I do Love Madden and like how the college game and the pro game for XBox transers over...so if you are doing Dynasty mode...your players can contine into the NFL...that's some solid shit...
I do Love Madden and like how the college game and the pro game for XBox transers over...so if you are doing Dynasty mode...your players can contine into the NFL...that's some solid shit...
"Van Halen was one of the most hallelujah, tailgate, backyard, BBQ, arrive four hours early to the gig just for the parking lot bands. And still to this day is. It's an attitude. I think it's a spirit more than anything else is."
I would agree with you BS...but I like the thought of Madden getting tested with the #2 game dropping their price...
If Madden even comes down 10 bucks...well...we make out...
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:11 a.m. EDT, June 14, 2004
BALL DISPUTE ABOUT MORE THAN MONEY?
A league source tells us that Chargers center Jason Ball wants out of San Diego not just because he wants a long-term deal, but because he's unhappy with the direction of the franchise.
Hey, has the kid been talking to Archie Manning or something?
Per the source, Ball could ignite discussions toward a long-term contract with the Chargers if he merely reports to training camp. And that stance by the Chargers is a departure from the position we're told they took in February, when they told Ball there would be no talks on a long-term deal.
Because he's an exclusive rights free agent who has not yet signed his one-year, $380,000 tender offer, Ball is under no obligation to participate in any team activities, since he simply isn't under contract. If he were to play out the 2004 season, his third NFL year, he'd be eligible for restricted free agency in 2005.
Ball can report to the team on the eve of the regular season opener, sign his tender, and still receive $380,000 in salary this year. Likewise, he can show up for the final six games, get a prorated salary, and secure his fourth year of credited NFL service, preserving his eligibility for free agency.
If, on the other hand, the Chargers get sufficiently miffed by his looming absence from training camp and rescind the tender offer, he'll become an unrestricted free agent now.
In our view, this is the natural consequence of the Chargers' decision to cave in to Eli Manning in April, when the No. 1 pick in the draft said he didn't want to come to San Diego. It set a bad precedent for the Chargers, who now must decide whether to take a hard line with an undrafted gem who started eight games in 2003 at center before an ankle injury knocked him out for the balance of the season.
NINERS PLAYING PETERSON PROPERLY?
We like the idea of putting the bottom-line offer to a player on the table when faced with a ridiculous demand from his agents, since it forces the kid to walk away from a lot more than he would under the traditional back-and-forth dialogue, since the process when the starting number is insanely high breaks down before the team ponies up any real money. That's precisely what the 49ers did last week when, in the face of a request for a $30 million bonus for franchise player Julian Peterson, the Niners offered a deal with $15.5 million up front -- and G.M. Terry Donahue announced their intentions to the free world.
As one league insider explained to us, the team's decision to make the offer public likely was intended to pressure Peterson's agents, Carl and Kevin Poston, to take advantage of the opportunity to prove that they're not hopelessly unreasonable, as events of the past few months have suggested. And the move also might have been specifically prompted by reports that Rams franchise player Orlando Pace might have been willing to accept the money the Rams reportedly were willing to offer, if the negotiations hadn't been derailed by yet another Postons moon-shot demand.
Still, not everyone thinks the strategy is sound. As another league insider told us, "I don't like the idea of negotiating through the media," and "I'm not crazy about the money that [the 49ers] are offering . . . . I don't think that he's THAT good. He's not that type of a difference maker."
The insider shared another nugget of wisdom with us: "Be careful how rich you make a dumb guy."
Peterson notched a score of 8 when he took the Wonderlic test, landing him somewhere between a bowl of tepid Jello and a busted transistor radio on the overall intelligence hierarchy. And for anyone who's ever been privy to Peterson's appearances on the NFL Network, our guess is you'd rather see the wiggly green stuff on the stool next to Rich Eisen.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:33 a.m. EDT, June 15, 2004
'BOYS LEANING TOWARD KEEPING BRYANT?
In response to our weekend analysis of the chances of Cowboys receiver Antonio Bryant sticking around in Dallas after stuffing his jersey in the face of coach Bill Parcells last Tuesday, a source in Big D tells us that current indications are that the team will find a way to work with the third-year receiver, due in large part to his potential.
"This kid is way too talented just to let go," the source said. "Bill knows that this kid has talent. I believe in my heart that he is going to try and work with him."
The source also said that the final paragraph of our Saturday story might in the end carry the most truth -- Parcells, if he keeps Bryant, will try to break him, once and for all.
Others beyond Dallas think that the Cowboys merely are attempting to drive up the trade market for Bryant, and that they'll move him during training camp, perhaps after a team or two loses a starting receiver to injury. This strategy also would permit the Cowboys to seek and/or to obtain a replacement at a lower cost.
Our current thinking is that Bryant probably will be back, even though Antonio's direct assault on the freaking head coach has crossed a line that pulls the NFL even closer to that morass of miscreants known as the NBA.
NO PADS IN COWBOYS PRACTICE
ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli recently teased his readers with the notion that the Cowboys might have been wearing shoulder pads in practice, based on initial reports regarding the Bryant fiasco that he threw his jersey and pads. As explained in Pasquarelli's oft-tedious Tip Sheet, the 'Boys pulled a Roswell on this one, engineering the prompt removal of any reference to the pads from all public accounts of the incident, in order to avoid potential scrutiny of the league office and/or the NFLPA.
Possibly in an intentionally deft piece of non-reporting, Pasquarelli has fueled speculation regarding the used of pads at Cowboys offseason practice by not tracking down the truth and presenting it.
So we've finished the job for him: A team source tells us unequivocally that the Cowboys were not wearing pads.
"This team was not in pads," said the source. "If our beat writers were worth a sh-t, they would have done more than guess that we were in pads. Like maybe they could have asked two or three or four other sources."
Our source also pointed out that the practices are now taped. Thus, it would be easy for the NFL or the union to prove that teams are wearing pads when they shouldn't be.
COUCH, PACKERS WORK OUT A DEAL
A few days back, we suggested that the recent release of Tim Couch by the Browns didn't mean that he'd quickly reach a deal with the Packers, since the hang-up in past discussions wasn't the issue of compensation between the teams, but between the Pack and Couch.
So on Monday, Couch and the Packers reached agreement on a one-year deal.
In lieu of a $7.6 million salary that Couch would have earned in Cleveland this year, he'll receive $1.25 million, plus incentives, in Green Bay. This will allow Couch to look for a starting job in March 2005, if Packers starter Brett Favre doesn't decide to retire following the 2004 season.
TUESDAY ONE-LINERS
The Dolphins are expected to reduce DE Adewale Ogunleye's tender offer from $1.8 million to $412,000, which will protect the team in the event he decides to show up only for the minimum number of games to qualify for free agency in 2005.
Vikings RB Michael Bennett is "faster than ever" and taking on a leadership role in Minnesota.
Free-agent LB Jason Gildon is meeting with the Bills on Tuesday.
Panthers LB Mark Fields is back on the practice field after fighting Hodgkin's Disease.
Giants TE Jeremy Shockey is seeking a second opinion on his injured right foot.
Miami G.M. Rick Spielman says that the Fins aren't interested in trading for Cowboys WR Antonio Bryant.
Giants QB Kurt Warner thinks that his wobbly passes and confusion regarding the offense are related to his lack of familiarity with the team's offense (and we think these problems are related to the fact that he's lost it -- and it ain't never comin' back).
Giants coach Tom Coughlin is trying to show RB Tiki Barber how to avoid dropping the ball.
Beyond the $2 million signing bonus, the contract extension given to Steelers QB Tommy Maddox doesn't pay him much more money than his old deal -- unless he's able to keep Ben Roethlisberger on the bench for most of the next four seasons (and play really well).
The Titans are expecting RB Eddie George to attend team workouts that open on Tuesday.
No...and no...to the last statement about freakin' Maddox...
Roethlisberger will be starting by week 10...and Maddox will be selling Va life insurance...
That's a bet.....
Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee Roth
The extension is a smoke screen, he'll never see that money and will only earn slightly more than he would have this season.
Clock is running on Maddox.
and running quickly...
Okay Va...gee...lets see...what to bet...hmmm...how about some beer...lmfao...there's a stretch...
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 7:10 a.m. EDT, June 16, 2004
CBA GLITCH LIMITS BALL, OGUNLEYE
At least two current NFL players have threatened to refrain from signing current contract offers until only six regular season games remain, since six games on the roster is the magic number for picking up a year's credit toward free agency.
Specifically, Chargers center Jason Ball intends to delay signing his one-year, exclusive rights tender, and Dolphins defensive end Adewale Ogunleye plans to delay signing his restricted free agent tender until the last possible minute, meaning holdout of up to ten weeks.
Ten weeks, however, could be three weeks too many.
A league source has pointed out to us a glitch in the collective bargaining agreement that could be used to prevent Ball and Ogunleye from picking up credit for 2004. Specifically, Article XXXII, Section 4(c)(iii) of the CBA permits players such as Ball (who has "two but less than three Accrued Seasons") and Ogunleye (an Article XIX Restricted Free Agent who has been given the required tender) to be placed on the so-called "roster exempt" list until the day following the third regular season game after he signs his contract, if he shows up after the fourth preseason game.
This means that, if Ball and/or Ogunleye show up after Week Ten in order to get their requisite six games, the Chargers and/or the Dolphins can drop them onto the roster exempt list and prevent them from meeting this goal.
The Miami Herald vaguely alludes to this dynamic in its Wednesday edition, but provides no details for its suggestion that the possibility of a "three-game suspension" would require Ogunleye to report after seven games instead of his original plan of missing ten. It's not a suspension per se, but placement on the roster exempt list operate in the same manner, keeping the player from getting paid and from getting credit for the three weeks that he spends on the roster exempt list after showing up.
In order to place a player on the roster exempt list, the team must give the player written notice of its intention to do so at least five days prior to the second preseason game.
Though the CBA seems to suggest that the exemption is automatic, the source has indicated that placement on the roster exempt list might require the exemption to be formally granted by the league office. (We'll get more info on this point.)
The source also told us that he is not aware of a team ever using the exemption to keep a player from qualifying for free agency.
"I do not recall ever seeing this done for this reason," the source said. "In the few instances I can recall, the exemption was granted in the early part of the season so a late reporting player -- or otherwise activated player such as from [the] Reserve/Left Squad [list] -- can work out and the team gets to devote that
roster spot to someone available to play. In these cases, there was enough of the season left that an accrued season was not in jeopardy."
In Ogunleye's case, the reduction of his tender by the Dolphins from $1.8 million to $412,000 suggests that the team will take advantage of any rules available to it under the current system.
In Ball's case, well, it's the Chargers. We're confident that they'll find a way to screw up their ability to screw him out of qualifying for restricted free agency in 2005.
WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS
LB Jason Gildon could end up in Buffalo as a pass-rushing end in their 4-3 alignment.
Titans rookie DE Bo Schobel, who was slated to replace Jevon Kearse, has broken the fifth metatarsal in his right foot; it's the same injury that Kearse suffered in 2002.
Giants RB Tiki Barber thinks he can be another Marshall Faulk in Tom Coughlin's offense (we scoffed at that same possibility three years ago, when it was suggested that Priest Holmes would become Dick Vermeil's new Faulk in K.C.).
Titans DT Albert Haynesworth is back in the team's good graces after losing nearly 30 pounds over the last six weeks.
Gildon in Buffalo?
Now that would be interesting...
Barber and Holmes are two different backs...ie...Holmes holds onto the ball...
Barber needs stick 'em...
Go ahead, twist my arm....Originally posted by POJO_Risin
and running quickly...
Okay Va...gee...lets see...what to bet...hmmm...how about some beer...lmfao...there's a stretch...
OK, OK !!!!
Alright...winner gets a case...and loser gets a case...
sounds good...
2 cases for all...lmfao...
Hey chainz...you get any other rumors other than football...with the deadline in baseball creaping closer and closer...and some big names out there...wondering if you had anything going there...
and hoops too...
Malone's already gone the free agent route...and Kobe is going there...and McGrady is setting to make a decision...
just curious...
I haven't really taken the time to search out a good hoop or baseball rumor mill-ish site.Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Hey chainz...you get any other rumors other than football...with the deadline in baseball creaping closer and closer...and some big names out there...wondering if you had anything going there...
and hoops too...
Malone's already gone the free agent route...and Kobe is going there...and McGrady is setting to make a decision...
just curious...
I know that Malone has stated that if he cannot be absolutely 100% by training camp next season, he is retiring, and at 40 or 41, he should be thinking about it anyway. He missed 39 games this season, maybe he is at the end of the road.
I'm sure Kobe can afford to take the max from another team other than the Lakers, which is 7 years, $103 Million I believe, and with the Larry Bird rule, the Lakes could go as high as $140 for the same.
The Lakers need shooters. Kobe is the only guy they have that can create his own offense, but isn't the most consistent shooter from the outside. He seems like he has to take a minimum of 25 shots per game (being nice with that #), but few are from 3, and isn't a serious threat like say a Reggie Miller.
Payton is gone IMO, Malone too. Shaq may force a trade, he has said as much. Big off season for the Lake Show.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 9:00 a.m. EDT, June 17, 2004
ROOKIE WRANGLING ON THE HORIZON?
A league insider predicts that the coming wave of rookie contract negotiations could be the most contentious and acrimonious ever.
Per the source, many teams already are setting the stage for the use of deals at least four years in length on an across-the-board basis. The Browns have gone a step farther starting last season, forcing rookies to sign five-year deals.
Four-year rookie contracts help teams avoid the restricted free agent tender conundrum, since the player is still under contract when the team otherwise would be deciding the specific level of the offer to make after the three-year contract expires, factoring in the risk that someone will swoop in and sign him.
Five-year deals take the proposition a step farther, essentially wiping out the player's first year of unrestricted free agency.
The problem with these deals is that, for the guys who'll blossom in the NFL, they're trading in the chances for a huge payday after three seasons (see Laveranues Coles) in exchange for a relatively minor bump in their rookie signing bonuses. Last season, the NFLPA circulated a memo explaining to agents the dangers of these four-year deals, but it looks like they'll become somewhat of a fixture in the NFL as more and more teams cram them down players' throats.
Another problem this season, as we mentioned a few weeks back, is that the lack of an extension to the collective bargaining agreement shortens by one the number of seasons over which the signing bonuses of first-round picks can be prorated, resulting in bigger 2004 cap numbers for these players. Since the 2004 rookie pool won't be increasing significantly over 2003, it'll be harder for teams to get all of their rookies signed to deals that stay under the allotment of cash available for their first seasons.
NFL EUROPE A WASTE OF TIME?
There's an increasing feeling in league circles that a tour of duty in NFL Europe has become, in essence, a waste of time for players trying to develop their skills.
Why, you ask? The expansion of offseason workout programs means that players who spend a couple of months in the land of stinky armpits will miss out on much of the preparations for the coming season.
With the exception of quarterbacks, who often need the live reps in game situations in order to truly reach their maximum skill level, most players are better off staying with their NFL teams from February through June.
This could, in time, spell the end of the NFL's long-term European experiment, possibly prompting the creation of a true minor league in second-tier American cities that would play its season at the same time the NFL season unfolds.
OBSERVATIONS ON TEAM TALENT
Since it's a bit sssslow right now around the NFL, we've been trying to gin up some stuff worth reporting -- short of just making things up.
So we asked one NFL personnel department for their thoughts on the most talented rosters in the league. The following five teams were identified, not necessarily in this order: Packers, Panthers, Ravens, Chiefs, and Steelers.
Whether or not, of course, these teams are successful in 2004 depends largely on coaching and injuries.
The Steelers arguably are the most surprising addition to this list, given an offensive line that played poorly in 2003 and unsettled backfields on both sides of the ball. Still, they've got a solid group of linebackers, a respectable defensive line, and one of the best trios of receivers in the league -- if, of course, two of them show up this year.
We also asked for a list of the most improved teams. Here's what we were told, again in no specific order: Jaguars, Raiders (because of talent infusion), and Cardinals (because of new coach).
The two worst teams by way of talent? The Browns and (you guessed it) the Chargers.
THURSDAY ONE-LINERS
The Packers are trying to decide whether to pay DE Jamal Reynolds a $217,500 roster bonus next month, or cut him.
Pats LB Tedy Bruschi has signed a contract extension that will pay him $8.1 million over four years, with a $3.5 million bonus.
The Jags are in line to be the first subjects of a Hard Knocks-style training camp documentary on the NFL Network.
The Ravens unveiled alternative all black uniforms that they will wear once this season (several players on the team could be wearing on a more regular basis a slightly modified version more sporting a series of white stripes).
The Jaguars say that they are closely monitoring the situation between the Dolphins and DE Adewale Ogunleye, in the event the Fins decide to trade him.
Vikings Hall-of-Fame S Paul Krause is still miffed that the team hasn't retired his number 22 jersey; Vikings fans are still miffed that Krause, who says that coach Bud Grant told him "Don't get beat deep" and "You're the last guy back there," was nothing more than a bystander to the Staubach-Pearson Hail Mary in 1975, which pulled the plug on arguably the best Vikings team ever.
Lakers: Malone declines option
by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com
Thursday, June 17, 2004
News
Lakers forward Karl Malone became a free agent on Wednesday by failing to inform the team that he would exercise his $1.65 million option. Agent Dwight Manley told the Associated Press that if Malone plays for anyone next season, if would be the Lakers. "The first priority for him is we're going to meet with doctors this week and have MRIs done on both legs, specifically his right leg," Manley said. "He has made it clear he won't play if he's not 100 percent healthy. I believe his heart and his competitive juices are in L.A. because he came so far and was such a factor in the Lakers' success." Malone averaged 13.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 42 games He missed 39 games due to a torn ligament in his right knee and injured the joint again in the playoffs.
Views
Malone likely needs surgery to repair his knee, so it's certainly not a given that he'll be 100 percent over the summer and looking into next season. We'd expect Karl to take a lot of time making a decision. He'll wait too see how rehab goes and what moves the Lakers make. He's still 1,459 points (17.8 points per game over 82 games) behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the all-time list, and we have to believe that remains a motivating factor.
I would have to believe that two things would happen with Malone
1. He resigns with the Lakers in a reserved role...looking to stay healthy for the playoffs...
2. He ends up back in Utah for one more year...and a chance to break the record with his real team...
Also...
Steelers with the most talent...
Well...receivers obviously...
rb is solid with Staley and Bettis in a backup roll...
QB looks good with Roth, Maddox and Batch (better than most...even though I'm not a Maddox fan)
Line...question mark...could be good...depends on health...
DLine...solid...
Lbackers...solid...
secondary...weak...but young and talented...all their starters will be...could be...24 or younger...which means they'll get burned (probably less than last year), but...be spectacular in the sense of hitting...and making picks...we'll just have to see...
They are reaquiring the depth they've lost in the past...we'll see how it lasts...and what happens injury wise...
Thanks for the hoop update by the way chainz...
I'm working on some shit in that regard that you might be able to use with your site...as well...and baseball as well...
I'll start posting them asap...
Cool.
We just added some new feeds that update regularly to.
Malone does still have the Lakers on the top of his list, and only being about 1800 points behind Jabbar is still a motivation for him.
and that elusive NBA title...
of course...now...it doesn't look like he'll be able to just look at a team...and pick a title winner...
I wonder if he's going to wait and see how things shake out to choose the team he goes to...lmfao...how about the Pistons?
Would be ironic.
There is now the annual media wonderings about Larry Brown, as he after every off season wrestles with the decision on whether he should retire.
And with Phil Jackson and his "slim chance" on returning, Larry's name would be one of the first brought up to replace him. He will be coaching the Olympic team this summer and will be asked over and over if he's returning to Detroit or what.
We wouldn't have room for Malone, but I think we could make room for Shaq if he forces a deal.
Now that would fucking rock, the Diesel as a Bad Boy.
I could never see that happen to be honest...would it make ANY sense...
I'm curious though to see if there are some players that start moving back toward the Eastern Conference...Detroit winning might change the face of hoops in the years to come...the same way players ran from Jordan...perhaps now they'll run over to the East...to see if they can't get into the finals and catch lightning in the bottle like Detroit did this year...
I think one of the big rumors you'll see...as a matter of fact...would be a Jermaine O'Neal and perhaps Bender...or someone like that...for Shaq...in Indiana...
The Pacers do need to move either Bender or Harrington, just not enough minutes.
I have always envisioned Reggie Miller going home to play for the Lakers, and he is what they need.
No...they need "Rip," not that old ass Miller...
They should go after someone like Szerbiak...someone like that...
of course...he ain't for shit after that injury...
Rip did gain some league wide recognition as a solid 2-way player after these finals.
I should have been a little more clear. By Miller, I meant outside shooting, guys that are a danger from three.
I do think he could be released though (Miller) and would be hell coming off the bench, sort of the Lakers own version of "The Microwave".
Never been a "Wally World" fan, overrated in my opinion.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 9:12 a.m. EDT, June 18, 2004
OFFSEASON PROGRAMS TRIGGER CONCERN
Apart from Troy Vincent's recent observations that the year-round nature of an NFL gig prevents guys from developing skills in the offseason that they could parlay into post-football careers (we didn't know there was a market for professional video game players), players and agents are becoming very concerned regarding the increased wear-and-tear resulting from extensive offseason programs.
Even though there are no pads and the contact is limited to the guys in the trenches, we're heard that there are many similarities between the practices in March through June and the practices in July through December.
For example, we've been told that, along the line, guys indeed come off of the ball with nearly the same force and speed as during the regular season and training camp drills, with plenty of hand-fighting between the O-line and D-line players. The 7-on-7 passing drills likewise are as intense during the offseason are they are during the regular season.
And the problem is that the sheer number of additional times out on the practice field increases the chances of a guy getting injured. As a result, every year a handful of guys end up with season-ending injuries as a result of the offseason work.
From the perspective of the teams, it's surely a calculated risk that they're willing to take. Even if a few of the players are gone for the year, the remainder will be far better prepared for the coming slate of games.
INJURY PROTECTION TO BE TESTED?
Since many of the serious offseason injuries this year involved rookies, some league insiders think that the looming wave of contract negotiations will demonstrate whether the injury protection letters that unsigned draft picks receive before participating in offseason drills lead to fair treatment by the teams.
In theory, an unsigned draft pick who goes down with a season-ending injury during offseason drills should get a contract similar to the deal that he would have signed if healthy. Since rookie deals are subject to a slotting system, where draft picks receive something more than the guy taken after them and less than the guy taken in front, the process should be easy.
But there's a sense among some agents that Panthers receiver Drew Carter, who'll miss the season with an ACL tear, Browns safety Sean Jones, who also has a torn ACL, and Titans defensive end Bo Schobel, who fell victim to the Kearse curse with a fracture of the same foot bone that his predecessor Jerome broke two years ago, will not get the same deals they would have received if healthy.
The ultimate perception of whether these guys are treated fairly could affect, in the long run, the manner in which some agents advise their players regarding participation in offseason workouts. Holdouts from offseason programs by rookies are rare (except in pre-Green 'Zona, where the injury protection letters flowed like rainwater in August). Agents believe that the rookie greatly benefits from the opportunity to start learning the system -- especially for guys taken in rounds four through seven, who aren't guaranteed a spot on the final roster.
If, however, agents begin to conclude that their guys are getting screwed for getting hurt while working without a contract, look for some to start advising their guys to stay away.
And this is an example of a topic on which the players, agents, and union legally may collude, agreeing among themselves that rookies would boycott offseason workouts until signed to a contract.
The end result, which we wouldn't see for several years, could be that the process of signing the bulk of the rookies would move from August to May. Under the current system, signing guys early isn't much of a priority for teams, since the rookies voluntarily submit to the offseason programs. If/when they ever start refusing to show up until their names are on the dotted line, the teams' general nonchalance from draft day through the eve of training camp will disappear.
MORE ON THE CBA GLITCH
We promised on Wednesday that we'd get an answer to the question of whether the three-game roster exemption for unsigned restricted free agents and unsigned exclusive rights free agents was automatic, or whether the league office had to approve it.
And we got one. Sort of.
It appears based on further research that no approval is required for use of the roster exemption, which operates like a three-game suspension. It likewise appears that, even if approval is required, it's of the rubber-stamp variety.
Another point that should be re-emphasized is that a player who plans to refrain from signing an RFA tender or an exclusive rights tender until the latest date possible to preserve a season of service credit will know well in advance whether the team plans to use the roster exemption, since the CBA requires teams to give written notice of its intention to do so at least five days before the second preseason game.
If no notice is given, guys like Adewale Ogunleye and Jason Ball can stay away for ten full games without losing the year toward free agency.
A FOOTNOTE RE: ARMPITS
In response to our Thursday reference to Europe as the land of stinky armpits, we received an e-mail from a reader in Portugal, who takes issue with the general perception that all Europeans think "hygiene" is what you say when the bass player from KISS walks into the room:
It’s unfortunately true that many a European women suffers from this terrible problem, but it concerns Centreal European ones (German and French, especially). Why this happens is totally and utterly unexplainable to me and to millions of otherwise shaven and deodorant-applying women in our part of the globe. In Portugal specifically, while a rather poor country compared to some of the richer ones in the world, we can’t understand why they (and I mean also guys) don’t wash and bathe regularly. When we southern Europeans (Portuguese, Spaniards, Italian) discuss our friends from up north, one of the topics is always their (lack of) hygiene. Maybe that could explain some of the animosity towards the US in those countries.
Well, since two-thirds of the NFL Europe teams are based out of Germany, there's no need to quibble with the guy.
And for all you kids out there who are on summer vacation, don't think you aren't learnin' anything in the month of June.
Carl Crawford to the Phillies?
Rumored for awhile...and Bowa and Pinella are pals...
this was out of a Philly Newspaper...
There is always a trade, of course. There continues to be word in the back channels that Bowa's pal Lou Piniella would make leadoff blur Carl Crawford available. Lou's Devil Rays are making a run and Piniella might settle for Vicente Padilla and Double A slugger Ryan Howard for Crawford. The D-Rays are ager to get exciting Triple A shortstop B.J. Upton installed as their leadoff hitter of the future. Stay tuned.
Crawford at the top of that lineup...christ...
but you have to wonder...Crawford's batting over .300...going to steal in the neighborhood of 75 bases...and really sparking that club...
so they think Upton is better than that?
give me a break...
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 10:25 a.m. EDT, June 19, 2004
DELHOMME'S DEAL NOT SO SWEET?
Initial reaction around the league to Jake Delhomme's new $38 million contract in Carolina was that the Panthers overpaid for a guy who has not yet proven conclusively that he's one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
But the hard numbers, as reported by the Charlotte Observer, suggest that the Panthers haven't yet broken the bank on Delhomme, since his contract is back loaded -- and it essentially gives the team another year or two to evaluate whether he's truly the long-term answer before making a big financial commitment.
Per the Observer, Delhomme received a signing bonus of only $6.1 million, which will be spread over six years. In contrast, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger recently got $9 million as part of a four-year deal.
Also, Delhomme's base salary dropped from $1.37 million to $535,000 for 2004. The deal actually reduced his 2004 cap number from $3.52 million to $3.3 million, according to the Observer.
Next season, Delhomme will receive a salary of $655,000, and he's slated to earn roster bonuses totaling $3 million over the first two seasons of the deal (and we wonder whether the Observer's calculation of the 2004 cap number factors in any roster bonus he'll receive this year).
The day of reckoning likely will come in 2006, when Delhomme's salary rockets to $4.8 million. The team also must decide in 2006 whether to pay a $3 million roster bonus in order to pick up the 2009 season, the final year of the deal.
The deal wraps up with cap numbers in excess of $8 million in 2007, 2008, 2009.
As we see it, if Delhomme plays well enough to persuade the team to pay out the back end of the deal, the Panthers likely will want to re-do the contract before 2006 in order to better manage the overall cap consequences. And if Delhomme doesn't tear it up in 2004 and 2005, there's a good chance that he'll be asked to swallow a pay cut come 2006 -- and that the team won't pay the $3 million roster bonus to secure the 2009 season.
In the end, then, Delhomme's deal might be nothing more than an exercise by both sides to nab a headline ("5 years, $38 million!") inflating Delhomme's perceived worth -- and suggesting that the Panthers are willing to spend money for key players.
As quarterback contracts go, this one hardly is a blockbuster. For now, it's more like a two-year, $10 million deal.
ROOKIES NEED OFFSEASON WORKOUTS
In response to our Friday story regarding the participation of rookies in offseason programs, even though they don't have contracts, a management-side league source offered his views regarding the issue.
Rookies, the source told us, need to participate in the offseason because their focus from January to April isn't preparing to play NFL football, but preparing to enhance their draft stock by focusing only on a handful of specific activities -- the forty, the three-cone drill, the short shuttle, the bench press, the vertical leap, the standing broad jump, etc.
Then, in the weeks after the final Pro Day workouts, many of them shut down and fall out of shape.
So, come early May, the rookies desperately need to start getting ready for football, since most veterans have been working out with an eye toward playing football in September -- not participating in the draft-day Olympics in March and April.
And perhaps that's why agents tell their guys to participate in offseason programs even though they haven't signed their contracts yet, and therefore are under no obligation to do anything.
But the explanation offered by the source also suggests to us that, if the players and the agents ever decide to take a common stand against rookie participation in offseason workouts until they are signed, the teams might start to feel the same pressure in May to get them under contract that the teams currently begin to experience as training camp approaches.
PASQUARELLI'S MEA CULPA
On the surface, it was a fairly benign admission, buried deftly near the end of his weekly Tip Sheet. In the third paragraph from the bottom, ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli acknowledges that he made a mistake in a prior version of the "Sheet," and he offers an apology.
But unlike a spelling error or a typo or some other mistake that happens no matter how many proofreaders you have (or, in our case, you don't), Pasquarelli's error seems to speak to a deeper flaw in his scoop-gathering processes.
Specifically, Len says that he mistakenly explained that Eagles sixth-round rookie cornerback Dexter Wynn of Colorado State had outperformed third-round rookie cornerback Matt Ware of UCLA in offseason drills. The mistake arose from the fact that, since UCLA had not yet finished its semester, Ware had been prevented by NFL rules from participating in any portion of the offseason program.
Though he tries to brush it off by explaining with tongue in cheek that Wynn was the better of the two in offseason drills by default, the real question is how did Pasquarelli obtain information that Wynn looked better than Ware in workouts? And what did he do to confirm it?
Setting aside for now the question of whether Pasquarelli (who, unlike us, covers the NFL on a full-time basis and gets paid well for it) should have known off the top of his head that any player from UCLA wouldn't be involved in offseason drills since it's one of the schools that stays in session deep into the spring, we're wondering whether Len's reporting technique observed accepted journalism principles that certain sites (like this one) are criticized by the media for ignoring.
Although the report regarding Wynn and Ware reads like info that came straight from a source within the Eagles organization, we're fairly certain that no one in a position to actually observe practice would have his head that far up his rear end.
But maybe the info came from a team source, but maybe Len just wasn't taking good notes.
Or maybe Len was relying upon a self-serving scoop from Wynn's agent that, to Pasquarelli's detriment, contained a slightly skewed version of reality.
Regardless of the origin of the error, the move suggests sloppiness, undermining (in our view) the full body of his work. And given recent reports that Pasquarelli was at one point using agent Hadley Engelhard's password to access contract information and other confidential NFLPA data, it's hard not to conclude that Len has been cutting corners.
MEDIA SCREWS POOCH ON O-GUN TENDER
Speaking of media errors, Pasquarelli was among multiple members of the media who recently committed a faux pas regarding the reduction by the Dolphins of defensive end Adewale Ogunleye's one-year tender.
On June 15, NFL rules permitted Miami to drop the offer from $1.824 million to 110 percent of Ogunleye's 2003 base salary, which equates in O-Gun's case to $412,500.
But the media's supposed mastery of these CBA niceties overlooks one key fact. The Dolphins cannot drop the tender below $455,000, the minimum salary for a fourth-year player.
We'd like to say we caught this one on our own, but we didn't. In fact, we made the same mistake when we reported on May 2 that the Fins might drop the tender several weeks back.
Instead, a member of the media who spotted the error in reports from the Miami Herald pointed the glitch out to us. We then confirmed that Ogunleye indeed couldn't be offered less than $455,000.
By all appearances, then, either both the Herald and Pasquarelli made the same mistake this week. Or Pasquarelli merely piggy-backed the Herald's June 15 error by crafting a June 16 story under his own byline, based in large part on information reported by the Herald -- without attribution, of course.
SATURDAY ONE-LINERS
Suggesting (to us) that he still has a lot of growing up to do (and that he doesn't know jack about the CBA), Packers QB Tim Couch is bellyaching about the fact that the Browns didn't cut him before June 1.
Mike Freeman of the Florida Times-Union explains that teams are increasingly relying on workout bonuses to enhance participating in offseason workout programs.
The family of Philip Rivers, which loaded up the truck and moved to Raleigh when Phil enrolled at N.C. State, is now making the move to San Diego.
Vikings coach Mike "Meathead" Tice is raving about the talent level of his team, which means that if they don't perform well this year, it's his fault -- and he'll be gone.
The Vikes have cut veteran CB Eric Kelly, who had slipped on the depth chart.
The Rams have signed former Redskins DT Bernard Holsey.
Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith continues to upgrade the roster via the acquisition of (drum roll, please) two guys from NFL Europe, one of whom hasn't played in the NFL since 2001.
LB Jason Gildon is negotiating with four teams, including the Packers, Bills, and Bengals.
Another Va Beach Boy....Originally posted by POJO_Risin
The D-Rays are ager to get exciting Triple A shortstop B.J. Upton installed as their leadoff hitter of the future. Stay tuned.
Crawford at the top of that lineup...christ...
but you have to wonder...Crawford's batting over .300...going to steal in the neighborhood of 75 bases...and really sparking that club...
so they think Upton is better than that?
give me a break...
B.J. is a badass, he's gonna be a good one....
Leave it to fucking Couch to still be bitching...
I wonder who his husband is?
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 10:54 p.m. EDT, June 19, 2004
RIVERS' OLD MAN A PROBLEM?
With news that the family of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is moving to San Diego -- only a few years after moving to Raleigh when Baby Boy joined the N.C. State Wolfpack -- some league insiders are starting to wonder whether Rivers' football-coaching father will be a negative presence as the incoming rookie tries to adapt to life in the NFL.
Several pro personnel execs told us that Rivers' reputation as a daddy's boy created a pre-draft perception that he's soft, and there's concern that a too-involved immediate family could retard Rivers' development.
We won't pretend to know whether the decision of the Rivers family to go west with their young man is a bad thing. And being the son of a football coach can cut both ways. In the past two decades, we've had a John Elway -- and a Todd Marinovich.
But if personnel types who know a thing or two about the factors that help a player grow -- and those that hurt him -- we're not going to dismiss their belief that a close-knit family structure could cause problems.
Instead, we'll take a wait-and-see approach, with our eyes and ears open for signs that Rivers' family is getting in the way of his team.
PASQUARELLI A FALL GUY?
We received an interesting e-mail from a reader in response to Saturday morning's report regarding the retraction of Len Pasquarelli's report that Eagles sixth-round cornerback Dexter Wynn has outperformed third-round cornerback Matt Ware in offseason drills. Pasquarelli was wrong because Ware, who went to school at UCLA, was prohibited from participating in offseason workouts until the Bruins wrapped up their spring semester.
The reader asked if perhaps Pasquarelli's report was accurate, but that he was later solicited by his source to expunge any suggestion that the Eagles were breaking the rules.
In theory, Len's Philly source could have realized the faux pas after Pasquarelli's June 11 Tip Sheet was posted, prompting the source to ask/instruct/beg Pasquarelli to call the whole thing a mistake.
If Ware indeed was working out with the team, it'd be fairly easy to prove. But if everyone involved is zipping their lips, who would ever find out about it?
This makes us wonder what, if any, mechanism is in place to ensure that other rookies who are eligible to practice are indeed staying out of the action. Though we don't expect that any of the rookies would be inclined to complain about the team's decision to allow them to practice on the down low, our guess is that a veteran who stands to get nudged to the bench -- or to the street -- once the rookie is ready might be inclined to blow the whistle if the rookie is getting reps in a manner that violates the rules.
ANOTHER TIP SHEET OOPSIE?
With our legion of loyal readers now scrutinizing every word generated by Len Pasquarelli for mistakes, a Bills observer pointed out a potential error in Lenny's newest Tip Sheet.
On June 18, Len explained that Bills G.M. Tom Donahoe is taking a "first-come, first-served" approach with three veterans who can become free agents after the 2004 season. Per Pasquarelli, Donahoe has informed offensive tackle Jonas Jennings, defensive end Aaron Schobel, and defensive tackle Pat Williams that there's only enough cap money to sign one of them to an extension before the season starts -- and that the invitation is available only through the start of training camp.
Two days earlier, the Buffalo News reported that the Bills already have pulled the plug on the negotiations with the trio.
Sure, it's possible that Pasquarelli's got better info on this one, given his reputed pipeline to Donahoe -- and given that the Buffalo News report comes from (egads!) unnamed sources.
But those familiar with Len's style know that he would have couched his blurb with something like "contrary to published reports" or other words intended to diss, in backhanded fashion, the Buffalo News for getting it wrong. Instead, it looks like Lenny's late-spring swoon is continuing, and we're starting to wonder whether the folks in Bristol have taken notice.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Bucs G.M. Bruce Allen, describing his youthful exposure to Bears coach/owner George Halas, for whom Bruce's father, George, worked as defensive coordinator: "I learned some of my first profanity from the founder of the NFL."
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 12:01 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:05 p.m. EDT, June 21, 2004
GARDENER PERMANENTLY PLANTED?
A league source tells us that the Bengals haven't finalized a widely-reported contract with free-agent defensive tackle Daryl Gardener because the contract won't be finalized. Ever.
Per the source, Gardener's chronic back problems have prompted the Bengals to back off on their interest in the former first-round draft pick, whose back troubles initially greased the skids toward an abrupt and unexpected divorce two seasons ago in Miami.
Then came a one-year visit to D.C., which Gardener parlayed via good behavior and effective play into a long-term, big-money contract with the Broncos. In Denver, however, Gardener's career hit a low point, thanks in large part to a street brawl at an IHOP parking lot and a pissing match with coach Mike Shanahan. A grievance filed by the team to recover much of his signing bonus was resolved with an agreement that he'd be released on June 1.
After the arrangement was announced, the Bengals (with permission) reached a tentative agreement with Gardener, to be consummated after June 1. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was the defensive coordinator in Washington during Gardener's comeback season, and Lewis believed that he could manage Gardener's reputation for being a deep-fried turd.
But nearly three weeks later, nothing has happened. There have been rumblings from guys like Tony Williams regarding the question of whether the Bengals need Gardener's services. The real issue, though, is the condition of his back.
We're told that, in the end, nothing will happen, due to Gardener's health. And it likely means the end of the line for Gardener, whose only hope might be to sign a one-year deal for the veteran minimum in order to prove that he's healthy.
EAGLES COVERING TRACKS ON WARE?
A high-level league source tells us that our speculation regarding the question of whether ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli is taking the fall for his Philly source could be on the money.
"Word on the street is that you may have hit a home run," the source said in an e-mail we received on Sunday. "Word has it that the folks in Philly are scrambling."
For now, however, it appears that Ware likely has not been practicing with the team. Mark Eckel of the Trenton Times told us on Monday that Ware has not been with the team since the first post-draft minicamp. Eckel also said that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson "went out of his way to point out how Ware is falling behind" and that Johnson described the rule preventing Ware from practicing as "stupid."
Our research reveals that, indeed, Johnson explained on June 9 that Ware is falling behind, and Johnson implied that Ware isn't even anywhere near the team's practice facility:
"No question about it, he's behind," Johnson said. "We talk to him everyday on the phone. We try to tell him what we're doing. We send him tape. We send him notes. But, until he gets on the field, he's going to be behind. It's a shame that it's the rule. He'll be behind for a while."
If that's the case, then it merely was sloppiness on Pasquarelli's part for suggesting that Ware was falling behind as a result of his on-field performances.
If, however, Ware has been practicing, Johnson's remarks will make it easier to prove it. Via Johnson's suggestion that Ware hasn't even been on the premises, evidence to the contrary likely would be sufficient to prove a violation -- even if there's no hard evidence that he was on the practice field.
Stay tuned, perhaps, for more.
DELHOMME'S AGENT FIRES BACK
On Saturday, we characterized Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme's new deal as a backloaded contract that allows the team to decide based on the next two seasons whether Delhomme is worthy of the bigger salary numbers that kick in for 2006 through 2009.
In response, we received this e-mail message from Delhomme's agent, Rick Smith (or, at least, from someone identifying himself as Smith):
While I find myself reading your column daily it's almost comical as to where you get your information. Jake's deal is far from backloaded, in fact it it totally opposite. His first roster bonus is paid on 7/1/04. His 5 [million] in option bonus and roster bonus must all be exercised by 3/1/05. That means if they do not pick up his option and roster bonuses they will pay him 7 [million-plus] for one year then he is a free agent. If they pick it up he will earn all 12 [million]. The contract from there on is actually fully front-loaded (meaning you do not hit his new money average until the last year in the deal). Again, your column is great comedic reading once a day.
Our response:
Hey rick -- my info comes from the charlotte observer. I think I only mentioned that, oh, five times in the article.
Really, if the numbers we used on Saturday were wrong, it's the Charlotte Observer's fault. We just used what was publicly reported.
And regardless of Smith's self-serving characterizations regarding the value of the deal, a league source opined for us that the contract is backloaded insofar as it indeed provides the team with a chance to decide within the next two years whether Delhomme is the real deal like Tom Brady, or whether Jake was simply in the right place at the right time like Kurt Warner. (Perhaps Warner isn't the best comparison since he pulled a Steve Blass after three full productive years, but there's no one right now legitimately taking the position that Warner is the real deal.)
Moreover, the Delhomme contract is hardly a chest-thumper. Yeah, it'll pay $38 million through 2009. As supposedly elite quarterbacks go, that's hardly a jaw-dropper. Peyton Manning, who has been to exactly one less Super Bowl than Delhomme, got nearly the full value of Delhomme's contract as a signing bonus.
McGrady-Francis Swap Leads NBA Rumor Mill
By CHRIS SHERIDAN, AP Basketball Writer
A blockbuster trade involving Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis dominated the NBA rumor mill Monday while the Los Angeles Lakers (news) waited to learn whether Shaquille O'Neal was serious about demanding a trade.
The Charlotte Bobcats also were major players on the eve of their expansion draft, making a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers (news) to move up two spots in Thursday's NBA draft to select Emeka Okafor or Dwight Howard as the cornerstone of their franchise.
What promises to be a busy week began with loads of trade talk, much of it centered around two of the league's best known superstars.
The Rockets were said to be the leading candidate to acquire McGrady from Orlando, with officials from other teams saying Houston was offering a package including Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Kelvin Cato and/or Bostjan Nachbar for McGrady, Juwan Howard and Tyronn Lue. Because of league salary cap rules, such a deal could not be finalized until July.
"Tracy has indicated he would like to play elsewhere, and we're trying to see what we can do," Magic executive Pat Williams said. "The issue is where he would sign (a contract extension). Teams want to know what Tracy's plans are."
A trade to Houston would put McGrady on the same team with center Yao Ming, giving the Rockets an inside-outside nucleus few Western Conference teams could match.
In the trade that was finalized Monday, the expansion Bobcats acquired the No. 2 overall pick from the Los Angeles Clippers for the Nos. 4 and 33 picks. Charlotte also agreed to select Clippers center Predrag Drobnjak in Tuesday's expansion draft.
"We would be pleased starting our basketball team with either one of those young men," Bobcats coach and general manager Bernie Bickerstaff said of Okafor and Howard, the consensus top two picks in Thursday night's draft. "They represent what we would like to become in terms of character, competitiveness and talent."
Charlotte, which will select at least 14 players in the expansion draft Tuesday, also was close to finalizing a deal with Phoenix to acquire center Jahidi White, cash and a future first-round draft pick.
That trade would clear salary cap space for the Suns, allowing them to make a run at free agents Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and others.
The Lakers, meanwhile, were exploring their options regarding O'Neal, who issued a trade demand last week after Los Angeles announced that Phil Jackson would not return as head coach.
"Me and the Big Fella are trying to get to Dallas together now," McGrady told Florida Today.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he hadn't spoken to the Lakers yet.
"Will we? Most likely," he said. "But, you know, we also have to ascertain what's real and what's not real.
If the Lakers are serious about trading O'Neal, the Mavericks could be an ideal trading partner.
Dallas has one of the league's most talent-laden rosters, including several players whose combined salaries would be within the league-mandated 15 percent of O'Neal's $27 million salary for next season.
The hangup would be deciding the players involved. The Lakers would start by asking for Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks would be more willing to package Antoine Walker, Antawn Jamison or Michael Finley.
"I'd be hard-pressed to see us trading Dirk," Cuban said. "Dirk is as close to an untouchable as we'd get."
With former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich interviewing for the Lakers' coaching job, Los Angeles general manager Mitch Kupchak was coy regarding O'Neal.
"I do expect to meet with or speak to Shaquille's representatives in timely fashion. We've had three or four days now for everybody to wind down now, calm down a little bit. I'll get a better feel of where we stand at that time," Kupchak said. "I'm eager to hear what they have to say, and we'll take it from there."
The rumored deal sending McGrady to Houston could be contingent on whether the Bobcats select any of Orlando's unprotected players in Tuesday's expansion draft.
"It's a very tenuous situation right now," Williams said.
Said Bickerstaff: "We have been in conversations with the Magic, and we're good listeners and good facilitators. We have to make a decision not to do anything that's vindictive, but to do something we can derive some benefit from."
Francis' agent, Jeff Fried, told the Houston Chronicle the trade was not complete but was close.
"Steve's preference is to not go to Orlando," Fried said. "Steve's tasted the playoffs. (The Rockets) got a series under their belts. He was looking forward to going further with the same Rockets team but with another year of experience together. This is certainly not his preference. He loves Houston."
New Jersey reportedly agreed to send the No. 22 pick in Thursday's draft to Portland in exchange for Eddie Gill and cash. Nets vice president Rod Thorn would not be specific about his trade discussions but acknowledged he does not view any player who will be available at No. 22 as being worthy of the three-year contract that first-round draft picks receive.
___
AP sportswriters Jaime Aron in Dallas, John Nadel in Los Angeles and Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J., contributed to this article.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ne/bkn_nba_rdp
"Me and the Big Fella are trying to get to Dallas together now," McGrady told Florida Today.
Hmmmmm...I can't believe there is no comment on this...
Is Dallas in the running for McGrady as well?
How about Nowitski and Walker for Shaq...
Finley and Jamison for TMac?
According to Francis' agent, the deal is practical;ly done between Houston and Orlando. Maybe he meant getting to Texas, although different teams, who knows.
Dallas has pretty much said anyone but Dirk can be had.
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 8:47 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:16 a.m. EDT, June 22, 2004
BISCIOTTI SICK OF BALTIMORE BAD BOYS?
There's talk around the league that new Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti already is feeling embarrassed about a roster rife with guys who have had more than a few scrapes with the law.
Whether it's Ray Lewis or Jamal Lewis or Corey Fuller or Terrell Suggs or the player du jour who faces an indictment and/or trial, might want to consider renaming the franchise "the Mean Machine."
If Bisciotti has anything to do with it, we're told, he'll be cracking down on guys who can't stay on the right side of the penal code. It remains to be seen whether this means that Bisciotti will release or trade or not re-sign guys with checkered backgrounds and/or orange jumpsuits (after all, he needs to be able to field 11 guys at any given time). But the Baltimore players should consider themselves on notice that the front office under Bisciotti will be looking for ways to reduce the rap sheets of the Ravens' regulars.
Our guess is that Bisciotti will be making an example out of someone soon. Assuming, of course, that the justice system doesn't beat him to it.
TURDINALS NO MORE?
The league is buzzing about the decision of Cardinals coach Denny Green to shake up the roster even before the opening of the team's training camp.
In moves that put aging veteran Emmitt Smith back into the starting lineup (until his arm snaps off in a preseason game) and put Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson and 2003 bonus baby L.J. Shelton on the bench, Green is by all appearances placing his imprint on the Cards much the same way that he transmogrified an underachieving Vikings team from purple turds to division champs in his first season on the job.
And league insiders are keeping an eye on the Cards as August approaches. The feeling is that the team will be much improved in 2004, challenging the Seahawks and the Rams for supremacy in the NFC West.
Hell, we'll be the first ones to go on record with a prediction that the Cardinals will win the division and make it to the NFC title game this year. (If, after all, the Sporting News has the stones to forecast a Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl, we're hardly going out on a limb with this one.)
BULGER, BRUSCHI GET WORST DEALS OF '04
A league insider tells us that, in his opinion, the offseason contracts signed by Rams quarterback Marc Bulger and Pats linebacker Tedy Bruschi were the worst deals signed this year by NFL veterans.
Bulger's four-year, $19.1 million package in St. Louis (they guy's a quarterback, right?) is "a joke," the source said, explaining that some teams are using Bulger's contract as justification for lowballing players at other positions. Weeks after agent Tom Condon hit the motherlode with Peyton Manning's record-setting deal, Condon flat-out laid an egg with Bulger's contract.
Sure, Bulger got a $9 million bonus, which isn't out of line with the bonus money received by guys like Tom Brady in 2002 ($10 million), Brett Favre in 2001 ($10 million) and even Kurt Warner in 2000 ($11.5 million). But the market for top-tier quarterbacks supposedly had changed dramatically, with Peyton Manning's $38 million hijack bonus in Indy, Donovan McNabb's $20 million bonus in Philly, and Daunte Culpepper's $16 million bonus in Minny.
Though Bulger likely thinks/hopes/prays that two or three more solid years will result in a much bigger contract, he should look no farther than his own rise to prominence as proof positive that, in the NFL, the gig can come crashing down without warning, as it essentially did for Warner two years ago.
And, in Warner's defense, at least he got paid handsomely (relative to the market at the time) before the wheels came off. If Bulger disintegrates within the next year or two, that $9 million signing bonus will have to go a looong way for a guys who's still fairly young. (Plus, Bulger's contract doesn't have features like the $6 million option bonus the Rams paid Warner prior to 2003, in which he played only one game, or the $1.2 million option bonus they paid him this year -- for the privilege of cutting him three months later.)
As to Bruschi, his four-year, $8.1 million deal translates to a lower per-year average ($2.025 million) than the contracts signed by Carlos Emmons in New York ($3.3 million), Dhani Jones in Philly ($2.7 million), and Barrett Green in New York ($2.6 million). Bruschi arguably is a better player than each of those three.
So what happened? The problem, as the insider explained it, is that Bruschi acts as his own agent. Sure, he avoids the three-percent fee that he would have paid to an agent. But based on the comparable deals signed by Emmons and Jones and Green, an experienced agent likely could have gotten Bruschi a significantly higher after-fee net deal.
And although it seems that the Patriots generally have good intentions, they've got a salary cap to manage and their objective is (as it should be) to sign as many players as possible to manageable (i.e., below market) deals.
They'd be stupid if they gave money way, regardless of whether a guy has no agent. That's why (even though we've got concerns about the current structure of the system, which rewards the agent only for getting a guy the most money, not for placing him on a winning team) every player should have an experienced, competent agent that is committed to getting him the best deal.
Players play and agents . . . um . . . agent. In the midst of increasingly intense offseason workouts and conditioning programs, did Bruschi really have the time or the knowledge to do all the things that a good agent would have done to ensure that he maximized his contract? It's doubtful.
And, again, we're not saying the Pats screwed Bruschi. If anything, the kid screwed himself by trying to go it alone. We're not saying he should hire the Postons next time around (which in our view is an alternative worse than going it alone) and we're not saying that every player needs an agent in every circumstance (e.g., Pats corner Terrell Buckley, who signed a one-year deal for the veteran minimum).
The reality for Bruschi is that there likely won't be a next time around. At 31 years of age, Tedy likely just signed his last seven-figure contract.
TUESDAY ONE-LINERS
The Redskins reportedly have offered the Dolphins a first-round draft pick for DE Adewale Ogunleye; the Fins reportedly have rebuffed the offer -- for now.
All charges have been dropped against Pats CB Ty Law following an arrest earlier this year in Miami; "This is a classic case of DWB: Driving While Black," said his lawyer, Joel Hirschhorn.
Bucs WR Keenan McCardell will boycott the team's mandatory minicamp as he continues to grouse about a contract that will pay him $2.5 million this year and $2.75 million next year.
McCardell's absence has been a boon for rookie WR Michael Clayton, who has picked up the bulk of Keenan's reps in offseason practices.
Hey all you early-career NFL guys -- for a glimpse of your possible futures, take a peek at the struggles of former Pro Bowl tackle Leon Searcy as he embarks on life after football to the tune of $35,000 a year.
Since Titans DE rookie Bo Schobel has the same injury suffered by former Titans DE Jevon Kearse, he'll also have surgery on the foot with the same doctor.
The NFL is moving forward with efforts to select a site for an L.A.-area stadium by next early 2005 (um, who's gonna play there?).
In a straight-up swap of TV gigs, Greg Gumbel is taking his welcome mat toupee to the desk of The NFL Today, and Jim "White" Nantz will join Phil "Bread" Simms on the No. 1 announcing team on CBS.
The Redskins have signed sixth-round rookie Jim Molinaro, an offensive lineman, to a three-year deal.
The Texans have signed seventh-round rookie WR Sloan Thomas to a three-year contract.
It's funny that there isn't more talk of Art Modell being out of the football game...after all the years...and finally the controversy...he ends up out of the league...broke...probably...
without a word...so much for making an impact anywhere...the NFL doesn't give a shit about him...Cleveland wants him dead...and Baltimore could give a shit less who owns the team...as long as they win...
by Modell...nobody misses you...
Please do not pass go...and DO NOT...collect $200...
by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio
POSTED 7:13 a.m. EDT, June 23, 2004
RAVENS CONFIDENT LEWIS WILL GET OFF
Despite our report from Tuesday that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti plans to try to reverse the team's image as the NFL's real-life version of Playmakers, we're hearing that the organization is very confident that running back Jamal Lewis will be exonerated of pending federal drug charges.
Though the trial could start in August while the team is getting ready for the 2004 season, the thinking is that the evidence against Lewis is flimsy, and that the case is an example of overly zealous prosecutors hoping to make a name for themselves by snaring a big fish.
Part of the problem is that one of the key witnesses against Lewis has a checkered past, and that the case otherwise seems to be based upon relatively flimsy circumstantial evidence.
Lewis has at all times expressed confidence regarding his ultimate acquittal. Still, there's always a possibility that Lewis will draw a jury that decides to connect the dots in a manner that results in a conviction -- even if he's truly innocent.
LAST WORD ON MATT WARE
Reports continue to trickle into PFT's world headquarters confirming that Eagles rookie cornerback Matt Ware was not practicing with the team during offseason drills. Participation by Ware would have violated league rules preventing rookies from taking part in football-related activities prior to the completion of their college's spring semester.
The league source who alerted us to the possibility that the Eagles might have been covering their tracks in the wake of the suggestion that Ware could have been practicing with the team (scroll down) recently told us that, indeed, it would be out of character for Eagles coach Andy Reid to engage in such a blatant violation of the rules.
Moreover, the source confirmed that all offseason sessions are videotaped, and that NFL "spot-checkers" usually show up once or twice during minicamps to make sure that the rules generally are being followed. As a practical matter, then, it would have been difficult for the Eagles to get away with sneaking Ware onto the practice field.
But, as the source explained, this doesn't mean that the Eagles (or any other team, for that matter) can't try to work with players such as Ware away from the team facility. We're hearing that Ware was in Philly for portions of the offseason, and it wouldn't have been completely implausible for an assistant strength coach to meet Ware at a gym to help him with a workout routine, or for a defensive backs coach to bump into him at (what a coincidence) a flat grass field where they could compare notes on certain coverage techniques.
WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS
Tampa Bay RB Michael Pittman was hit with a three-game suspension and docked two additional game checks by the league as punishment for his bumper-car incident with his wife's vehicle last year.
Titan RB Eddie George says he's still "in limbo," but he's confident that his contract situation with the team will be worked out.
Bucs WR Sylvester Morris has suffered a potentially serious injury to his left knee -- three years to the day after surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.
Giants TE Jeremy Shockey, whom some think has a screw loose, had a screw of a different kind planted into his foot in order to address a chronic problem that might or might not have been a stress fracture last season; he'll be back on the field in 6-7 weeks.
The Redskins are working with their rookies one last time before training camp -- in part because they're concerned that first-rounder Sean Taylor might not be back for the start of training camp, if a contract can't be reached.
Bucs LB Ian Gold worked out for the first time since tearing an ACL last year with the Broncos; he plans to push Ryan Nece for the starting spot on the strong side.
Bucs WR Keenan McCardell made good on his promise to boycott the team's mandatory minicamp due to his lingering displeasure with his contract.
Raiders coach Norv Turner has excused all players over the age of 30 from the final minicamp of the offseason (as a result, the workouts will consist of a game of three-on-three basketball).
FedEx Field, which is owned by Redskins chief Dan Snyder, has submitted a proposal to host the inaugural ACC championship game.
DT Chad Eaton says he has offers from the Cowboys, Texans, and Titans.
The Bucs are resisting pressure to drop an all-you-can-drink draft beer promise as part of a game ticket and tailgate package that the team is marketing (if, after all, the fans are drunk, maybe they'll forget that guys like Warren Sapp and John Lynch are long gone).
The Jaguars are dropping the price for 2,000 club seats at AllTel Stadium.
The Packers have promoted Marc Lillibridge to assistant pro personnel director.
The Bengals have re-signed OL Alex Sulfsted after cutting him on June 4.
Tampa K Martin Gramatica has changed his number to 10, which also happens to be the number of field goals he missed last year.
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