joseph Jefferson's recent DUI arrest.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


http://www.profootballtalk.com

http://www.thefantasymasters.com


POSTED 2:04 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:19 a.m. EDT, May 26, 2004



GRUDEN KEEPING GANNON IN OAKLAND?



Though for now we have to keep this story in the "rank-but-informed speculation" folder, the uncanny decision of the Oakland Raiders to hang onto quarterback Rich Gannon seems to be a ploy by owner Al Davis to delay and/or derail an otherwise inevitable reunion of Gannon and former Raiders coach Jon Gruden.



The addition of Kerry Collins, with a three-year deal worth more than $16 million, prompted many to conclude that the Raiders would run Gannon and his $7 million salary out the door. But now the Raiders are saying that Gannon is still the starter, despite the arrival of Collins and lingering concerns regarding Gannon's shoulder.



Our discussions with various league sources over the past few months have confirmed that a deep degree of animosity exists between the Raiders and the Buccaneers. Thus, although the Raiders might have decided to cut the cord on Gannon, Davis surely wants to prevent Gannon from making a bee-line to Tampa, where Jon Gruden's magic touch with Gannon could make the Raiders look stupid for letting the 2002 NFL MVP go.



Instead, look for the Raiders to hold Gannon until it's too late, as a practical matter, for the Bucs to sign him.



In theory, the Raiders can cut Gannon on the eve of the regular-season opener and still avoid his salary for 2004. The only downside is that the Raiders will be required to carry his cap number until he's off of the roster.



But then the extra bulge of money can be used to extend the contracts of younger players, or to front-load a new deal for franchise player Charles Woodson, who likely will be without a new contract come September.



Meanwhile, the Bucs won't have the cap room to sign Gannon, or the time to get him integrated into the team.



Keep an eye on this one as the summer unfolds. Kerry Collins isn't some rookie who needs a season to learn the ropes from Gannon (and the irony of such a suggestion is obvious, given that the Giants wanted Collins to play the lame-duck role with Eli Manning). With a new head coach getting started this season, there's no time like right now to give Collins the ball. Keeping the title of starter under Gannon's name places a bit less pressure on Collins throughout the summer and, more importantly, it keeps Gannon out of Gruden's clutches.



Sure, the Bucs might sign Gannon after the Raiders cut him in September. But without three months to get comfortable in Tampa, the chances of Gannon and Gruden making the Raiders look bad in 2004 will be slim.



HARRIS CAN THANK LAMBERT FOR HALL SNUB



We cringed a bit when we saw that former Cowboys safety Cliff Harris is bellyaching about getting snubbed (again) in voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.



Harris was a solid player in his day. But a Hall of Famer? Please.



Harris suggests a bias against the 1970s Cowboys because they lost two Super Bowl games to the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Of course, the Cowboys also won Super Bowl XII.)



If Harris's theory had any merit, Carl Eller of the four-time Super Bowl loser Vikings wouldn't have been elected to the Hall in lieu of Harris in ballots cast this year (and Fran Tarkenton and Alan Page and Paul Krause and Bud Grant wouldn't have been inducted, either).



There also wouldn't be seven members of the 1970s Cowboys in Canton.



One potential factor that Harris might conveniently be ignoring is his role in one of the most memorable (or, in his case, forgettable) moments in Super Bowl history.



After Steelers kicker Roy Gerela missed a field goal in Super Bowl X, Harris embraced Gerela and patted him on the helmet.

Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert responded by throwing Harris onto the ground like a bag full of baby dolls.



Our guess is that the voters recall that same moment every time they see Harris's name on the ballot. And with an enduring image of poor sportsmanship met with swift justice undermining at his credentials, it's no surprise that he hasn't made it in yet.



For us, the surprise will be if he ever does.



JACKSON CLOSE TO HIRING ARCENEAUX

Word around the league is that, after weeks of mulling and contemplating, Rams rookie running back Steven Jackson is close to signing a rep agreement with agent Rocky Arceneaux.

We're confused, frankly, by Jackson's willingness to sign on with the same guy who represents Rams starter Marshall Faulk. Though the rules don't prohibit representation of multiple players who play the same position on the same team, the reality is that Arceneaux won't be able to fight for the best possible contract for Jackson without potentially alienating the Rams as to Faulk, and vice-versa.

Will, for example, Arceneaux risk pissing the Rams off via a Jackson holdout when Faulk's oversized contract gradually is reaching the point of diminished returns?



Likewise, will Arceneaux recommend a five-year rookie deal for Jackson, since a longer contract will, as a practical matter, delay the date on which it becomes prudent for the team to nudge Faulk aside? That extra season basically pushes Faulk's day of reckoning back by a full year, allowing Arceneaux another season of generating three percent from Faulk's high-end salary, while Jackson waits one year longer to get paid.

Moreover, will Arceneaux argue that Jackson should be paid like a starter in the short-term, based on widespread whispers that Faulk's knee is in worse condition than previously feared?



The fact that Arceneaux sports a relatively small stable of clients (including embattled Rams defensive end Leonard Little, who easily could lose the support of Rams if the Rams so choose) makes it even more important for him to finesse the Faulk-Jackson relationships in a manner that allows Arceneuax to maximize his Faulk fee as long as he can -- and that incentive naturally works against the interests of a guy like Jackson, who stands to receive a big contract a couple of years from now if he gets a chance to become the go-to guy quickly, a la Clinton Portis in Denver.

Instead, Jackson could languish like Ron Dayne in New York as Faulk continues to get the bulk of the touches. And if the Rams decline over the next few seasons and coach Mike Martz gets the boot, who's to say that the new coach will conclude that Jackson fits with the team's objectives on offense?



We hear that Arceneaux is using his "good relationship" with the Rams as a feather in his cap with the Jackson camp. But just as players should want to be represented by the Postons in discussions with the Redskins, players also should shy away (in our opinion) from agents who are cozy to the point of beholden to any given team. As we see it, Arceneaux falls squarely into this category.

So, in our view, Jackson should choose someone/anyone other than the guy who understandably will be trying to keep Marshall Faulk on the field as much as possible over the next few years -- since that can only happen if Jackson is on the bench. The bottom line is that an agent needs to be able to put his own interests on the shelf when fighting to get his client the best deal, and the objective facts tell us that Arceneaux simply isn't in a position to do it.

WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS



Bucs G.M. Bruce Allen says that the team isn't interested in QB Rich Gannon (and what else can he say, in light of the above?).



Titans owner Bud Adams says, like his natural hair, he's "pessimistic" that RB Eddie George will return.



Giants coach Tom Coughlin has pulled the plug on player-organized workouts for the two lost days of voluntary practices.



With talks on a new batch of broadcast rights contracts looming, the NFL says that a team will be in the No. 2 television market by 2008.



The Pats have created enough cap room to sign their rookies by restructuring the contracts of several veterans (none of which have the words "Ty" or "Law" in their names).



Former Giants DT Keith Hamilton faces up to six months in jail after pleading guilty to cocaine possession (and Playmakers is still a gross exaggeration of real life in the NFL).



Lions S Brock Marion has been charged with insurance fraud after collecting $54,000 for a vehicle he reported as stolen (and Playmakers is still a gross exaggeration of real life in the NFL).



The Jags are losing patience with DE Tony Brackens in their efforts to re-sign the veteran defensive end.



The Ravens are moving closer to signing (gulp) QB Kordell Stewart (and Jim Fassel will be given a box of crayons and a stack of construction paper as he prepares a playbook for the team's new No. 2 quarterback).



Art Shell has been named the NFL senior V.P. for football operations and development.



The Steelers are talking to QB Tommy Maddox about a new contract that will keep the No. 1 guy on the depth chart from being the No. 3 man on the payroll totem pole.



POSTED 7:05 p.m. EDT, May 25, 2004



NFLPA GOING AFTER ENGLEHARD



Multiple league sources have advised us that the NFL Players Association has initiated disciplinary action against Hadley Englehard based on two alleged violations of the rules governing agents.



Per the sources, the NFLPA alleges that Englehard improperly adjusted his fee arrangement with Chiefs defensive tackle Ryan Sims. Initially, Englehard was scheduled to receive 1.5 percent of Sims' signing bonus and 1.5 percent of the salary and other payments made under the seven-year deal. Englehard later persuaded Sims to change the numbers to 2 percent of the bonus money and 1 percent of the future payment, allegedly telling Sims that it was better for him to make this adjustment.



The problem, the NFLPA contends, is that the change is only better for Sims if he plays out the full seven years -- and if he achieves the various escalators included in the package. If he suffers a career-ending injury or if the Chiefs decide to release him before the contract ends (which isn't out of the question given his performance through his first two seasons), Englehard likely will end up with a bigger total fee than he would have earned under the original arrangement.



Englehard, we're told, contends that he passed this arrangement through Sims' financial advisors, who in theory should be sharp enough to catch the possibility that Sims was potentially getting screwed. What Englehard doesn't seem to realize, however, is that he's got a little thing known as a fiduciary obligation not to try to screw Sims -- regardless of whether the guy doing Sims' financial planning is Warren Buffett or Jimmy Buffett.



The NFLPA also is pursuing discipline against Englehard for allegedly providing confidential salary information to members of the media. Though the line in this regard can at times be vague, Englehard arguably did a cannonball into the wrong side of the rules by allegedly giving his password for the NFLPA's proprietary database to ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli.



Though Englehard believes the rules against such conduct are unclear, we think that a pinch of common sense and a dash of conscience are all that he and/or Pasquarelli would need to realize that it shouldn't have happened.



For Pasquarelli, it's a sign of laziness; for Englehard, it's a sign of sleaziness. Part of what agents pay for is access to that information. Sure, nothing prevents Englehard or any agent from sharing salary info with Pasquarelli or anyone else. But by merely giving a reporter access to a computerized database into which his cookies don't belong is just plain wrong.



It'll be interesting to see whether ESPN takes a look at whether Pasquarelli has violated the company's internal rules and regulations by taking advantage of a fairly significant short-cut to scoop. Moreover, we wonder whether the powers-that-be in Bristol will take a look-see at Len's history of stories regarding Englehard and his clients to see if Hadley got any "quo" for this sizable "quid."



Though we don't wish termination of employment on anyone, keep an eye on the manner in which Mickey Mouse and Company handle this one, given that they summarily fired Gregg Easterbrook last year for making ill-advised comments unrelated to his substantive work. At a minimum, the matter merits an investigation to determine whether Pasquarelli and any of his colleagues are using questionable tactics to harvest information.



As to Englehard, the process will play itself out within the confines of the NFLPA. Meanwhile, we're pleased to see that the union is enforcing its rules.



POSTED 9:10 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:45 a.m. EDT, May 25, 2004



NCAA SHOULD LET WILLIAMS BACK IN



With the Second Circuit Court of Appeals announcing on Monday its decision to bar from the NFL draft Maurice Clarett and any other underclassmen less than three years removed from high school, it's now time for the biggest winner in this legal three-ring circus -- the NCAA -- to do the right thing and allow USC receiver Mike Williams to regain his eligibility.



Make no mistake about it. The NFL secured for the NCAA the ability of its member schools to continue to earn millions in revenue in exchange for providing (drum roll, please) a free education.



The legal fight technically isn't over, but the overcome has never seemed more clear. Clarett can petition the full Second Circuit to reconsider the decision of the three-judge panel. Also, Clarett can ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.



In most cases, obtaining a reversal of a federal appeals court is, as a practical matter, a long shot. Still, we doubt that Clarett and his lawyer, Alan Milstein, are ready to fold the tents.



The loser in all of this is Williams, who was prepared to return to USC until Judge Shira Scheindlin announced in February her decision that Clarett should be allowed into the April draft.



Though, as we previously have explained, Williams cooked his own goose when he signed with an agent, the NCAA should make a special exception in Williams' case. And even if the NCAA isn't inclined to do it in the interests of helping out Williams, the NCAA should do it in the interests of helping the NFL out of a predicament that it created when it threw the gates open and welcomed all otherwise ineligible players into the April draft.



As NFL V.P. of public relations Greg Aiello told us last month, the league warned Williams that it would revoke the invitation if it prevailed in court. Still, the league now faces a separate suit from Williams, who is left with no realistic football options south of Saskatchewan if he doesn't get back into USC.



So, in our view, Williams rightly should be suing someone -- even if the ultimate culprit is his agent, Mike Azzarelli, who might not have given Williams a full and complete explanation regarding the risks of declaring for the draft and signing with an agent.



The entire mess, however, can be avoided if the NCAA simply lets Williams return to the Trojans.



It could be wishful thinking on our part. The NCAA coaches individually care only about helping their programs win more games than they lose, and they aren't about to extend a gratuity to anyone -- especially if it means allowing the defending AP national champions to reload with one of its best players.



Hell, even as the NFL has been respecting the NCAA's desire over the years to have a hammerlock on young players, many NCAA coaches have done little to help NFL teams get a fair look at players who are getting ready to make the leap to the next level.



So our guess is that the NCAA will once again bite the generous hand that has been aiding in the feeding of the coffers of its member institutions with the blood, sweat, and talent of players whose rewards pale in comparison to the risks they take and/or the revenue they make.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


http://www.profootballtalk.com

http://www.thefantasymasters.com



POSTED 6:12 a.m. EDT, May 27, 2004



GANNON GONE IF HE REFUSES PAY CUT



A league source tells us that, despite recent proclamations that Rich Gannon remains the starting quarterback in Oakland, the Raiders will indeed release him if he refuses to significantly reduce his $7 million salary.



And even if Gannon takes a sufficient pay cut, the source says that the Raiders will continue to take a wait-and-see approach regarding Gannon's fitness to remain a viable NFL quarterback, given concerns regarding his age and a shoulder he injured in 2003.



But if Gannon swallows a big chunk of his salary and otherwise shows he can still play, the Raiders will keep both Gannon and Collins on the roster in 2004. If, after all, the Raiders can keep Gannon and Collins for roughly the same total salary required to have Gannon only, it's a no-brainer to go with both of them.



The source also agreed with our assessment that the decision to hang onto Gannon in the short term is influenced in large part by the desire of the Raiders to keep Gannon from joining Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen in Tampa. But the reality is that the Raiders don't have to wait until late August or early September to dump Gannon in order to effectively keep him out of the Bucs' clutches. Given cap issues in Tampa -- including a stiff hit resulting from the potential release of Brad Johnson -- the Bucs simply might not be able to do the math to get Gannon on the squad while still signing their draft picks.



Also, don't count on Gannon's agent, Tom Condon, provoking a release by flat-out refusing to take a pay cut. The general consensus among the agent community is that Kerry Collins' agent, David Dunn, acted prematurely by forcing the Giants' hand without have a damn good idea as to what the market for Collins would otherwise be.



So Condon likely won't draw any lines in the sand until he knows that he can get more elsewhere than the Raiders are willing to pay. Though Gannon might actually prefer to bolt for less money with another team, these agent types continue to be driven by a desire to maximize their fees, and the fees only get maximized if the player is getting the highest possible salary.



Look, then, for this issue to go somewhat slowly, with impasse being reached (if at all) in early July.



GARRARD ON THE BLOCK



A league source tells us that the Jacksonville Jaguars are willing to listen to trade offers for backup quarterback David Garrard.



Per the source, the Jags are happy with newcomers Doug Johnson and Quinn Gray. There also could be some lingering resentment among the powers-that-be regarding Garrard's grousing early last season, when it became clear that he was third in line for the starting job, behind then-rookie Byron Leftwich.



Earlier in the offseason, there was a sense that some teams might be interested in Garrard, a former East Carolina standout. But his recent diagnosis with Crohn's disease likely will prompt most teams to shy away from giving up a player or a pick in return for a guy whose health currently is up in the air.



THURSDAY ONE-LINERS



Agent Lamont Smith concedes that, if Titans owner Bud Adams thinks that RB Eddie George won't be back, George probably won't be back.



The supposedly flimsy case against Ravens RB Jamal Lewis for arranging a drug deal could get a whole lot stronger if an incriminating videotape is allowed into evidence at trial (and Playmakers is still a gross exaggeration of real life in the NFL).



The Steelers have signed CB Willie Williams, who played in the 'Burgh before heading to Seattle seven years ago, to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum.



NFLPA chief Gene Upshaw promises that the next extension to the CBA will contain explicit language regarding the rule that players must be three years removed from high school in order to be eligible for the draft.



NFL Network chief Steve Bornstein will produce the pregame and halftime shows for Super Bowl XXXIX.



The Cowboys have released undrafted rookie free-agent LB Ryan Fowler, despite giving him a $20,000 signing bonus.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 10:25 a.m. EDT, May 28, 2004



G-MEN WAITING FOR WARNER



Word around the league is that the New York Giants are counting the days until the Rams quarterback Kurt Warner is released, when the G-men will promptly pounce on him.



There's speculation in some circles that the Giants and Warner's agent already have reached an agreement regarding compensation and duration. As we see it, if Warner and the Giants reach a formal agreement quickly, it's likely that most of the heavy lifting on the negotiations was accomplished in advance. Really, there's no reason for Warner and the Giants not to talk turkey, since there's no other team that plans to make a run at the two-time former league MVP.



The other big-name June 1 cuts will include Jeremiah Trotter, Jason Gildon, Daryl Gardener, and (most likely) Eddie George.



Trotter previously has been linked to the Giants and Gardener likely will be headed to Cincinnati. For Gildon and George, their destinations are unclear.



Some league insiders can envision Gildon heading to a team like the Raiders, who are installing the 3-4 defense. As for George, the Cowboys would be a no-brainer match -- which likely means it won't happen.



Other teams who could be interested in the 1995 Heisman winner include (rank speculation alert) the Eagles, the Bears, the Raiders (who are interested generally in anyone over 30), the Buccaneers (who are interested generally in anyone they've ever heard of), and the Broncos. As we see it, George's best chance to win a starting job in 2004 is in Big D, where rookie Julius Jones is No. 1 on the depth chart.



Regardless, some league insiders question whether George will earn elsewhere the $2.12 million in salary he could have realized in Tennessee, if he'd merely agreed (as the team asked) to slice his $4.25 million salary in half. Though some players (e.g., Kerry Collins) don't want to stick around in a city where their time is clearly running out, the reality is that most guys like Collins and George could get more by staying put and swallowing their pride than by hitting the open market after the early March spending spree.



Jerome Bettis, for example, understood that it was better to eat a big chunk of his salary for the ability to stay in Pittsburgh, since there was no guarantee he'd find elsewhere the money that the Steelers were still willing to pay him. Then again, maybe Bettis decided in the end to stick around because the Steelers were appropriately sensitive to the fact that squeezing money out of a guy's pocket is an enormous blow to the ego, even if the team is leaving more money behind than the guy ever will find anywhere else.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 7:55 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:30 a.m. EDT, May 29, 2004



AGENTS PISSED AT EARLY DEALS



We're hearing that the agent community generally is up in arms regarding the decision of a handful of their colleagues to commence early negotiations with middle-round draft picks.



Generally, seasoned agents believe that delaying negotiations until July creates a greater sense of urgency for the teams, which at that point want to get all of their picks into camp. The thinking is that greater urgency generally results in better deals for the players.



The problem with early deals is that these contracts help establish the framework for other contracts, due to the "slotting" phenomenon. This year, those early deals in the middle rounds likely will have even greater influence, since the rookie salary pool has increased by a paltry 1.3 percent and the lack of an extension to the CBA probably will cut down the length of contracts for first-rounders -- which means that the first-year cap numbers for high-end picks would be higher than usual in 2004.



Though the agents generally accept the reality that inexperienced contract reps might be inclined to pull the trigger too quickly on rookie deals, one agent with whom we spoke specifically complained about the fact that Neil Schwartz, an established agent, has been making early contracts an annual ritual.



This year, Schwartz already has agreed to terms with the Vikings as to fourth-round running back Mewelde Moore, and with the Panthers as to third-round offensive tackle Travelle Wharton. Both of these contracts are four-year deals, which essentially rob the player of a crack at restricted free agency -- and which often don't fairly compensate the player for the lost crack at a seven-figure tender after only three years of football.



So why are these early deals done? As it has been explained to us, the contracts are finalized because either the player or the agent wants to get paid sooner rather than later. In cases where the player wants the money, the thinking among most experienced agents is that the agent should take steps to help the player acquire sufficient financial support until a better deal can be done in July.



Agents also are keeping an eye on the proliferation of five-year contracts, which also wipe out the player's first season of potential unrestricted free agency. Last year, the Browns forced five-year deals onto every draft pick, and word is that they plan to do it again this time around. We're hearing that other teams could be following suit.



BLAKE FINDS YET ANOTHER NEW HOME



Make it six NFL teams for veteran quarterback Jeff Blake.



Blake, who has been with the Jets, the Bengals, the Saints, the Ravens, and the Cardinals, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles.



"Think about it," Blake said Friday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "The Eagles have been to three NFC championship games three years in a row. I played for the Cincinnati Bengals, the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals. I've only been involved in the playoffs one time.



"The Eagles have been a Super Bowl contender the last three years. You're talking about a team that has been one game away three years in a row, and I'm coming from Arizona."



As noted by the Inquirer, the expansion of the practice squad from five to eight players this year affords teams like the Eagles the luxury of using a veteran as the No. 3 quarterback, with the No. 4 guy available via the practice squad. Also, with Donovan McNabb signed into the next decade and Koy Detmer entrenched as the No. 2 guy, there's no need for the team to focus on getting a young guy ready to take over either of the top spots on the depth chart.



Then again, Blake says he's under the impression that he'll be competing with Detmer for the No. 2 job, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.



"I'm capable of being a backup and a good one," Blake said.



The contract is thought to be in the vicinity of the minimum value of $760,000, which means that the deal will cost only $450,000 in cap dollars and in real dollars.



Finally, we couldn't help but notice a bit of revisionist history regarding that one year in which Blake's team qualified for the postseason.



"I've only played on one team that made the playoffs -- the Saints in 2000 -- and I got hurt and couldn't play in the playoff game, Aaron Brooks played."



To the untrained eye, this statement creates the impression that Blake led the team to the playoffs, strained a groin the week before the playoff game, and that Aaron Brooks was pressed into service. Blake's suggestion that there was only one playoff game connotes that his backup blew it, and Blake's statement arguably implies that, if he'd been available, the team likely would have gone farther.



Unless the 2001 NFL Record & Fact Book was written in part by Jayson Blair, the truth is that Blake went down with a season-ending broken foot in the first quarter of the Saints' eleventh game. Aaron Brooks came in and came on over the final four-plus contests, leading the Saints to the first playoff win in the history of the franchise, against the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, before falling to the Vikings in the divisional round.



Of course, we can understand why Blake would slant the facts regarding his tenure in the Bayou. After all, when he was healthy in 2001, he lost the starting gig in a straight-up duel with Brooks. Since then, Brooks has been the No. 1 guy in New Orleans -- and Blake has bounced to a different squad every year.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 7:56 a.m. EDT, June 1, 2004



PACKERS TO CUT THE ANTI-WHITE



Though it's hardly a shocker, the fact that the Green Bay Packers will be cutting defensive end Joe Johnson is noteworthy because, once upon a time, the team's addition of a big-name defensive end arguably catapulted the team toward its 1996 Super Bowl title.



That guy, of course, was Reggie White, the first marquee player to change teams under the then-fledging free agency system. The Pack gave him a pile of cash to leave the Eagles, and White delivered by helping the team gradually improve its fortunes until, after his fourth season in Green Bay, they brought home the Lombardi.



In contract, the guy who was supposed to help put this decade's version of the Packers over the top has been a colossal bust -- arguably one of the worst free-agency moves since the system was launched in 1993. The Packers gave Johnson a six-year, $33 million deal barely two years ago, and they've already decided based on two seasons of play that it's time to cut the cord.



The signing of Johnson also contributed in large part to the departure of a once-promising defensive end, Vonnie Holliday, who left for the Chiefs because the team couldn't (and wouldn't) pay him like Johnson, especially with the emergence of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.



By dumping Johnson, the Pack will pick up a net cap gain of $4 million this year, which is the difference between the salary that Johnson won't receive and the cap hit resulting from his unallocated bonus amount for 2004. In 2005, the team will take a cap hit of $3.25 million, but the team will avoid three additional years of salary obligations.



In 2000, Johnson formed a fearsome front four in New Orleans, teaming with Norman Hand, Darren Howard, and La'Roi Glover to create one of the best rush lines in the league. In our view, Johnson likely will be forced to accept a one-year deal close to the veteran minimum as he attempts to persuade NFL teams that he's more like the guy who starred for the Saints in 2000 than the guy who has sputtered for the Pack over the past two seasons.



And the release of Johnson casts even further doubt on the wisdom of having a dual-role coach/G.M. in Green Bay, especially where the front office is otherwise full of capable people. We delved into this question several months back, and our conclusion at the time was that grand poobah Mike Sherman simply isn't taking full advantage of the talent that surrounds him.



Clearly, if the Pack don't produce in 2004, the powers-that-be likely will look to the misadventures with Johnson as a fact that favors, at a minimum, removing the G.M. title from Sherman's parking space.



TUESDAY ONE-LINERS



Eagles DE Jevon Kearse says he still hasn't gotten used to the fact that he isn't playing for the Titans -- and he doesn't rule out a possible return down the road.



The Steelers plan to extend the contracts of LB Kendrell Bell and LB James Farrior, who like WR Plaxico Burress are entering the final year of their current deals but who unlike Burress are participating in offseason workouts.



LB Jeremiah Trotter will be released no later than Wednesday by the Redskins, who also might end the campaign of RB Trung Canidate.



54-year-old QB Vinny Testaverde will be released by the Jets; Testaverde could end up in Dallas or New England.



The Redskins plan to sign TE Fred Baxter.



If Testaverde lands in Dallas, look for QB Chad Hutchinson to be released.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 6:30 p.m. EDT, June 1, 2004



KURT KUT BY RAMS



The move was anticipated, but it is nevertheless jarring to see the name of the 1999 league MVP, the 2001 league MVP, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV on the NFL's June 1 trash heap.



The guy, of course, is former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner.



Warner was poised to become this generation's Joe Montana -- a soft-spoken pillar of confidence who seemed consistently to play above his God-given skills within a system that was perfectly suited to maximize his strengths and disguise his weaknesses.



But a late-season concussion in 2000 and an early-season thumb injury in 2001 became harbingers for Warner's eventual downfall. By 2002, Warner's hand continued to be a problem and his eggs continued to be scrambled. The injuries forced him to the bench after an 0-4 start, enabling another unlikely quarterback, Marc Bulger, to steal the starting job.



Then again, Bulger's 2002 performance didn't bump Warner to No. 2. in 2003. Until, that is, after the first regular-season game was played. The Giants battered and bruised Warner into Tysonesque bolivian, resulting in Bulger getting and keeping the gig, permanently.



And as Warner sets his sights on joining the same G-men who dropped the curtain on his grill in St. Louis, we continue to be baffled by Warner's desire to set up behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. Unless coach Tom Coughlin plans to have Warner through the ball while in the midst of a two-step drop, Warner will continue to takes shots to the head -- and our guess is that his tenure as the starter in New York will be short-lived.



If that happens, few tears will be shed for Warner, who squandered his rags-to-riches goodwill through the antics of a Yoko Ono spouse and a bizarre, restrained feud with Mike Martz. Though Warner still tends to say the right things at the right times, many regard his act as transparent -- and there's a feeling of quiet satisfaction in some circles that God's gift to grocery clerks has seen his NFL career fall into a premature funk.



Whether it stays there remains to be seen. Our guess is that it will.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


POSTED 10:03 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:40 p.m. EDT, June 1, 2004



POSTONS MISJUDGED MARKET FOR T-BUCK?



Word around the league is that veteran cornerback Terrell Buckley will signing a one-year deal with the Patriots soon. It's a move that, as one league insider opined, represents another failure by agents Carl and Kevin Poston to properly gauge the market for one of their players.



Buckley spent 2001 and 2002 with the Patriots before re-joining the Dolphins for 2003. Previously, T-Buck spent five seasons with the Fins, from 1995 through 1999.



Per a league source, the Dolphins were serious about bringing Buckley back, but they were willing to offer only a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $760,000. This specific device, which was adopted a couple of years ago, caps the cost of such contracts at $450,000.



But Buckley, through the Postons, wanted more. Miami held firm, signing Reggie Howard and drafting Will Poole.



And if Buckley thought there still was a chance to stay in Miami after the draft, the decision of the team to issue his number to Poole likely cemented his status.



So the end result is that Buckley will be forced to leave Miami, where he lives and where he wanted to play, for the same dollars that he turned down. A less obvious factor in all of this is that Buckley's $760,000 salary would have been exempt from state income tax in Florida.



"It's the same thing as with Ian Gold," a league source said. "The Postons overestimated their guy's value, and their client got burned."



PATS BITING THE BULLET ON LAW?



So are the Pats planning for the potential departure of Postons client Ty Law by adding Buckley, another Postons client?



Word around the league is that the Pats plan to bite the bullet on Law's ginormous 2004 salary and cap number, despite Law's stated desire for a new deal that places him among the highest-paid corners in the game -- preferably from a team other than New England.



There was speculation that the Pats, in the end, would give Law the Lawyer treatment, cutting him in the same fashion that they dumped Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy prior to the 2003 season. But with several contract restructurings giving the Pats enough cap room to sign their rookies, it's looking like the team won't give up their shut-down corner, yet.



Part of the reality is that the Pats don't have another guy on hand to step in and fill Law's shoes if he's dumped. So with a solid roster in place for a run at a third NFL title in four seasons, it's looking more and more likely that the team won't engage Law in a pay-cut-or-else stare down.



The Pats' decision likely was driven by the team's belief that Law, in the end, will play -- since he's scheduled to be paid a total of $7.15 million this season in the form of a $1 million reporting bonus and seventeen weekly checks in the amount of $360,000. Each.



MCCARDELL STILL MIFFED



The impasse between the Bucs and receiver Keenan McCardell isn't any closer to getting resolved.



McCardell wants an increase in his $2.5 million compensation for 2004, to reflect his status as one of the top receivers in the game. Never mind the fact that McCardell is 34 -- he believes that his production in 2003 merits a bigger pay day this season.



Given the team's decision a year ago to send Keyshawn Johnson home after he pouted long enough, we don't rule out a release of McCardell. As we see it, there aren't many other teams out there that will be willing to give more than $5 million over the next two years to an aging pass-catcher who, despite his numbers in 2003, isn't, never was, and never will be a No. 1, go-to receiver.



GEORGE RELEASE NOT A DONE DEAL?



Despite rhetoric from last week indicating that the Titans soon will be releasing veteran running back Eddie George, we're hearing that the move isn't the sure thing that many now presume.



Though we're not saying that it won't happen, it's hardly a foregone conclusion. With George rejecting a request that he cut his $4.25 million salary in half, the possibility remains that the two sides will settle on a number somewhere south of his currently scheduled pay and $2.125 million.



Without George, the Titans would turn to Chris Brown, a third-round draft choice in 2003. Notwithstanding conventional wisdom that George is suffering from the Earl Campbell syndrome, it's hard to imagine a team that's among the best in the AFC consciously placing its running game into the hands of a generally unproven commodity as it prepares to take on the Colts and the Pats for a berth in Super Bowl XXXIX.



STEWART, RAVENS CLOSE TO DEAL



Free-agent quarterback Kordell Stewart remained in Baltimore on Tuesday night, extending his visit with the Ravens as his agent, Leigh Steinberg, tries to hammer out a contract with the team.



Stewart has drawn little interest elsewhere, with only the Broncos and Bills expressing serious interest in the ten-year veteran. Still, the Ravens have both a specific need for a quarterback and a sufficiently simple plan of attack on offense to accommodate Stewart's, um, unique skills.



After being benched by the Steelers in late 1999 and excluded from quarterback meetings, Stewart worked his way back into the lineup in 2000, seizing the opportunity to play when then-starter Kent Graham was injured. In 2001, Stewart's confidence slowly grew in a running-based attack, allowing him to take advantage of passing lanes when opposing defense sold out to stop Jerome Bettis.



The Ravens apparently are betting on the fact that the Stewart who flourishes in the face of reduced (or no) expectations will be able to perform if starter Kyle Boller gets hurt before Anthony Wright is ready to return.



Coupled with Stewart's history of solid play when pressed into service by an injury to the starter, the Ravens plan to pound away with Jamal Lewis makes Stewart a sound replacement for Wright, who won't begin throwing again until September after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum.



With that said, Stewart shouldn't get greedy. With precisely zero other options out there, Stewart needs to hope that he can carve out a late career niche for himself as a year-to-year option for a team that needs a backup who can hold the clipboard when the starter is healthy and put on the plastic hat if/when the starter gets dinged.



POSTED 9:10 p.m. EDT, June 1, 2004



VINNY A VICTIM OF JUNE 1 CUTS



The Jets officially have released quarterback Vinny Testaverde, ending his six-year tenure in New York.



The expected move creates a $1.5 million net cap savings for the Jets, but it will require the Jets to carry $4 million in "dead money" in 2005.



Testaverde had a late-career rejuvenation in New York, taking the Jets to the 1998 AFC title game -- and a halftime lead over the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Denver Broncos.



But Testaverde's run of excellence in New York took a big step backward in 1999, when he tore an Achilles' tendon in week one of the regular season. Vinny was the starter again come 2000, but the Jets already had acquired his eventual replacement, Chad Pennington, with one of four first-round draft picks.



Vinny held onto the starting gig for two more full seasons, but the handwriting was on the wall. By the middle of 2002, Pennington had secured the starting gig.



Current speculation is that Testaverde will head for Dallas, where he'll be reunited with Bill Parcells, who originally brought Vinny to New York. Another potential player is the Patriots, who arguably give Vinny the best chance at leaving the NFL with a trophy in his hands named for another Italian guy named Vince.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 6:55 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:57 a.m. EDT, June 2, 2004



OGUNLEYE, FINS STILL FAR APART



Though talks are continuing between the Dolphins and defensive end Adewale Ogunleye on a long-term deal, word out of Miami is that the two sides remain far apart -- and that Ogunleye remains prepared to stay away from the team through the tenth week of the regular season.



Ogunleye, we're hearing, is hoping to get a deal worth more than the package received last year by Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, and less than the deal given to defensive end Jevon Kearse by the Eagles in March.



We've also confirmed that Ogunleye, who has been absent from all offseason workouts while he is without a contract, will attend the team's annual banquet on Wednesday night, where he'll pick up the team MVP award for 2003. The award, we're told, is determined by the local media.



Speaking of the local media, someone needs to tell Jason Cole of the Miami Herald that the Patriots have not signed former Dolphins defensive back Terrell Buckley. Cole inexplicably states that Buckley signed with the Pats last week when the move simply hasn't happened. Indeed, Michael Felger of the Boston Herald addresses in Wednesday's edition rumors that the Pats are pursuing Buckley.



We know everyone makes mistakes (and we make our fair share of them), but how do you not check the available resources (NFL.com, Patriots.com, Google.com, and/or last week's transaction report) to confirm that the move has indeed occurred?



AZZARELLI FEELS THE HEAT



On a day when one of his highest-profile clients (Vinny T.) got cut by the Jets, agent Mike Azzarelli was spending time worrying about his handling of a guy who has been barred (for now) from entering the NFL draft.



According to the Tampa Tribune, Azzarelli explained at length his actions and relationship with former-and-possibly-future USC receiver Mike Williams, who declared for the NFL draft after the initial court decision in the Maurice Clarett case scuttled the rule keeping guys out of the draft until three years after their high school class graduates -- but before the judgment was reversed on appeal.



Wethinks Azzarelli doth protest too much as he attempts to deflect attention from the fact that Williams' decision to sign a rep agreement has virtually guaranteed that the NCAA won't allow him to return in 2004.



"He signed with NFL Players Association, the union, a trading card company and Nike," Azzarelli said. "That [Williams hiring an agent] is what they [critics] wanted to hang their hat on, but that's only a small part of the equation. The NFL told him he was eligible for the draft. Him hiring an agent was irrelevant, because in order for him to enter the NFL, he had to renounce his eligibility to USC."



As we've previously reported, the NFL maintains that it specifically told Williams when he was invited to enter the draft that the FieldTurf would be pulled out from under him if the Clarett ruling was overturned. The real question is whether Azzarelli made this exception to the invitation clear to Williams.



Because in our view it was Azzarelli's duty to fully and completely advise Williams of the risks of his decision to declare for the draft. Even though Azzarelli technically wasn't his "agent" within the specific confines of the NFLPA and its applicable regulations at the precise moment Williams said he was leaving USC, Azzarelli surely was in a position to give Williams advice and counsel as to the ramifications of the move, and Williams surely was in a position to rely reasonably on what Azzarelli had to say (or, as the case may be, not say).



If anything, the fact that Williams signed with an agent, a trading card company, and a shoe company indicates that he was under the distinct impression that there was no realistic set of circumstances that would have prevented him from entering the draft. Really, if there were any doubt, he could have (and should have) delayed making any financial commitments that would have kept him out of the NCAA if the invite were revoked.



Azzarelli attempts to duck his role in this fiasco by suggesting that "Mike [Williams] made a professional career choice, but some folks want to twist it around." As we see it, Williams made a career choice based on the information available to him, and his behavior indicates that such information did not include a caveat that he could be up chocolate creek if the Clarett ruling were to collapse.



Understandably, then, Azzarelli denies reports that Williams has fired him. Per Azzarelli, he still represents Williams, and Williams has made no definite decisions regarding his future.



But ain't it a bit odd to think that Williams wouldn't have formally disengaged with Azzarelli if Williams has any desire to get back into the USC program? At a minimum, shouldn't Azzarelli be advising Williams to terminate the rep agreement in order to enhance the overall likelihood of maintaining his final year of eligibility?



In our view, Azzarelli's apparent desire to cover his own arse could result in an even greater degree of exposure in the long run. Whether, of course, Williams ever takes any action against Azzarelli remains to be seen. For many players, the fact that they picked an agent who screwed things up is a long-term blow to the ego, making it less likely that the player will ever do anything about it (see Owens, Terrell).



In this case, however, the potential difference between what Williams would have earned on his rookie contract after playing for USC in 2004 and what he will earn by way of a rookie contract after sitting out this year likely will be in the multiple of millions. In an era where players balk at taking a $500,000 pay cut, it's hard to imagine anyone walking away from claims potentially worth far more than that.



MCKENZIE SKIPPING MANDATORY CAMP



A league source tells us that Packers cornerback Mike McKenzie won't be present at the team's mandatory minicamp that opens on Wednesday as efforts continue to work out a trade for the disgruntled five-year veteran.



Though the Packers officially want at least a first-round pick for McKenzie, it's possible that they'll settle for a second-rounder or a third-rounder plus a player in order to get the deal done. The thinking in some circles is that the Packers have accepted the fact that McKenzie won't be rejoining the team -- and that their ability to recover more than $3.4 million from McKenzie in bonus money won't do anything to make the 2004 edition of the franchise any better.



So look for something to happen with McKenzie after the minicamp ends. We're hearing that, from McKenzie's perspective, the ultimate destination isn't important, as long as he gets a new contract after the trade is made.



WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS



As expected, the Redskins released LB Jeremiah Trotter, RB Trung Canidate, and OG Dave Fiore on Tuesday.



There's a question as to whether Dolphins RB Ricky Williams was excused from practice on Tuesday, or whether he simply forgot to show up.



The Packers are making one last run at a trade-and-sign for QB Tim Couch; the Pack apparently have set a deadline of next week for getting the deal done.



The Packers are interested in soon-to-be-former Steelers LB Jason Gildon.



NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw has met with LB LaVar Arrington and Redskins owner Dan Snyder in the hopes of resolving Arrington's claim that the team screwed him out of a $6.5 million roster bonus in his December 2003 contract renegotiation (frankly, we don't envision the Redskins voluntarily paying him a penny more than the millions he's already due to earn).



The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Vikings rookie free agent LB Gino Capone has "retired" -- can someone explain to us precisely how in the hell a rookie free agent can "retire" more than three months before his rookie season even starts?

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 10:20 p.m. EDT, June 2, 2004; UPDATED 6:57 a.m. EDT, June 3, 2004



STORM LOOMING FOR WILLIAMS, NFL?



In the wake of receiver Mike Williams' announcement that he plans to attempt to return to USC for the 2004 season due to the decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that kept Williams and Maurice Clarett out of the draft pool, it's becoming more and more apparent that a legal battle between the NFL and Williams is on the horizon.



Multiple league sources have told us that Williams' effort to regain his eligibility at USC is a precursor to the taking of formal legal action by Williams against the NFL. Per the sources, the league's threshold defense to suggestions that Williams was damaged by the un-vitation to the April draft is that he can return to college. If/when the NCAA refuses to allow Williams to return to USC, the thinking is that Williams' case will be stronger.



And, despite our prior reports suggesting that the league would be able to prove unequivocally that Williams knew his golden ticket was subject to a stay or reversal of the ruling allowing Clarett and others into the draft, we've picked up information suggesting that Williams might indeed have a case.



The info came from an unlikely source. Specifically, we were contacted on Wednesday afternoon by Williams' agent, Mike Azzarelli, who was on the receiving end of our scathing analysis (scroll down) that placed the blame for Williams' current predicament squarely on his shoulders.



After describing our Wednesday report as "a pretty shitty story," Azzarelli explained to us with a high degree of confidence the evidence that, in his view, will lead to a finding that the NFL did not properly advise Williams that the league intended to pursue a stay of the ruling before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, or that Williams would be kept out of the draft if a stay and/or reversal were obtained in the appellate court before Williams was drafted.



Azzarelli initially pointed to public comments from NFL general counsel Jeff Pash, which in Azzarelli's view constitute a concession that the league did not seriously believe that it would achieve a stay or a reversal in the Second Circuit before the April draft. We assume that Azzarelli is referring to Pash's statements of February 5, 2004, in which he said that "it's unlikely that we would get a decision from the appeals court between now and the draft. I can't absolutely rule that out," Pash added, "but just in the ordinary course, the appellant [sic] process takes, you know, a number of months longer than we have between now and, you know, the latter part of April."



Although the NFL undoubtedly will point to the memo sent by the league office to all member clubs on February 6, 2004, which explained that, "[u]nless the ruling is stayed by the courts, players who did not meet the prior eligibility requirements (three football seasons after high school graduation) will be eligible for the 2004 NFL Draft," the memo also explains that players who elect to accept the invitation will be expected to complete a "Special Eligibility form" from the NFL Player Personnel Department.



The problem, as Azzarelli explained, is that the NFL not only threw open the doors to the draft for all otherwise ineligible players, but also called Williams specifically to inquire as to his interest in joining the draft. Azzarelli says that he was present when NFL V.P. of player personnel Joel Bussert called Williams, and Azzarelli contends that Bussert told Williams he was a consensus first-round draft choice.



Azzarelli also believes that Bussert said nothing about Williams' invitation being potentially revoked if the league were to obtain from the Second Circuit a stay or a reversal. In contrast, NFL V.P. of public relations Greg Aiello told us on Wednesday evening via e-mail that Bussert "informed [Williams] personally by phone that if we were successful in obtaining a stay and/or reversal that he would not be eligible for the 2004 draft."



Azzarelli also points to the fact that the paperwork Williams completed when he declared his intention to enter the draft was no different than the standard paperwork that potential draft picks sign, and that the documents Williams completed said nothing about Williams' eligibility for the draft getting yanked if the NFL secures a stay or reversal. As a practical matter, it should be fairly easy to determine whether the NFL gave Williams the standard forms -- or whether Williams NFL was supplied with the "Special Eligibility form" mentioned in the February 6 memo from the league office to the 32 teams.



In our view, the NFL's problem here is that it has no irrefutable silver bullet that would enable it to show clearly and unequivocally that Williams properly had been told that he'd be barred from the draft if the Clarett ruling were overturned. Really, all that the NFL would need is a document explaining the limitations that bears at the bottom Williams' signature.



Absent, as it appears, such evidence, the NFL will be stuck with a classic pissing match between Bussert and Williams regarding whether the NFL exec said enough to defeat Williams' understanding that his spot in the draft was guaranteed. And if, as it appears, the NCAA won't permit Williams to return to USC given his decision to sign with Azzarelli, things could get a lot uglier between the NFL and Williams once the NCAA tells the former Trojan that he's SOL.



Azzarelli also told us that, while he intends to take steps to terminate the official agency relationship between himself and Williams, Azzarelli plans to continue to assist Williams, given that Williams once lived with Azzarelli's brother's family and that Azzarelli has been advising him for years.



On an unrelated (and equally intriguing) point, Azzarelli told us that IMG was trying to recruit Williams two weeks after Williams signed with Azzarelli. If IMG were indeed pursuing Williams after he signed a rep agreement with Azzarelli, such conduct would subject the recruiter to the same kind of disciplinary action that the NFLPA recently has been meting out to other agents. It'll be interesting to see whether the NFLPA takes a look at this issue, given IMG's representation of NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw.



GILDON TO START MAKING THE ROUNDS



Word around the league is that former Steelers linebacker Jason Gildon will be in high demand, now that he's on the June free-agent shelf.



We're told that, on Thursday, Gildon will make arrangements to begin making visits, with teams like the Lions, Bears, Packers, Browns, and the Ravens among the teams who are expected to show an interest.



League insiders view Gildon as a perfect fit for a team breaking in the 3-4, but there's also a belief that he could play the rush end position in a 4-3 alignment, too.



Though some folks are still a bit confused by the release of Gildon, whom we included on a list of potential casualties way back in December, our guess is that the Steelers believe that Gildon's success was partially due to the system, and that they can fill his spot with another capable player who'll enjoy similar results -- at a lower cost to the team.



As to Gildon's potential destination, former teammate Joey Porter hopes that he doesn't land in Baltimore. "The Browns are not so bad; the Ravens -- ooooohhh, that would hurt, that would hurt bad," Porter said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I wish the best for him, but, oh, that would hurt right there if he went to those guys. Anybody but them."



The reason? Ray Lewis.



"That's what I'm talking about," Porter said. "Jason's going to ride with whoever he's with, and I would hate to see him jumping around with that guy. It's a tough situation, you know what I mean? But I wish the best for him."



THURSDAY ONE-LINERS



The Ravens have signed QB Kordell Stewart to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $760,000, giving Baltimore the two lowest-rated starting quarterbacks from 2003.



Eagles DT Corey Simon is skipping the team's voluntary minicamp due to his displeasure with a $535,000 salary he'll earn in the final year of his rookie deal.



A day after the Rams released one-time Packers camp arm Kurt Warner, the Rams picked up 2004 camp arm Russ Michna, launching another cycle that every so often results in the camp arm eventually becoming a star.



The Packers have cut Eric Crouch, who was getting reps at the safety position.



Former Jets QB Vinny Testaverde is in Dallas, and he'll meet with Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and owner Jerry Jones on Thursday.



The Broncos cut ties with 2003 free-agent bust Daryl Gardener, who'll sign with the Bengals.



Former Giants QB Phil Simms warns that Kurt Warner might be more interested in keeping the starting gig than mentoring Eli Manning.



The Lions are allowing TE Mikhael Ricks to seek a trade.



Panthers WR Drew Carter, a fifth-round draft pick from Ohio State, suffered the third ACL tear of his career on Wednesday.



Junior "the Greek" Seau has publicly used a derogatory term regarding gays, which is the perfect bookend for his "fried chicken and watermelon" remarks from last season regarding Chargers RB LaDanian Tomlinson.



Packers coach Mike Sherman, pissed about the fact that DT Cleditus "Dolores" Hunt is absent from the team's current minicamp, has a fresh take on the whole "voluntary" thing: "It's not a mandatory camp. It's a mandatory commitment to what we're trying to get done here." (Hey, Gene, maybe this guy needs a phone call.)



Despite $4 million in cap room resulting from the release of LB Jason Gildon, the Steelers don't plan to go shopping for new players; instead, the money likely will go to QB Tommy Maddox, LB Kendrell Bell, and/or LB James Farrior.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 10:12 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:56 p.m. EDT, June 3, 2004



GILDON VISITS GREEN BAY



Wisconsin was the first stop on what likely will be one of the few June 1 free agency tours that actually involve more than a single destination.



A league source tells us that former Steelers linebacker Jason Gildon is in Green Bay as of Thursday night to visit with the Packers.



Though the Packers use a 4-3 front, Gildon is considered to be a candidate to play defensive end on passing downs. His presence would give the Pack an impressive one-two punch of Gildon and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila -- allowing the team to sever ties with underachievers Joe Johnson and Jamal Reynolds.



Gildon also has drawn interest from the Bears and the Lions. As we see it, the remaining NFC North team, the Vikings, also should jump into the fray -- if for no reason other than to push up the final price that one of their arch-rivals will be required to pay.



The Browns and Ravens also are considered to be interested in Gildon, who was released by the Steelers on Wednesday.



COLE CRIES FOR MEA CULPA



Dale Carnegie likely didn't have this here site in mind when he crafted his patented principles for parlaying Eddie Haskell propensities into success in the business world.



Sure, we're harsh -- but we're consistent.



And that's why it amazes us when someone who is unhappy with one of our reports thinks that confrontation will prompt us to slink away because we've been dressed down by someone who, drum roll, puh-lease, gets a real paycheck for a job in the football bidness.



The latest example of a fully-credentialed NFL dude taking exception to our work product came on Thursday, when Jason Cole of the Miami Herald called to voice his displeasure with our criticism of his statement that defensive back Terrell Buckley had signed "last week" with the Pats when the Boston media was reporting the move merely as a rumor. Apparently unwilling to give us the satisfaction of knowing that he might have had the occasion to visit our humble domain, Cole said that he heard we wrote something unflattering about him, and he wanted to know what we said. (Hmmm -- he tracked down our phone number but he didn't take 30 seconds to pull up our site.)



We started to ask Jason whether he would be coming over to beat us up, but for most of the next ten minutes we had trouble injecting more than a few words at any one time into the conversation before Jason would remind us, for example, that "I'm pretty darn good at what I do," and that this site named him the best beat writer in the country in 2000. (Actually, this site wasn't in existence then, but we'll take his word for it.)



Cole's beef with us was that, as he explained it, Buckley did in fact sign "last week" with the Patriots, and that it merely hadn't been reported elsewhere. In response, we tried (several times) to explain that the reference to the Buckley signing in his story reasonably implied that it was old news. "If you're breaking something," we said, "your story needs to make that clear."



Cole then tried to justify his choice of words by explaining that the story was about Will Poole, not Buckley, that Cole didn't have enough space to explain that no one else knew about Buckley signing with the Pats, and that since Buckley doesn't play for the Dolphins anymore it wasn't relevant.



Whatever. We're not gonna tell anyone how to do their job, but we'll always be prepared to make reasonable assumptions based on available information, and we think it was more than reasonable to conclude that Cole was wrong about Buckley.



Cole's deeper concern was that we didn't take the time to call him to confirm that he was wrong before writing a story that "impugns" his abilities. Even if we did this thing as a full-time gig, it's hard to fathom taking the time to call every single person about whom we might say something they don't like for the purposes of confirming in advance that our criticism is warranted. Instead, we'll continue to gladly take the flak from folks who believe that our comments were in some way misguided -- especially if we can parlay it into more content.



Bottom line: (1) Cole was right about Buckley; (2) it was fair for us to conclude that Cole was wrong; (3) Cole made himself look like a boob by calling us up and crying about it; (4) only 0.023 percent of you give a flaming dung heap about this story; and (5) we're a bunch of rotten, miserable pricks.



Did we miss anything?

[ALinChainz]

I would just like to say in regards of Gildon visiting Detroit:

GO LIONS !

[POJO_Risin]

LMFAO...I actually hope he goes there...and stays out of the AFC...especially with the Browns and the Ravens interested...

you've gotta think he wants to go to a team that can directly effect the Steelers playoff chances...

[ALinChainz]

I'm thinking the Ravens will be in the HEAVY bidding for him. Peter Boulware is STILL hurtin' and not sure what they'll have, probably nothing more than a situational pass rusher.

They would love to snatch him up and watch him get up for the Steelers.

[POJO_Risin]

Well...I have a feeling Mr. Gildon is going to get fucking paid...that's for sure...he's going to be one of the few that gets his fair share...

I'm still shaking my head at Warner's 3 million a year...

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 8:18 a.m. EDT, June 4, 2004



WARNER GIVING GIANTS FALSE HOPE?



Only in New York would the arrival of a curiously fallen NFL star be heralded as a sign of hope for a suddenly struggling franchise. And only in New York will quarterback Kurt Warner be lambasted early and often if/when it becomes apparent that roughly two years of standing on the sidelines hasn't caused him to rediscover the mojo that made him, for a three-year stretch, the best quarterback in the NFL.



Lynn Zinser's headline in the New York Times suggests that Warner's arrival gives the Giants "hope" for 2004. If Lynn means "hope" as in, "I hope Warner doesn't get killed behind our crappy offensive line," we fully agree.



The quality (or lack thereof) of the Giants' line remains, from our perspective, the biggest issue that Warner and the team will need to address. If, as one league insider told us Thursday night, guys like Orlando Pace and Kyle Turley and Andy McCollum and Adam Timmerman couldn't keep Kurt hand and head in sound condition, what'll happen behind the Big Blue sieve?



The other problem, as we see it, is that Warner never will acknowledge that his role is to keep the team competitive while Eli Manning gets ready to play. Asked if, as a practical matter, his time in New York was a short-term stopover on his overall NFL journey, Warner said, ''I don't look at it that way. I'm looking to come in and to play and re-establish myself. I would love this to be where I finish my career.''



Coach Tom Coughlin sees it differently. ''I told Eli that Eli is the quarterback of the future of the New York Giants, whether he started the first game, the fourth game, the ninth game, the first game of the following year,'' Coughlin said. "However that was going to play out, he is the quarterback of the future. I think that theme remains.''



And that's why the Giants signed Warner to a two-year deal. Like the two-year contracts signed last year by Kordell Stewart in Chicago and Brian Griese in Miami, a two-year deal is essentially a one-year marriage. Either, like Stewart and Griese, the relationship won't continue after the first season, or (if Manning dies) a new deal will be negotiated. The presence of a second year is nothing more than a device intended to enable the team to spread the signing bonus over two season.



Not everyone in New York, of course, sees Warner's glass as 10 percent full. Bob Glauber of Newsday, for example, recognizes the reality that MVP Kurt is as much a memory as the Kurt who was bagging groceries at Piggly-Wiggly.



"Warner is kidding himself," Glauber writes, "if he thinks he can get back to where he once was.



We agree. He's not being signed to be the long-term answer, but only to be a finger in the dike as the team resists the temptation to put Eli on the field as a rookie. Before parity took root in the NFL, it was easier to justify putting a rookie quarterback on the field for a below-average team. But with fans in every city now believing on an annual basis that their team can win it all in any given year, few teams are willing to consciously accept a 3-13 record.



TESTAVERDE AN UPGRADE IN DALLAS



As one former MVP quarterback signed with one New York team, the former starter with the other New York team finds himself in a much better situation with another NFC East team..



Former Jets signal-caller Vinny Testaverde signed on Thursday a one-year deal with the Cowboys, which reunites him with former Jets coach Bill Parcells -- and former Jets go-to receiver Keyshawn Johnson.



In our view, Testaverde's situation has a better "feel" to it because, unlike Warner, he's clearly not hoping to rejuvenate a career while supposedly mentoring a No. 1 draft choice. Instead, Vinny was brought in as a short-term upgrade for a team that made the playoffs despite the generally mediocre play of incumbent Quincy Carter.



Though the Cowboys have their own quarterback of the future in the form of Drew Henson, there's no presumption that Henson will be given the starting job in 2004, 2005, or beyond. The Parcells approach in Dallas has a distinct year-to-year feel about it, which makes sense given his age and given the realities of free agency and the salary cap.



And our prediction is that, in the end, Testaverde's numbers for 2004 will look a lot better than Warners.



SEAU ADMITS HE NEEDS "SENSITIVITY CLASS"



After his second ill-advised choice of words in less than a year, Dolphins linebacker Junior "the Greek" Seau admits that he needs to take a "sensitivity class."



On Wednesday night, Seau said the following in accepting a leadership award at a team banquet in front of 1,000 people:



"This is a great group of guys we have on this team. . . . I would say love and everybody would say you're a faggot, but I'm not. We care in that locker room. My feminine side might come out once in a while, but I'm telling you, there is a lot of love in that locker room."



Seau admits that his comments were intended, and that he was merely "stupid."



Hey, Junior -- so was Archie Bunker. And, as we see it, no amount of sensitivity training is going to change the feelings that bubble up from your soul into your grill. Sure, you might eventually learn to intercept phrases like "fudge packer" and "butt pirate" before they migrate from your brain to your mouth, but it won't change the fact that you have negative thoughts regarding gays or, based on the "fried chicken and watermelon" comment you made last year regarding LaDanian Tomlinson, regarding your African-American teammates and competitors.



Then again, we don't really care about any of this. These guys aren't paid to be public statesmen; they're paid to play football. But it's always refreshing to see that some of these highly-paid and supremely-skilled athletes are even more stupid than the rest of us.



The most troubling aspect of all of this, as Dave Hyde of the Miami Herald recognizes, is that Seau's casual use of the term "faggot" highlights the reality that professional athletes who happen to be gay will never be able to venture out of the closet, since there will always be one or more rock-headed teammates who'll react negatively. If, after all, a guy like Seau will use the word "faggot" in front of 1,000 people, what does he say and do in the privacy of the locker room?



GREEN BENCHES SHELTON



In what likely will be the first of many moves intended to whip an underachieving team into shape, Cardinals coach Dennis Green has moved left tackle L.J. Shelton to the second team -- and he'll install Leonard "Big" Davis into Shelton's spot, moving Davis to left tackle only a couple of months after moving him from right guard to left guard.



"Right now that’s where [Davis] is going to play and we’ll see if we change that or not," Green said, according to the East Valley Tribune. "He could be one of the best at any position in the league. I think we want him to get accustomed to [tackle]."



Shelton, who received a contract extension last year worth more than $20 million, apparently is in the dog house because of the extra weight he's carrying.



"Nothing I say is going to help the situation,” Shelton said, “so I am going to continue to keep my mouth shut and do what I am supposed to do."



We also suggest keeping your mouth shut when you pass the local Krispy Kreme store, too.



FINAL FOOTNOTE ON COLE



In response to our story (scroll down) regarding the phone call that we received on Thursday from Jason Cole of the Miami Herald, who complained about our suggestion that his statement from Wednesdau that Terrell Buckley "signed last week" with the Patriots was flat wrong, a league source told us on Friday morning that, in reality, Cole was flat wrong.



Per the source, Buckley still has not "signed" with the Patriots. Instead, he has merely agreed to terms.



As a practical matter, there's not a huge difference between the two phrases (except in those not-so-rare cases where a guy "agrees to terms" with one team and then is signed by another). But for a writer who, by his own declaration, is "pretty darn good" at what he does, you'd like to think that he wouldn't say a player "signed" with a team unless the player actually has "signed" with the team.



Maybe using "agreed to terms" instead of "signed" in his Wednesday piece would have placed him over his daily word limit, or maybe Cole was just sloppy. Either way, we now find it even harder to stomach the fact that he called us up and cried about our suggestion that he was wrong when, in fact, he was.



FRIDAY ONE-LINERS



Packers DT Cletidus Hunt is still absent from Packers' voluntary minicamp.



Vikings owner Red McCombs says that he thinks Mike Tice can lead the team to a Super Bowl this year, even as he enters the final year of his contract with no extension in sight.



Legendary Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope will be back for another year in the booth after giving a "Yoy!" to some serious health problems.



Giants DE Michael Strahan has wedged a sock in his tooth gap because he thinks his recent comments regarding his failure to fully participate in minicamp drills were taken out of context.



Reading between the lines of these items from the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philly Inquirer, our guess is that Eagles WR Terrell Owens and QB Donovan McNabb eventually will be clashing over how many balls are thrown T.O.'s way.



The Chiefs have agreed to terms with QB Damon Huard.



The Ravens say that they aren't interested in LB Jason Gildon.

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Well...I have a feeling Mr. Gildon is going to get fucking paid...that's for sure...he's going to be one of the few that gets his fair share...

I'm still shaking my head at Warner's 3 million a year...

He won't see all of that I'm sure. It has to be an incentive laden deal, where he would have to be in there most of the time to achieve them, and like the story says, most of these 2 year deals are really one year deals, so the can spread the bonus out over the 2 years.

I bet that if they are losing, and Warner is getting close to bonus money, Coughlin will yank him.

Should be fun watching either of those QB's operate behind that woeful line.

[POJO_Risin]

I'd have to think that their intent is to have Manning start the whole year...with Warner as insurance...

I think that Simms was right though...with Warner thinking he's going to start...

I would more than likely start Manning though...I don't think they'll do much worse than with Warner...with the line as you said...

Warner needs a ton of time...and moves like a cement truck...

[POJO_Risin]

You've gotta think the Ravens saying they aren't interested means that they are...

I'm interested in what the deal is with Burress...to my knowledge...he still hasn't shown his overrated mug...

[ALinChainz]

A little something about Burress in this Rumor Mill.


by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


POSTED 8:57 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:46 a.m. EDT, June 5, 2004



PACK PERKY FOR TYRONE?



The Green Bay Packers have said they're not interested in reuniting with defensive back Tyrone Williams, who bolted for Atlanta after the 2002 season and was dumped by the Dirty Birds after only one year. But we're hearing indications that Williams might be their fallback if/when cornerback Mike McKenzie is traded to another team.



Still, it's been difficult for us to get a solid indication of whether the Packers are serious about moving McKenzie. Some league insiders think that they've realized McKenzie isn't going to play for the Packers in 2004, and that forcing him into a corner won't do anything to help the team punch through to the next level. Others think that the Packers are content to stand pat, and that they aren't going to give McKenzie away for less than what they think he's worth.



It's also been hard to determine who, if anyone, is talking to the Packers about a trade. It could be that any interested team(s) are keeping it quiet in order to keep others from jumping in; but wouldn't the Pack want other teams to know what's happening so that the bidding would potentially escalate?



Williams, who turned 31 last week, would give the Packers a short-term gap-filler for McKenzie, and he's familiar with the team, the coaching staff, and the system. So if McKenzie is dealt, look for the Pack to pounce on Williams as soon as the trade is finalized.



MARKET COOL FOR TROTTER



As linebacker Jason Gildon draws interest from NFC North teams like Green Bay and Chicago, former Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter is still waiting for his free-agent tour to commence.



Rumors linking him to the Eagles, Giants, or Seahawks have yet to materialize, and some league insiders think he'll eventually be forced to swallow a short-term, low-dollar deal.



On paper, Trotter hasn't lost much of his game from his final season in Philly, after which he was slapped with the franchise tag. Indeed, his stats for 2001 and 2003 are virtually identical. Considering that he was playing last year behind a group of "will work for food" defensive tackles last year in Washington, we think he's still got the same stuff that made him a Pro Bowler in Philly.



At 27, Trotter still has plenty of years left, and someone is going to get a guy who still can play. As it stands, however, it looks like Trotter isn't going to be getting another big-money contract any time soon.



PRODIGAL PLAXICO BENEFITS STEELERS?



In our discussions with various league insiders, the general consensus around the league is that Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress is the new poster child for high-maintenance pass-catchers who are more trouble than they're worth.



For Burress, the short-term consequences are that no one likely will have any interest in trying to take him off of the Steelers' hands in 2004. Looking to 2005, Burress also has killed any chances of getting a big-money deal when he hits the free-agent market.



As one league insider explained, Burress wasn't generally regarded as a problem child around the league until last month, when he failed to report for a mandatory minicamp and then offered a cockamamie story regarding the fact that the camp landed on Mother's Day weekend. A week later, he launched a boycott of voluntary drills -- which apparently were determined to be unacceptable by him because they took place in the same month in which Mother's Day falls.



If Burress instead had kept his mouth shut and showed up for all offseason work and busted his ass and had a solid season, he likely would have been one of the top players in 2005 free agency. Instead, he's a pariah -- a T.O. with less talent -- who won't get any offers close to what he thinks he's worth next March.



In the end, this could directly benefit the Steelers. If, after all, other teams don't put big numbers on the table for Burress, the Steelers will be in a position to sign him to a long-term deal for a lot less money than it would have required if he hadn't shot himself in the foot, and then shoved the foot in his mouth.



And the Steelers likely know it. Why else would they be taking a kid glove approach to Plax, with coach Bill Cowher recently saying he'll welcome Burress back into the fold whenever he decides to show up? Surely, Cowher and the front office understand that their chances of keeping Burress have increased significantly, and they are betting on the fact that Burress will be ready to stick around once he realizes that there will be no big bidders for his services.



LOSMAN PUTS THE "P" IN J.P.



We know that teams are required to rally 'round their draft picks, especially when they mortgage a piece of the future to jump up and get a guy they want. But we're hearing that the Buffalo Bills have taken the turd-polishing thing to a new level with the explanation they're offering regarding the initial Wonderlic score generated by rookie quarterback J.P. Losman, for whom the team sacrificed its 2005 first-round pick in order to acquire him in the 2004 draft.



Losman is one of the guys whose Wonderlic saw a dramatic rise from one season to the next, prompting speculation in some circles that he had access to the test before he took it the second time. Word is that the Bills privately are saying that Losman's initial score (which was somewhere in the teens) resulted from the fact that (egads!) he really had to pee.



Supposedly, Losman left the testing room so that he could relieve himself, and he didn't get back in time to generate a respectable score.



The hole in all of this, as we see it, is that the Wonderlic test is only 12 minutes long.



Twelve minutes! Unless J.P. was in danger of getting uromycsotisis poisoning a la Jerry Seinfeld in the garage of the shopping mall, there's no reason why he couldn't have held it in for 12 minutes.



If the excuse is true (and we doubt that it is), it's further evidence of Losman's stupidity.



Smart guys would have pissed before the 12-minute test began. Alternatively, they would have realized that leaving the test room for a pit stop might have affected adversely their ability to answer all 50 questions within the 12-minute span, which without a visit to the pee-pee palace requires players to progress through the page at a rate of more than four problems per minute.



We're also hearing that Losman's apparent cognitive limitations already have surfaced in team practices. Though it's normal for a rookie quarterback to be overwhelmed by NFL playbooks and terminologies, Losman got so discombobulated in his drills with the Bills that he started calling out his high school cadences.



Then again, maybe he just had to pee.

[POJO_Risin]

Interesting...but it makes a whole ton of sense...

I still am not going to stick my head in the sand here...he's talented...and will get a shitload of money from whoever gets him...

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 10:08 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:01 a.m. EDT, June 6, 2004



BUCKLEY PARTS WITH POSTONS



He was one of their first clients in 1992. Twelve years later, Terrell Buckley has parted ways with Carl and Kevin Poston.



The Boston Globe reports that Buckley has negotiated on his own a contract with the Patriots, working out a one-year deal for $760,000 and avoiding $22,600 in agent fees.



The negotiation wasn't all that complicated, since he's being added pursuant to the twist in the CBA that allows teams to acquire 10-year-plus veterans at $760,000 per year, with a cap cost and real dollars cost of $450,000.



We think this one runs deeper than merely saving money. Buckley says that going it alone "was something that had been on my mind for a couple of years." So what made him decide that this year was the right year?



It could have been that he knows the Patriots have little regard for the Postons, who arguably forced an impasse last year with Lawyer Milloy and who are mired in a dispute with the team now regarding Ty Law. Given widespread rumors that teams who have experienced problems with the Postons have no desire to deal with them, Buckley might have recognized that his best chance to get a deal done in New England was to do so without the Postons doing it for him.



Also, and as we recently explained, Buckley could have had the same deal he got from the Patriots in Miami. The Postons apparently wanted more than the minimum deal, and the Dolphins decided to look elsewhere for help at the cornerback position, signing Reggie Howard and drafting Will Poole.



Once it became clear that the Postons' apparent negotiating strategy would force Buckley to play somewhere other than in the city where he lives, Buckley might have decided that enough was enough.





BORGES BATTLES WITH "CRIPPLE"



We were concerned the other day that Miami Herald writer Jason Cole wanted to beat us up for criticizing him about a premature suggestion that Terrell Buckley had signed with the Patriots.



We now realize that fears of getting our butts whipped by a beat writer aren't so irrational.



As it turns out, Boston Globe columnist Ron Borges -- with whom we've verbally tussled in the past -- got into a brouhaha with former Daily News writer Andy Katz on Thursday while interviewing boxing promoter Bob Arum in Las Vegas.



Sunday's New York Daily News has this account of what transpired:



"This all started when Arum, during an impromptu press conference, began ripping [Bernard] Hopkins for threatening to pull out of his fight with Robert Allen. Hopkins made the threat because he did not want Joe Cortez to referee the bout.

"Borges, sitting to the right and slightly behind Katz -- who was covering the fight for the New York Times (which owns the Globe and is thus also Borges' employer) -- basically said it was about time for somebody to draw the line with Hopkins and stand up to him. That's when Katz injected his unique, and renowned, brand of venom into the mix.

"Katz: 'Yeah this sounds like a Don King toady, a Don King writer, attacking a guy (Hopkins) Don King hates.'

"Borges: 'You need a punch in the face, I'm really sick and tired of your ...'

"Katz: 'Shut the (expletive deleted) up.'

"This is when the words turned into actions. Borges reached around and landed a hard open-handed blow on Katz's right cheek. Katz never saw it coming. The shot sent Katz reeling back, separating his head from his beret, which went flying through the air.

"Katz: 'You shmuck. How can you hit a cripple?'

"Borges: 'You been getting away with that (hiding behind an infirmity) for years.'

"This really sent Katz over the edge. In Zorro-like fashion, he began waving his cane menacingly, poking at Borges' chest. The Boston writer advanced on Katz. And then the melee broke out. HBO Sports executive Kery Davis, trying to break things up, grabbed Borges' head. Four other guys jumped Borges from behind, trying to pull him back. Bodies were seemingly flying everywhere, one of them landing on Arum, knocking him down.

"Adding to the chaos, one of Arum's PR men, thinking he had heard gunshots, dove on his boss to protect him.

"'Get the (expletive deleted) off me,' Arum screamed.

"By then, security had arrived. Katz only would say that the incident had been 'embarrassing' and declined to comment any further. Borges also would not comment."

For once, we're speechless.

On second thought, maybe we're not. We're wondering (as many of you likely are) how it is that Borges still has a job with the Globe or the Times given his conduct.

Apparently, plagiarism gets a guy fired; pugilism doesn't.

In the inherently zany world of boxing, we wouldn't be surprised to see Katz sue Borges and the Globe and its corporate parent for seven figures in damages, under the theory that Borges was operating within the scope of his employment or, at a minimum, that the newspaper knew or should have known that Borges is a loose cannon prone to fits of rage.



ARRINGTON PIES TAYLOR

An incident at Redskins Park on Saturday almost turned ugly after linebacker LaVar Arrington snuck up behind rookie safety Sean Taylor and crammed a shaving cream pie into his face.

According to the Washington Post, the prank backfired, leaving Taylor shaken and yelling that he could not see.

"I got him good, but I got him too good," Arrington said. "That's horrible. I feel bad now. But he'll be all right. . . . I've done that before and I've had it done to me, and I've never seen that. He panicked. He scared the bejesus out of me."

Arrington and teammate Shawn Springs helped Taylor wipe the shaving cream from his eyes.




SUNDAY ONE-LINERS

Dolphins WR David Boston is down to 235 pounds, and on his way to 228.

Cowboys QB Chad Hutchinson doesn't even have a locker anymore -- even if it really was an oversight, it's likely only a matter of time before he's released.

Redskins RB Clinton Portis finally has pried away jersey number 26 from teammate Ifeanyi Ohalete: "I feel like Superman now, I got my cape back," Portis said. "Superman's not Superman when he don't have his cape."

ESPN Radio 1050 in New York is talking to Brenda "Yoko" Warner regarding the possibility of making regular appearances; WFAN says they aren't interested.

Though coach Butch Davis previously has denied any desire to release QB Tim Couch, the team's inability to swing a trade has fueled speculation that Couch soon will be dumped.

Redskins motormouth CB Fred Smoot says that a Pro Bowl berth in 2004 is a "gimme" (not bad for a guy the team was trying to trade a year ago).

Dolphins QB A.J. Feely is showing dramatic improvement in minicamp practices.

Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez continues to be sidelined by a stress fracture in his foot.

Browns RT Rex Tucker has agreed to a four-year extension, which puts him under contract through 2009.

Titans RB Chris Brown, who'd benefit the most if Eddie George were released, nevertheless says that the Titans will be a better team with George on the roster.

The offensive line formerly known as the "Hogs" have now become the "Dirtbags" -- and we can't wait to see what the "Dirtbaggettes" will be wearing at home games.

Dolphins WR Chris Chambers, who'll be a free agent in March, has dollar signs in his eyes based on contracts signed by guys like Carolina's Steve Smith: "It's a good time to be a receiver, baby. I think I'm the best receiver anywhere. Those guys went out and played well and deserved what they got. But I think I bring more to the table than any of them."

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


POSTED 8:55 a.m. EDT, June 7, 2004



CHARGERS TANKING IT?



As the Yorks realize in San Fran that revenue sharing makes the bottom line roughly the same for Super Bowl title-winners as it is for turds, the Spanos family has by all appearances come to the conclusion in San Diego that trying to put together a winning team in the short term simply isn't worth the time, trouble, or expense.



What other explanation could there be for the fact that the Chargers have done nothing to improve upon a team that was dreadful in 2003 and that has every indication of stinking up the AFC in 2004? Though they've got one of the best young running backs in the entire league, they've got next-to-nothing at receiver plus a three-headed quarterback monster still has everyone wondering whether the old guy, the young guy, or the guy with the pizza bubble on his face will be taking the snaps come September.



A few weeks back, G.M.-by-default A.J. Smith said he was looking into making some trades and/or adding some players, but there's been nothing done whatsoever of any kind to improve the team.



It's as if the Chargers responded to the criticism of the franchise reflected by Eli Manning's refusal to come to San Diego with a shoulder shrug and a resolve to show the world that they suck even more than Manning thinks.



Before we get a torrent of e-mails from Chargers fans who have nothing else to talk about, don't accuse us of having a West Coast bias (again). We've taken our share of shots at the Bengals over the years, and the looming train wreck that is the Giants has drawn plenty of our attention this offseason. But the Bengals are improving and the Giants have hope for the not-to-distant future.



What do the Chargers have? For now, it looks like the Spanoses are happy to answer that question by pointing to the fact that, no matter how bad their team sucks, they still get 1/32nd of the billion-dollar TV revenue pie.



MONDAY ONE-LINERS



Redskins safety Sean Taylor sat out of practice on Sunday with lingering eye irritation due to LaVar Arrington's shaving-gel-pie-in-the-face prank gone bad (scroll down for more).



Three Vikings were arrested for kicking the caa-caa out of a guy at a bar only days after the team had a session on how to avoid scrapes with the law (and Playmakers is still a gross exaggeration of real life in the NFL).



With Vikings coach Mike Tice said to be considering demoting presumptive starting MLB E.J. Henderson for his involvement in the bar fight, our guess is that the Vikes might try to sign free-agent Jeremiah Trotter to a short-term deal.



The federal drug conspiracy charges against Ravens RB Jamal Lewis could go to trial as early as August, marring the team's preseason preparations and (if convicted) royally screwing up the Ravens' chances at getting back to the top of the NFL heap (and Playmakers is still a gross exaggeration of real life in the NFL).



With a minimum two-year commitment required for a stint in the CFL, Mo Clarett likely will be doing nothing this year.



The Cowboys likely will hold onto QB Chad Hutchinson until June 14, since cutting him before then would cause the team to lose the roster exemption resulting from his assignment to NFL Europe.



The Steelers are close to signing QB Tommy Maddox to an extension that pays him more like a starter, even as they begin the process of grooming Ben Roethlisberger to replace him.



After getting whacked in the noggin (again) during his first practice with the Giants, Kurt Warner looked down at his jersey and said, "I signed with the Chiefs?" (We're kidding.)



For anyone who ever ran a marathon faster than 4 hours, 9 minutes, and 57 seconds, you've got a leg up on former 49ers RB Roger Craig, who realized the hard way that 26.1 miles is a lot longer than 100 yards.

[POJO_Risin]

Screw freakin' Maddox...he shouldn't get shit...

[POJO_Risin]

LMFAO to Arrington...

do you think that Taylor is going to take shit for the rest of the year?

I would be ruthless...

could you imagine if this permanently hurt his career...Arrington would fucking lose all his money...

[POJO_Risin]

I can see it now...

not getting "pied" and not "Pieing" will be written into contracts...

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Screw freakin' Maddox...he shouldn't get shit...

I agree 1000%.

These guys who have one good season and then think it's Lotto Time. He seems to forget that no one was banging down his door, even after that big XFL MVP Award.

He should be kissing Steeler ass everyday he's even on the roster and getting a paycheck.

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
LMFAO to Arrington...

do you think that Taylor is going to take shit for the rest of the year?

I would be ruthless...

could you imagine if this permanently hurt his career...Arrington would fucking lose all his money...

You know stuff like that goes on all the time with rookies, and I'm sure they let the rest of the team know that this could have been serious.

Just keep thinking of Arrington and Taylor flying around and killing opponents, scary.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


POSTED 8:30 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:26 a.m. EDT, June 8, 2004



RIFT BETWEEN BILLICK, NEWSOME?



Word out of Baltimore is that a rift has arisen between Ravens coach Brian Billick and G.M. Ozzie Newsome in the wake of the team's decision to sign quarterback Kordell Stewart.



Newsome wanted nothing to do with Stewart, a controversial up-and-down journeyman who'll raise your hopes before breaking your heart. Billick, however, wanted to sign Stewart as, at a minimum, a short-term gap-filler while backup Anthony Wright recovers from surgery to repair a torn labrum.



The Stewart decision, we're told, is the latest example of a tug-of-war between Billick and Newsome, as Billick wants to have a greater say in the acquisitions made by the organization. Last month, we'd heard that Billick and assistant coach Jim Fassel wanted to pursue Kerry Collins with an eye toward giving him a chance to start in 2004, but that Newsome and the front office wanted no part of the former Panther/Saint/Giant.



With all that said, and recognizing that no one ever will confuse us with Kordell Stewart fans, we think it was a good move for the Ravens -- assuming that the only stripes running back Jamal Lewis will be wearing this fall are the stripes on his game pants.



Stewart historically has performed well as an off-the-bench option in a run-oriented offense under circumstances carefully orchestrated to build his confidence. Even after a disastrous debut last year in Chicago, due in large part to the refusal of then-offensive coordinator John Shoop to tailor the offense to Stewart's abilities and limitations, Stewart returned to the field and played well after Chris Chandler was injured. Stewart got the hook once the team was eliminated from playoff consideration, giving the Bears a chance to get rookie Rex Grossman acclimated.



Getting the guy for a one-year, $760,000 deal that counts only $450,000 against the cap is, in our view, a steal for the Ravens, assuming that Stewart accepts his role. If he does (and we think he will), he could prove to be a more-than-capable replacement for Kyle Boller, if Boller goes down with an injury.



Back to Billick and Newsome, it'll be interesting to see how their relationship plays out as they both jockey for the love and attention of new owner Steve Bisciotti, especially if the team struggles in 2004 or 2005. As coaches go, Billick is getting a bit long in the tooth, and we wouldn't be surprised to see him leave or get nudged if the team doesn't make a serious run deep into the playoffs over the next two seasons, especially since the reputed offensive guru still hasn't brought a field-stretching, point-scoring attack to Baltimore in five seasons as the head coach.



POSTONS TRYING TO SOFTEN IMAGE?



There's a buzz in Panther land that a recent piece in the Charlotte Observer by Pat Yasinskas regarding the prospects of getting cornerback Chris Gamble under contract on a timely basis that agents Carl and Kevin Poston might have fed the information directly to Yasinskas in an effort to begin the process of softening their image.



In the 2004 offseason, the Postons have been involved in a series of controversies, which might have caused one or more of their clients to re-think the wisdom of utilizing their services. An increasing number of teams simply do not want to deal with the Postons, given their reputation for divisive tactics.



So some folks think the Postons are trying to use the media to help spread a more positive message.



Given the realities of gathering and reporting NFL news in major newspapers, some league insiders believe that the Postons have been playing quid pro quo with Michael Smith of the Boston Globe in exchange for favorable coverage in the market where the team with which they have a bad relationship resides, due in large part to a lingering dispute between the Pats and defensive back Ty Law.



As we see it, the Postons' best strategy for rehabilitating their image would be to: (1) get their rookies into camp; (2) study the market before making pie-in-the-sky demands for free agents; and (3) take responsibility for the $6.5 million snafu regarding LaVar Arrington's contract with the Redskins, and persuade him to drop his grievance against the team.



For some reason, we don't see it happening.



DEFENDING THE TUNA?



Okay, we know we're on slippery ground here. After all, we lambasted Dolphins linebacker Junior Seau only a few days ago for showing Archie Bunker propensities in his homophobic comments before 1,000 folks at a team banquet.



So how can we defend Bill Parcells for referring on Monday to the team's surprise plays as "Jap plays"?



We could say that Parcells grew up in the wake of the event on which the term is based -- Japan's surprise attack of December 7, 1941 on Pearl Harbor -- and that, in his era the use of the term "Jap" was no more offensive or inappropriate than the use of the term "Nazi." They were the enemies of Parcells' childhood, and stuff that goes on during a guy's formative years is hard to forget.



Of course, the use of derogatory terms regarding, for example, blacks and gays was far more accepted in the 1940s and 1950s -- and that reality didn't keep us from teeing off on Seau for his own chronic case of verbal diarrhea.



We also could say that Parcells' judgment was blurred by the recent focus on D-Day and the death of tough-guy President, who had the charm to get away with anything he said, as long as it was delivered with a twinkle in his charismatic eye.



Of course, Parcells hasn't acquired the same Teflon shell that Ronald Reagan enjoyed throughout his political life. If anything, the Tuna's slip is out of character for a guy who at all times seems to choose his words carefully.



Finally, we could say that Parcells prefaced his comments with a "no disrespect intended" both before and after using the term. Though such a device easily could be used a cover for saying all sorts of unsavory things, the big difference between guys like Parcells and Seau, Rush Limbaugh, and Jimmy "the Greek" is that the apology came contemporaneously -- not after an uproar ensued (hell, we're not sure Limbaugh ever apologized for his Donovan McNabb statements).



In the end, Parcells' comment is (as we see it) further proof that the football industry is the last American bastion with all of the trappings (good and bad) of genuine Free Speech. Football coaches and football players don't have time for political correctness -- and harsh, profane, and/or offensive language often is necessary to get through to a group of kids who are strapping on the pads and banging heads with each other.



So we'll repeat our bottom-line sentiments regarding the Seau affair. We don't really care about any of this, when the statement are made by players or coaches. (We'll choose to hold members of the media to a higher standard, since their only job is to communicate.)



But for the same reasons that Seau's comments give us concerns regarding the extent to which gays ever will be accepted in the locker room, we wonder whether Parcells' words demonstrate an intolerance in the game of football for Asian players.



To find out, all anyone would have to do is interview one of Parcells' current players, linebacker Dat Nguyen.



WARD WANTS NEW DEAL, TOO



Some members of the Pittsburgh media believe that the Steelers have a habit of timing their announcements in an effort to overshadow (or, at a minimum, compete with) significant developments for the town's other pro sports teams. So it was with a certain degree of cynicism that some in the media regarded the announcement of the contract extension given to Tommy Maddox, which came on the same day that the Pirates selected local product Neil Walker with the 11th overall pick in the draft.



And if the Steelers were indeed looking for ways to crowd out the Pirates' decision to fulfill a hometown boy's dreams, they unexpectedly generated a separate source of news via the Maddox signing.



According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, receiver Hines Ward openly is wondering why he isn't getting a raise, too.



"Tommy got an extension. Why Tommy and not me?" Ward said. "I get paid good money, I can't deny that. But I'm in the same situation Tommy is."



The Steelers characterized Maddox's new contract as an "rare exception" to the team's rule that extensions won't be given to players with more than a year remaining on their deals.



Ward is slated to earn more than $1.6 million in 2004 under a deal that was negotiated before he became arguably one of the best receivers in the league. He'll make nearly $2.2 million in 2005. Clearly, Ward is worth more than that.



And Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette, who by all appearances is jockeying for a piece of Ward's new deal, raises an intriguing point -- since the Steelers haven't been bashful about ripping up the contracts of guys who are underperforming in comparison to their salaries (see Mark Bruener and Jerome Bettis), perhaps they should be willing to reward players who have exceeded their expectations.



The easy answer, Ed, is that it's the nature of the system. Guys outplay their deals all the time. If the team chooses to reward him, so be it. If the team instead chooses to risk a problem in the locker room or (worst-case scenario) a guy who simply wants out, like Mike McKenzie in Green Bay, it's the team's prerogative.



If it were up to us (and Steelers fans everywhere should be glad it's not), we would've held firm both as to Maddox and Ward. Why give a guy an eight-figure contract when you just drafted a quarterback in round one for the first time in a generation? Really, if it's a question of investing dollars in the future, we would've been more inclined to give the money to Ward.



But the Steelers have a method, even if to some it appears to be madness. They need Maddox to accept his role of short-term starter and long-term insurance policy. And his contract, as the quarterback market goes, is still fairly small.



Ward, as we see it, will grumble from time to time, but then he'll have another solid season in 2004 and he'll get his reward next year, in the form of a long-term deal that reflects his worth.



And the Steelers know that Ward is smart enough to realize this is the nature of the free-agency-based environment the players wanted for decades.



"It's part of the business and I just have to live with it," Ward said. "I have to play this year out and see what happens. It's out of my hands now; I have to let them deal with my agent and see where it goes from there."

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 8:05 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:45 a.m. EDT, June 9, 2004



KEYSHAWN LIVING IN THE PAST?



Word out of Big D is that receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who was traded to the Cowboys after getting sent home in November by the Bucs last season, isn't looking very good in offseason drills.



In the opinion of one league source, Johnson appears to be "living off of his hype."



It remains to be seen whether and to what extent coach Bill Parcells will tolerate Johnson if he doesn't step it up. Their history together, including several successful seasons in New York, suggests to us that the Tuna will be patient -- at least until the regular season starts.



And Johnson's spot in the starting lineup is by no means etched in stone, given that holdovers Terry Glenn and Antonio Bryant are looking sharp to date.



Of course, reports that Bryant and coach Bill Parcells got into an altercation at practice on Tuesday won't do much to elevate Bryant's status on the team. The Dallas Morning News openly speculates that the incident could get Bryant released from the team.



We're also hearing that quarterback Vinny Testaverde has looked great in his short time with the team, and that his presence apparently has prompted incumbent starter Quincy Carter to step it up.



The 'Boys will need a solid passing game to create running lanes for rookie Julius Jones, who currently is perched atop the depth chart in the backfield.



YOKO FOR HIRE



People ask us from time to time why we give Kurt Warner's wife Brenda a/k/a Yoko such a hard time.



Our standard response: Because she deserves it.



Our fallback position: Because it's fun.



The latest piece of proof to justify our pattern of picking on Mrs. Warner came from a reader who e-mailed to us a link that offers Yoko's services -- as a keynote speaker -- for up to $5,000 a clip.



Confirming that she has no independent basis for peddling her speaking skills (or lack thereof), the page prominently explains beneath her name that she is "married to NFL two-time MVP Kurt Warner."



It's literally unprecedented for any wife of any NFL player (two-time MVP or otherwise) to try to craft for herself some sort of fame and fortune based solely upon the fact that she's married to a guy that plays football. Really, we can think of no other NFL wife who has spent so much time mugging for the camera and/or publicly insinuating herself into her husband's football career.



And the pattern dates back to 1999, when Kurt Warner took the NFL by storm -- and the cameras regularly found Yoko in the crowd, usually wearing some attention-grabbing blue and yellow outfit.



As another reader recently told us, his reaction when he first saw Brenda during a game was that "Kurt's mom looks young." Yet another reader's initial reaction was (no disrespect intended) "Lesbians like football?" (No disrespect to lesbians intended.)



(Editor's Note: We've decided in light of recent events that prefacing statements that potentially insult a specific segment of society with a "no disrespect intended" disclaimer and immediately reiterating the statement after uttering the insulting phrase will avoid any untoward consequences.)



Along these same lines, we need to clarify that we're not knocking Brenda because of her apparent faith. Still, it's our belief that folks who wear that stuff on their sleeves sometimes have ulterior motives -- and we've suspected for a couple of years now that Kurt and Brenda possibly are wrapping themselves in self-professed Christianity to boost their own images within the NFL world and beyond.



And if the Christian thing is indeed for show, the facade will completely crumble, once Yoko and Kurt gets a taste of the fans and the media in New York.



WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS



Eagles WR Terrell Owens is grousing about the fact that he's required to wear shorts over his tights at practice (yeah, he's gonna work out just swell in Philly).



The Giants have hired former Bills offensive line coach Pat Ruel to assist Pat Flaherty, who learned recently that he has colon cancer.



The Lions are pleased with the work ethic of RB Kevin Jones.



DT Daryl Gardener was in Cincinnati on Monday for a physical; a tentative 4-year, $9.3 million contract has not been finalized due to concerns regarding his back.



Jaguars WR Troy Edwards says he won't hand over his starting job to rookie first-rounder Reggie Williams: "I'm a former first-rounder also," Edwards said, "and I've got some skills." ("Some" is the operative term, given that he was poop-canned by both the Steelers and the Rams before landing in Jacksonville.)



The guy who allegedly was assaulted by three Vikings players last weekend has a shoe imprint on the side of his face.



The Vikings have signed LB Keith Newman, but coach Mike Tice insists that LB E.J. Henderson and LB Mike Nattiel won't be demoted for their arrests.



The plan for DE Tony Brackens is to increase "his repetitions and his role," said coach Jack Del Rio.



LB Kendrell Bell practiced for the first time since May 7, when he injured a groin.



QB Joe Hamilton has signed a one-year deal with the Colts.



Panthers FB Brad Hoover is recovering from April hernia surgery.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 8:37 p.m. EDT, June 9, 2004



NINERS MAKE BIG OFFER TO PETERSON



The San Francisco 49ers have made a jaw-dropping contract offer to linebacker Julian Peterson, which includes the highest signing bonus ever paid by the franchise.



But G.M. Terry Donahue still doesn't think that the $15.5 million in bonus money will be enough to lure Peterson, who is represented by the increasingly notorious Poston brothers.



Donahue said that the offer will make Peterson the second-highest paid linebacker in the league, trailing only Ravens All-Pro Ray Lewis. Because, however, Donahue has offered no other details regarding the deal, it's impossible at this point to verify whether the offer exceeds the deals signed last year by Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher or by Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington.



Technically, negotiations cannot resume until after July 15, given Peterson's status as a franchise player. (If he were to sign a long-term deal before July 15, the 49ers would lose the franchise tag for the life of the contract.) But even after July 15, Donahue doesn't expect a protracted back-and-forth.



"There really isn't a whole lot to discuss," Donahue said. "We've gone where we can go. We've made a very, very competitive offer."



Though the number falls short of the $30 million bonus that the Postons supposedly requested in February, statements made by the Postons regarding the ongoing Orlando Pace negotiations suggest that they intentionally aimed high, with an eye toward moving downward. The question is whether they'll take $15.5 million to sign -- and whatever other terms are in the offer.



It'll also be interesting to see how the offer compares to the deal signed in December by Postons client Arrington. As we reported several weeks back, the 49ers clued the Postons in to the allegedly missing $6.5 million roster bonus in the Arrington contract, presumably because the Postons were looking for something in the same ballpark for Peterson.



If a long-term deal can't be reached, Peterson probably will report on the eve of the regular-season opener and sign his one-year franchise tender, which is worth more than $6 million in 2004 salary.

[POJO_Risin]

Pittsburgh shouldn't have given Maddox that contract...

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 7:34 a.m. EDT, June 11, 2004



COWHER CHANGING HIS TUNE ON BURRESS?



After weeks of taking a kid-glove approach to AWOL receiver Plaxico Burress (and before any of you send us e-mails explaining that the minicamp practices he's been missing since May 18 technically aren't "mandatory," we all know by now that the "voluntary" label is meaningless), Steelers coach Bill Cowher finally is suggesting that Burress has hurt himself by not being involved in offseason workouts.



Cowher on Thursday refused to confirm that Burress is guaranteed a starting job with the Steelers, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.



The feeling around the league is that recent statements of discontent by receiver Hines Ward, who is busting his butt under a contract that he has outplayed, might have been triggered by the contract given to starting quarterback Tommy Maddox, but that the root of the problem is that Burress has by all appearances gotten a pass for essentially telling the team to shove it over the past month.

"The one thing I said is these aren't like the days of old when you had three or four weeks to get ready," Cowher said. "I mean, you have to come ready to hit the ground running."

Further complicating matters is that new offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt plans to move Ward and Burress around this year, in lieu of starting them from the same receiver position on every play. To get ready for the regular season, the receivers need to be working together in these new formations now.

Still, Cowher's suggestion that Burress has hurt himself likely was a calculated response to recent hints by Hines Ward that he might express his displeasure with his contract status by staying away from training camp.



Ward likely also realizes that any money that he might receive after the 2004 season, when only one year will be remaining on his contract, could be diverted to Burress, especially if (as we've recently explained) Plax's recent behavior causes teams to shy away from him when he hits the market -- and the Steelers begin to realize that they might be able to afford him.



Even if the Steelers can, in the end, afford Burress, any long-term investment in him surely will affect the money available for Ward.



Though we don't know whether Cowher's comments on Burress indicate that the team has decided to consider seriously the possibility of trading Burress, the coach's comments are noteworthy based solely on the fact that, in our recollection, it's the first time he has said anything remotely negative in public regarding the team's first-round pick in 2000.



FINAL THOUGHTS ON OBEN



In a strange way, we're glad to see that there are so many of you who are willing to put down the sushi plate and pick up the fight for your beloved San Diego Chargers. In response to our two recent dissings of a franchise that somehow made it to the Super Bowl a decade ago, we've received many e-mails from fans and assorted nitwits who take great issue with our comments regarding their beloved 'Bolts.



Many of these e-mails question our report that the Chargers got fleeced out of a fifth-round pick for left tackle Roman Oben. But the fact that the guy has been (key words: "has been") a starter for a team that won a Super Bowl doesn't mean that he merits a job in San Diego, or that a draft pick should be sacrificed to get him. The suggestion that Oben automatically merits such consideration reminds us of Steve Spurrier's concession from last season that the Redskins signed Byron Chamberlain based essentially on the fact that they'd heard of him.



One of the communications we received on Thursday confirmed the accuracy of our report, and it came from an NFL scout, who probably has the credentials to comment on matters of this nature.



As the scout said: "If the NFL cannot find 32 left tackles that are worth a shit, why do the Chargers feel Tampa had two of them?"



That pretty much sums it up, in our view. Should they have tried to sign Oben if/when he was cut by the Bucs? Sure. Should they have given up a fifth-round draft pick to get him? Probably not.



TROTTER STILL WAITING



Despite rumors linking veteran free-agent linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to the Bengals, Giants, and Seahawks, the former Pro Bowl and Philly franchise player is waiting for a new home, ten days after hitting the free-agent market.



Word around the league is that concerns about Trotter's weight and knee are keeping interest in him relatively low. Though he's still young at 27, he has taken a beating in his career, and the concern is that he's got not much tread left on the tire.



Our guess is that he'll stay on the shelf until he realizes that he won't be getting a $35 million contract. Instead, our guess is that he'll get a short-term deal from a team willing to let him prove that he still can play.



FRIDAY ONE-LINERS



Bucs QB-for-now Brad Johnson is still trying to fend off rumors that Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen are looking to replace him.



Vikings CB Eric Kelly wants to be released after getting bumped off of the second team by Rushen Jones.



By all appearances, the Packers are hoping that CB Mike McKenzie eventually will decide to re-join the team.



Chargers C Jason Ball wants to be traded.



POSTED 10:38 p.m. EDT, June 10, 2004



TEXANS TALKIN' TURD-KEY WITH TUNA



A league source tells that the Houston Texans have contacted the Dallas Cowboys regarding disgruntled receiver Antonio Bryant. We're also hearing that several other teams have inquired about the third-year receiver. "Every team that needs a receiver has called," another source said.



Though the 'Boys and the 'Xans are geographic rivals, their placement in separate conferences causes them to meet on the field only once every four years. Thus, the 'Boys would be more likely to ship Bryant to Houston than, say, to Philly or D.C., both of which teams the Cowboys see twice per year.



And a trade of Bryant to Houston would represent the second Texas two-step that these two franchises have danced this spring, with the Texans sending quarterback Drew Henson to the Cowboys for a third-round draft pick.



Our guess is that the Cowboys initially will try to recoup that third-rounder, arguing that the Texans surely would have traded Henson for Bryant straight up, if that were the deal on the table at the time.



Meanwhile, Bryant reportedly is in Miami as the team wraps up minicamp sessions. Following the Tuesday altercation, Bryant has not been at practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and he won't be present on Friday.



Bryant's mother, Irene, is trying to talk some sense into her prodigal son. "I talked to Antonio for an hour last night," Mrs. Bryant said. "I told him that respect has to be given before it is received. I'm hoping and praying for the best."



Yet another league source tells us that the episode is the result of resentment on Bryant's part regarding newcomer Keyshawn Johnson, whom Bryant believes is the recipient of favoritism on the part of coach Bill Parcells. Before the Johnson-for-Galloway trade, it widely was assumed that Joey Galloway would be dumped, permitting Bryant to crack into the starting lineup.



We've confirmed that the situation turned ugly on Tuesday when Bryant threw his jersey in Tuna's face. Bryant also tried, we're told, to continue his assault on Parcells as Bryant was being thrown out of the team's practice facility.



The players, we're told, are behind Parcells on this one, which indicates that Bryant likely won't be back, under any set of circumstances.



The irony in all of this, as we see it, is that Bryant was third on the depth chart behind two veterans who know a thing or two about falling out of favor -- and getting run out of town. Though we're hearing that the league in general is becoming less willing to give second chances to guys who have demonstrated turdish behavior, both Keyshawn and Terry Glenn have made the most to date of their second chances.



The question at this point is whether Bryant will.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 9:46 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:16 a.m. EDT, June 12, 2004



CHARGERS DUO IS AWOL



A pair of starters along San Diego's offensive line didn't show up for the team's final mandatory minicamp of the offseason.



Center Jason Ball and guard Toniu Fonoti were AWOL from Friday's opening session, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Ball is unhappy with his contract, and Fonoti reportedly has checked into a weight-loss clinic in the hopes of leaving behind more than a few of his 400 or so pounds.



"It's a setback, no question," G.M. A.J. Smith said. "But we'll move on. There's nothing else we can do."



Smith apparently is also applying that shoulder-shrugging attitude to the roster in general. Though he promised several weeks back that the team would be looking to add players via trades and free agency, he now says they'll likely go into the season with the guys that they currently have.



"Now maybe there will be some late cuts by other teams and a veteran may become available and we'll look at him," Smith said. "But we're pretty much where we are as a team."



And "where they are" as a team includes having 40 percent of the starting O-line unavailable for the last round of mandatory drills before training camp opens.



Given these realities, Nick Canepa of the U-T isn't bashful about projecting "where they'll be" come January:

"Generally, when you look at an NFL team's schedule, you can scribble a 'W' here and there. . . . Not this time. Try as I might, I can't find one. . . . I'm not saying there won't be one, I just can't see where it is. Going 0-16 in The League is more difficult than getting to 16-0, but it could be easier to find Jimmy Hoffa than a victory among these ruins."

Amen, paisan. Amen.

COWBOYS PLANNING TO TRADE BRYANT?

While some members of the media suggest that the Cowboys won't trade or release Antonio Bryant in the aftermath of his jersey-to-the-face routine with head coach Bill Parcells, the objective evidence suggests that, at this point, it will require some serious begging, groveling, and butt-smooching to bring Bryant back to Big D. And that might not be enough.

Really, it's hard to place any credence in what ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli has to say about the situation, since Pasquarelli was openly miffed about then-ESPN colleague Parcells' failure to gift-wrap to the network scoop regarding his secret meetings with Dallas owner Jerry Jones in late 2002. (The story was broken by CBS.) Pasquarelli at one point said in a radio appearance that Parcells should have been summarily fired for not sharing the info regarding his flirtations with the Cowboys while still getting paid by ESPN.

It's also possible that someone within the organization is feeding misinformation to Pasquarelli, in the hopes of creating the impression that the Cowboys aren't interested in trading Bryant, thereby preventing teams from thinking he can be had for a seventh-rounder and a bowl of chili.

Others think that Bryant's days in Dallas indeed are numbered. We reported on Thursday that the Cowboys are receiving trade inquiries, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirms that the team is indeed fielding trade offers for the third-year receiver.

The acquisition of receiver Dedric Ward also fuels the notion that a spot will be open on the depth chart. Ward, a former Parcells draft pick who drew no interest from any other team after a one-catch season with the Pats in 2003, signed a one-year, $600,000 deal on Friday.

"He and coach Parcells had a lengthy conversation about [his role]," said Ward's agent, Stephen Hayes. "Dedric left that meeting feeling very strong about his opportunity in Dallas."

Did we mention that Bryant will earn only $380,000 in 2004?

Bryant's agent, Peter Schaffer, is doing his best to get the situation under control. "Antonio does not want to go anywhere," Schaffer told the Star-Telegram. "He's a Dallas Cowboy. That's the way we view it. His hope is that things can be worked out."

Schaffer also made no requests or demands on Bryant's behalf. "If they want to trade him, they can. If they want to release him, they can. We are not going to ask for those things, but we have no control over that if they do."

The more we think about it, the less we can see Parcells welcoming back into the fold a guy who ventured past a line that never, ever should be crossed. The irony here is that, while Parcells received a fairly quick free pass for his "Jap plays" comments from Monday, he's unlikely to be as charitable to Bryant for launching his own surprise attack with a sweaty jersey rolled into a ball.

Reflecting on the great coaches of the past, would any of them tolerated such behavior? Halas would've killed the guy on the spot. Lombardi would've had Ray Nitchske kill him. Other coaches might have been less violent in response, but of guys like Landry, Noll, Shula, Gibbs, and Walsh, we can't think of any of them that would have kept Bryant around.

After all, great coaches believe in their hearts that they can overcome the absence of a great player. And they can. Bryant, despite having great potential, simply isn't good enough yet to be indispensable. For that reason, we don't think Parcells will give him another chance.

And before Bryant scribbles "shot at redemption in Dallas" on his Christmas list, he needs to think about whether he really, truly wants to go to training camp with a guy like Parcells, after pissing him off. One way or another, Parcells will make an example out of Bryant. If we were Antonio, we wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the endless grief he'll suffer if he gets a chance to return.

From Parcells' perspective, it'd be smart to ride Bryant endlessly and relentlessly. Like a colt that's been chomping on loco weed, Bryant needs to be broken, once and for all. It'll be easy for Bryant to say that he won't be acting up in the future -- it'll be another for him to bite his tongue (and hold his jersey) with the Tuna in his face constantly from the day camp opens until the final preseason game -- and beyond.

SATURDAY ONE-LINERS

Unable to trade TE Mikhael Ricks, the Lions have dumped him; look for the 'Skins to consider Ricks for the pass-catching tight end role they envisioned for potential draft pick Kellen Winslow.

The Vikings were impressed with the "raw ability" of former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar, who worked out for them on Friday, and the Vikes haven't ruled out signing him (but can he pass a pee test?).

Though he could piss-and-moan like many of his NFL brethren, Tom Brady isn't complaining about the fact the market for quarterback deals makes him grossly underpaid; Brady's bigger concern seems to be the eventual departure of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.

Cowboys backup RB Erik Bickerstaff torn an Achilles' tendon on Friday and is done for the year.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out that QB Tommy Maddox's new contract is still below-average for NFL starting quarterbacks (which in our view is fitting, since Maddox is as below-average starting quarterback).

QB Drew Brees is No. 1 on the Chargers' depth chart, and Doug Flutie is No. 2; but rookie Philip Rivers got the same number of snaps in Friday's practice.

The Pats and LB Tedy Bruschi could be close to an extension.

Rams rookie DB Jason Shivers apparently slipped from round three to round five due to a pre-combine DUI.

The Rams have signed former Giants OL Jeff Hatch.

From the "Disturbing Images that Will Rob Us of Sleep" file, Eagles coach Andy Reid says that WR Terrell Owens can wear tights without shorts at practice if he scores 15 touchdowns this season -- and that if T.O. enters the end zone 15 times, Reid will wear tights to practice, too. (It's still better than the notion of Jon Gruden parading around in a jock strap if the Bucs had repeated last season.)

POSTED 9:25 p.m. EDT, June 11, 2005

LAW GOT SMART ABOUT THE POSTONS?



Anyone remotely familiar with this here site knows that we've been devoting plenty of e-space to the trials and tribulations of the brothers Poston, who have had their mitts in more controversy this offseason than many agents enjoy in an entire career.



But we hardly can be accused of unfairly trumpeting the troubles that the Postons have experienced, due in large part to the fact that they seem to revel in conflict, even when their claims are patently implausible.



And with the stunning about-face that Patriots cornerback Ty Law pulled on Thursday, re-embracing a franchise he not long ago rejected, it's hard for us not to conclude that some of the Postons' clients are starting to realize that the agents' strategies might not be working. Really, the first cracks in the facade appeared several weeks back, when Rams tackle Orlando Pace hinted that the demands made by the Postons to the Rams were higher than what he wanted, and that Pace would've been interested in the bonus ballpark at which the Postons scoffed.



More recently, defensive back Terrell Buckley opted to go his own way in negotiating a one-year minimum salary deal with the Pats -- saving more than $20,000 in agent fees and prompting some league insiders to question whether the Postons' fairly should have been taking a full fee from T-Buck over the past years for similar one-year, no-brainer, veteran minimum contracts.



Regardless of the reasons, the end result was downright uncanny. "A lot of things said about me were taken out of context," Law declared on Thursday. "You know my personality and who I am. I'm all about the Patriots, but at the same time I was concerned that if it didn't work out here I'm a football player that can play anywhere, but I'd like to play here and retire as a Patriot. . . . I'm very happy to be a part of this team."



On behalf of the entire sports media, Ty, we're sorry that your comments such as "Bill Belichick told me a lie" and "I don't want to play for the Patriots" were misconstrued. We now realize that what you really said was that "Bill Belichick bought me a tie" and "I don't want to play for (anyone but) the Patriots."



Oops.



Seriously, though, our guess is that someone whom Law respects (T-Buck, perhaps?) had a long talk with Ty about his future in the NFL, and about his current contract in New England that will pay him multiple millions of dollars this year and next year. And while we continue to believe that NFL players will never acknowledge to having sub-par representation for fear of taking endless grief from their colleagues, it could be that some are realizing that they can exert control over the situation without firing the agents or otherwise conceding to the world that they've gotten piss-poor advice in the past.



Really, if Law's 180-degree change of course had its origins in the Postons' brains, wouldn't we have heard about the change of heart from them and not from Ty? Instead, the Postons have been conspicuously (and uncharacteristically) silent ever since Law restated his dedication and devotion to the Pats.



COUCH TO GREEN BAY HARDLY A LOCK



Many readers have asked us why we've had nothing to say about the decision of the Browns to release quarterback Tim Couch. We've said nothing about it because we've got nothing to say.



Okay, maybe we do. (Hey, it worked for Ty Law.)



Those who presume that the move enhances the likelihood that Couch will sign with the Packers haven't been following the story with sufficient attention and/or brain power. The biggest stumbling block wasn't the issue of compensation between the Packers and the Browns, but the question of bonus money and salary to be paid to Couch by the Pack.



So the fact that the Packers don't have to give up a mid-to-low-round draft pick has no relevance to the question of whether they'll break the impasse with Couch and agent Tom Condon. Couch doesn't want to sit the bench for more than a season, and he wants to be paid like a starter in 2005. With coach/G.M. Mike Sherman paying Wizard-of-Oz type deference to current starter Brett Favre regarding his retirement plans, the Pack simply don't know whether they'll need a replacement for Favre in 2005, 2006, or 2007.



But with Favre firmly in place for 2004, there's no need for Couch to rush into anything in Green Bay. Instead, we predict that Couch will wait for a starter's ACL and/or Achilles' and/or ankle to go snap and/or crackle and/or pop at some point between the opening of training camp and the start of the regular season. If that happens, someone will be knocking on Couch's door with the promise of a chance to leap frog the No. 2 guy on the roster, giving Couch a chance to put up good stats in 2004 -- and to hit the open market in March, when more than a handful of teams will be willing to overpay for the "hot" free agents.



It's a low-risk gamble for Couch, whose options in Green Bay likely won't disappear even if he calls them as late as September 10 and says he's ready to join the squad. Though the Pack have huffed and puffed from time to time about putting a hard deadline on the discussions with Couch, the truth is that there's no one else out there with the right combination of potential and age to inherit the position of Favre's eventual successor.



VIDEO PRICE WAR COMING?



For folks like us who can only get their offseason fix of football action courtesy of a PS2 or an Xbox, Sega has launched the first strike in a price war that could revolutionize the video game industry.



After days of speculation that the initial $19.99 list price for ESPN Football 2K5 was an error, the number has been confirmed as accurate.



The Sega/ESPN franchise has been trying for the past few years to compete with the EA Sports' Madden juggernaut, and someone at Sega apparently has concluded that the only way to beat Madden is to undercut him.



We're not so sure about the logic, since the price drop will ensure that most hard-core NFL video game aficionados (like us) will buy both Madden 2005 and ESPN 2K5 come August. With Madden likely priced at $49.99, the total expense for both games of $69.98 is a downright bargain.



But it'll be interesting to see whether EA carves away at its price tag for Madden -- and whether Sega will apply the same approach to its other ESPN sports games.



Another factor that the folks at Sega might be overlooking is recent marriage of EA Sports and Xbox Live, which likely will prompt more folks to buy the Xbox version of Madden and the other EA Sports titles. Then again, the looming explosion of EA Sports games on Xbox Live might have been the impetus for the price cut.



Bottom line: Lower prices are a good thing, and the $19.99 tag for ESPN 2K5 guarantees that we'll be checking out this year's version of the No. 2 NFL video franchise, which could eventually end up being No. 1.



And for any of you who'll be trolling the lobbies of Xbox Live looking for a butt-whupping, look for us under a gamer tag that you'll surely recognize.

[POJO_Risin]

Jesus Christ...19.99 for anew game...I hope they kill Madden...and drop that price...sweet as hell....

Fuck Burress...have I said that before?

[Troy]

You need to buy that game then!

I've always liked Sega's NFL games better than Madden. I guess it's like Ford vs. Chevy...

[POJO_Risin]

Is 2005 out yet?

if not...I'm going to get it...

[BrownSound1]

Sega has made constant bad decisions since they won the 16-bit market with the Genesis. I love Sega's games, but they just can't seem to get it together so they can get back to prominence. Plus, their football games, I dunno, just always seemed a step behind EA.