The Rumor Mill

[ALinChainz]

2 TDs in each of his first 2 seasons.

I'd take Winslow before Shockey with any team now.

[POJO_Risin]

I'm not a big fan of the Browns though...I'd have a few ranked above him...Winslow that is...

[ALinChainz]

Oh hell yeah.

I'd say Gonzo is still the top man. Heap is coming on. Shockey would be ahead of him if healthy.

Definitely have Winslow higher on keeper lists than seasonal.

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 7:30 a.m. EDT, June 24, 2004



LIONS THIS YEAR'S BIG THING?


A league insider who knows a thing or two about assessing talent tells us that his surprise team for the 2004 season is the Detroit Lions.



It pains us to say it, because we historically haven't been big fans of G.M. Matt Millen or head coach Steve Mariucci. Millen has been flirting with termination for two years now, and Mooch has the demeanor of a guy caught somewhere between a sugar high and Tourette's Syndrome.



Still, the source says that the team has "had some great drafts in recent years."



The source added: "Despite what people want to say about Matt Millen, he has moved them in a positive direction. Being politically correct is not a prerequisite for managing an NFL roster."



No, but creating a sense that you're smarter than Homer Simpson is.



Then again, the emerging core of talent on the roster suggests that maybe it isn't.



Either way, things could get interesting in the NFC North this season. The Lions and Bears are on the rise. The Vikings have playoff-caliber talent. The Packers perennially are in postseason position. It wouldn't be a shocker to see both wild-card teams come out of the black-and-blue division.



THURSDAY ONE-LINERS



The Bears are bracing for a possible holdout by first-round DT Tommie Harris (we know it's technically not a holdout when a guy's not under contract, but unless someone can come up with a seven-letter word to describe the situation, we'll be responding to any e-mails on this topic with a variety of four-letter words).



The Pats have signed second-round DE Marquise Hill to a five-year, $3.075 million deal with $1.15 million up front and minimum salaries each season.



An influential private planning association in New York opposes the proposed $1.4 billion stadium complex in Manhattan for the Jets.



There's an interesting piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette regarding the details surrounding the Jim Nantz/Greg Gumbel job swap at CBS Sports.



The Redskins will allow fans to come to attend training camp practices for two weeks, but then the doors will be shut as coach Joe Gibbs tries to capitalize on secrecy and surprise.



The Bears have cooled to the notion of signing LB Jason Gildon.



The Texans have signed sixth-round S Jamal Lord, another converted quarterback from Nebraska.



The Titans have been trying to improve the flexibility RB Jarrett Payton, who was roughly as limber as Jared Lorenzen when he first arrived.



Bucs DT Darrell Russell brings uncharacteristic size to a defensive line that he used to refer to as "the Wonder Midgets"; "[T]hey were all so small," Russell said. "You couldn't tell the difference between the linebackers and the D-line. All you saw were their stomachs, and that's how we'd tell which was the D-line.''



Bucs WR Sylvester Morris is out for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee.



The Giants have signed OL Mathias Nkwenti.



The Bears have hired former linebacker and special-teams standout Bobbie Howard as director of player development.

[POJO_Risin]

Here's that article...from the Post Gazette...

CBS -- Traded Jim Nantz for Greg Gumbel. No first-round picks involved. No salary-cap concerns. Oh, sure, there was some minor Sunday activity in the background: Lesley Visser swapped jobs with Bonnie Bernstein, moving from the "NFL Today" pregame to the game-day sideline, and then switched positions with Armen Keteyian by joining the first team (now Nantz and Phil Simms) and Keteyian moving to the second team (Dick Enberg and Dan Dierdorf).

Mostly, though, it was a one-for-one exchange.

The No. 1 studio guy for the No. 1 play-by-play guy on the network's AFC broadcasts.

It was a straight-up deal ... but, in some respects, it wasn't.

Sean McManus, CBS Sports' adult in charge, explained this Black Rock headquarters version of "Trading Spaces" thusly: "As my daddy used to say, if you stand still and don't change, you won't get any better." Hey, when your daddy's no less a sportscasting institution than Jim McKay, you take notes when he repeats the grocery list.

"There was no burning need to change the host of the 'NFL Today' program," McManus said, and funny he should address it that way. "This move, I think, will energize both Jim and Greg. Given a new assignment, a new challenge, I think they will step up to the challenge. I think both packages will be different, and both will be better."

Agreed. Change can be good. But, first, let's tune into the broadcasters' disappointment with the job switch.

"Nobody has any more love for CBS Sports than I do," Nantz said over a teleconference call, a quaver detectable in his voice. "This definitely will take me away from my family a lot more than they want me to and than I want to.

"This was Sean's call. This is what he sees for the future of CBS Sports," Nantz continued. Then, he let out a small laugh. "Greg said it so well: We live in a world here that's almost like make-believe. We get to go around and cover all these sporting events. Television so often is about ego and power instead of honor and humility. ... I did not push for this at all. Not one bit."

As for Gumbel, he sounded as if he had been asked to hand-deliver an anthrax bouquet to an enemy: "This is not an unpleasant assignment."

On the surface, which was where Nantz's emotions appeared to bubble, this looks like a demotion but actually is a parallel move. The network's next-biggest sports package, the NCAA men's basketball tournament, has Nantz, 45, as the No. 1 play-by-play guy and Gumbel as the studio host. This alteration gives Nantz a chance to become the next Curt Gowdy and call the network's top three properties: football, basketball and golf.

Beneath the surface, for Gumbel, 58, this has to feel like a demotion. After all, he so enjoyed his game times with Simms. When the studio-host subject arose 21*2 years ago inside the Heinz Field press box, Gumbel spoke these words to me: "I feel like I never want to go back to that. It was nice and it was fun, but that was then. It's far too exciting to be at the scene of a game."

He spent eight years as studio host on CBS and NBC pregames. You can still picture him in those Hell's Peacocks biker-gang, black leather jackets ...?

Now they rotate jobs, all because it's what the boss wants.

McManus talked about how he wants Nantz to call a Super Bowl. How CBS earlier put its golf producer and director, Lance Barrow and Mike Arnold, on the football first team -- something that should've been a neon sign to Nantz. How they decided to make across-the-board changes, even though game ratings were decent and the pregame ratings improved by 40 percent the past two years.

Fox took Cris Collinsworth off its fabulously successful studio set and shoved him into the first-team booth two years ago, and that worked out well ... mostly because it gave Collinsworth a couple of extra hours to yak. Nantz -- after growing bland as the pregame ringmaster of 11 different sidekicks -- is deft on his tush, so the AFC booth might prove to be where he belongs. (Although he better not call the AFC "a tradition unlike any other.")

And Gumbel is smooth, breezy and downright funny behind a studio desk, where he ought to help capture the star quality of Shannon Sharpe, harness the relatively untapped wit of Boomer Esiason and perhaps even elicit more personality from dry Dan Marino.

"To me, it's a readjustment," Gumbel said of the move that is hardly "CSI: AFC" or Jeff Probst-for-Ray Romano. "I don't see this any more or any less than trading one quarterback for" another.

Besides, nobody tunes in a telecast because of the announcers, as "Monday Night Football" now knows.

[ALinChainz]

Bears: Smith likes Terrell's progress

by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com

Thursday, June 24, 2004


News


David Terrell made a spectacular leaping catch over corner R.W. McQuarters toward the end of practice on Wednesday. The wide receivers' grab caught the attention of Bears' head coach Lovie Smith. "That's what he said he's capable of doing, [so] we need to get him the ball," Smith told the Chicago Tribune. "We've gotten him the ball a few times and he has made some plays. I like his progress."


Views

Terrell will be fighting for the starting gig opposite Marty Booker during training camp. Second-year man Justin Gage is neck and neck with Terrell for the job. If Gage manages to eek out the starting spot, Terrell and his large contract are in danger of being released. If David plays half is well as he thinks he can this summer, however, his spot on the roster will be secure. It's a situation that bears watching for fantasy owners.

[ALinChainz]

Rumor mill: Beltran, Delgado and more

by Mike Harmon

June 24, 2004




The All-Star break is rapidly approaching. Close on its trail is the trade deadline. It's that fun time of year, particularly in fantasy leagues using only AL or NL player pools, where an infusion of useful players enter the league. You don't have to pray for the latest hotshot from the minors to save your squad; you get proven players.

Let's take a look at some of the players rumored to be changing addresses. I'll warn you in advance. The common denominator remains George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees.

Carlos Beltran, Kansas City Royals
Beltran has been streaky with both his power and speed outbursts this season, but you can't argue with the results – 14 HR, 50 RBI, 14 Steals. Earlier this week a proposed trade was nixed that would have sent Beltran to the Houston Astros as part of a three-way deal with the A's. Then, a second deal that had Beltran on to Los Angeles was defeated when the Dodgers refused to deal the marvelous setup man Guillermo Mota.

A move to Los Angeles would impact his power numbers negatively, but a trip to Houston could propel Beltran to new heights. Either way, an entry into the National League has auction league owners counting their duckets and others praying to hit the top of the waiver priority list.

That leaves the two big sharks to swim into the picture: Boston and the New York Yankees. The downside of a trade to either of these teams is that they don't run much. With the massive power production of both lineups, the stolen base component of Beltran's value will be minimized. With that said, the short porches in right field at both Fenway and Yankee Stadium are mighty enticing.


Carlos Delgado, Toronto Blue Jays
Delgado remains on the disabled list, but his name continues to swirl in the trade winds. As a 10/5 guy, he's got the right to veto any deal that comes down the pike. At the top of the list of suitors sit the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are looking for some added pop to the lineup. He would reunite with Shawn Green, whom fantasy owners would love to see any type of spark from. This move would also allow Green to move back to the outfield where he's more comfortable.

The Toronto Blue Jays have been a disappointment to date, languishing 14 games behind the division-leading Yankees in the standing and need to make a move. Naturally, they don't want to see Delgado coming back to haunt him every other series, so a move to the NL seems likely.

Jose Mesa, Pittsburgh Pirates
As Pittsburgh begins its annual decline, Mesa has risen to the top of several teams' wish lists. The top two possible destinations for Mesa are Florida (not exactly sold on the acquisition of Billy Koch) and Oakland (the Arthur Rhodes era appears to be over already).

Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and the boys would be excited to see any reliever actually hold a lead. You'd have to look back to 1999 for Mesa's last year as a closer in the AL, but he got the job done, albeit with a huge ERA and WHIP. Pitching in the spacious Network Associates Coliseum should help to mitigate the damage.

The next players may be temporarily off the market, as the Mariners are deluding themselves into believing they are back in the race following a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A shellacking at the hands of the Rangers might change that in a hurry.

Freddy Garcia, Seattle Mariners
Garcia sits atop the New York Yankees wish list this trading season. They're attempting to dangle several top prospects, including lefty Alex Graman, to get Seattle to pull the trigger. Also in the mix are the Chicago White Sox, who are desperate for another starter, and the Mets, who are still in the hunt in the NL East.

Imagine this guy with a team that scores runs in bunches as they do in New York or Chicago. His 3.21 ERA would have him approaching double-digit victories. Given the soft offense of Seattle to date and the stories of Garcia being off the market, the arguments that will allow you to steal him from his owner in your league are already made.

Jamie Moyer, Seattle Mariners
Like Garcia, Moyer is allegedly off the block. Don't believe it. The Yankees are making a hard pitch to acquire him, and Moyer himself has wondered aloud of the glory of pitching in the Big Apple. Pitching in the AL East could be hazardous to Moyer's ERA and WHIP totals, even though his win total would multiply in a hurry.

Another bidder for Moyer is the Los Angeles Dodgers. This would be a boon for fantasy owners in NL-only leagues, as the big ballpark in Los Angeles would see a number of flyballs die at the track.

Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks
D-backs owner Jerry Colangelo vehemently denies any truth to this rumor, and I highly doubt that it will occur. Even with the Diamondbacks firmly entrenched at the bottom of the NL West with the Colorado Rockies, Johnson remains the face of this team. With that said, Big Stein normally gets what he wants, and there's no doubt that having Johnson ending his career in pinstripes stands high on his wish list.

There are a number of other stars potentially on the move, including Magglio Ordonez of the White Sox, Alfonso Soriano back to New York in a Mets uniform and Barry Zito of the A's. I'll keep watch over the activity and report back on any new names dredged to the surface.

Until then, enjoy rivalry week.

http://fantasysports.yahoo.com/analysis/news?slug=mh-rumormill&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&league=fantasy

[POJO_Risin]

Well...the Beltran deal happened...can't say that I'm upset by my best outfielder roaming that hitter's park...

and they run a bit...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Jose Mesa, Pittsburgh Pirates
As Pittsburgh begins its annual decline, Mesa has risen to the top of several teams' wish lists. The top two possible destinations for Mesa are Florida (not exactly sold on the acquisition of Billy Koch) and Oakland (the Arthur Rhodes era appears to be over already).

Now that Oakland got Dotel, scratch the A's off of the list....

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



POSTED 7:46 a.m. EDT, June 25, 2004



BENGALS PUSHING FOR KITNA?



Word out of Cincy is that, contrary to the public gushings of coach Marvin Lewis regarding quarterback Carson Palmer's development, the consensus among the players is that they want Jon Kitna to remain the starter.



The concern, we hear, is that Palmer isn't picking up the system as well as advertised, and that he's not the leader that Kitna is.



The Bengals, of course, have little choice but to give the job to Palmer. He's getting paid like the No. 1 overall draft pick that he was in 2003. Keeping him on the bench would be a concession to the NFL world that you screwed up in drafting him.



And, as we see it, that's yet another reason for not taking a quarterback high in the draft -- unless he's a freak of nature like Falcons quarterback Mike Vick. With the success of players like Tom Brady and Marc Bulger and Jake Delhomme and Brad Johnson and Rich Gannon and Trent Green and Kurt Warner and Jeff Garcia, the risk of taking a guy at the top of round one who might not work out seems to outweigh the rewards.



We're not suggesting that Palmer is the next David Klinger and/or Akili Smith. The point is that, while coach Lewis is thrusting Palmer into the lineup, the players think that they might have a better alternative in Kitna. If that feeling lingers, the stage is set for problems in the locker room.



FRIDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS



Bucs coach Jon Gruden says he's ready to move forward without WR Keenan McCardell, who is threatening to hold out for the entire season.



Surgery on Titans DE Bo Schobel's foot was successful, but coach Jeff Fisher said that the condition of the bone was "worse than expected."



The Seahawks stadium officially has been renamed Qwest Field, which if you ask us sounds more than a bit qweer.



Bucs RB Mike Alstott is anxious to play again after missing most of 2003 due to a spinal injury.



The Seahawks have signed sixth-round DT Craig Terrill to what the Seattle Times describes as a "multi-year contract" (way to dig for the hard facts, guys).



With Cowboys WR Dedric Ward having hardware inserted into a freshly-broken foot, he's the third NFL player to be "screwed" this week.



The Rams have signed seventh-round C Larry Turner to a three-year contract.



Titans QB Steve McNair treated his former backup, Neil O'Donnell, like No. 2 on Thursday, initially snubbing the fledging WTVF-TV sports guy.



No Tampa player is wearing the jersey numbers of John Lynch (47) or Warren Sapp (99), but rookie S Will Allen will be wearing WR Keyshawn Johnson's No. 19.



POSTED 10:07 p.m. EDT, June 24, 2004



STEELERS BADMOUTHING GILDON?



A league source tells us that free-agent linebacker Jason Gildon is still unsigned for two primary reasons -- he's overpriced and his old team, the Steelers, could be giving out a negative recommendation regarding Gildon when other teams call.



Though we don't know for sure that the Steelers are indeed saying bad things about the veteran defender, we find it hard to believe that a team like the Bengals, who play the Steelers twice per season as AFC North competitors, would take such input with anything more than a grain of salt and a burst of man-made methane.



It's more likely to conclude that Gildon is looking for more coin than the market will bear. With as many as four teams interested in acquiring his services, Gildon is in a better position than most free agents who have been languishing on the shelf for weeks if not months (see Smith, Antowain, who actually got a tryout with the Bucs on Thursday).



GREEN SAYS 10-4 TO 10-6



Arizona coach Denny Green told the Tempe Chamber of Commerce of Tuesday that the Cardinals could win 10 games in 2004.



In 1992, Green led the Vikings to an 11-5 record and the NFC Central championship, losing 24-7 to the Redskins in Joe Gibbs' last postseason win before 11 seasons in mothballs.



Green's prediction, as we've recently explained, is justified. The guy is a winner, thriving under less-than-ideal circumstances in Minnesota, where there was little stability at quarterback, a spate of injury problems in the offensive backfield, and a defense that disintegrated after Tony Dungy left after the 1995 season.



The veteran coach's positive words are the most brazen talk from a Cardinals coach since Buddy Ryan announced that "there's a winner in town" when he took the gig in 1994. Ryan, however, was arrogant. Green, in contrast, is supremely confident, and he knows how to get players mentally prepared to accept the concept of winning.



Green's biggest asset in a league rife with parity are his skills on game day, where he seized many a win in Minny merely by outcoaching the opposition. With few teams ready to take the Cardinals seriously (especially with those awful uniforms featuring mildly perturbed birdie on the helmet), look for the Cards to surprise plenty of teams as they build on that thrilling season-ending win over Green's former team, the Vikings.



On a different subject, Green sounded off about Giants quarterback Eli Manning's draft-day power play, in which he forced his way out of San Diego.



"Never allow a snotty-nosed, 23-year-old guy" to do that, Green said.



WILLIAMS BACK TO SCHOOL



The Associated Press reports that receiver Mike Williams, who was blocked from the NFL draft via the backwash of the Mo Clarett case, has enrolled in summer classes at USC.



The move by Williams is an apparent effort to get his academic affairs in order in the event the NCAA grants his request to return to school.



It's still a longshot, in our view, for Williams to get another season of eligibility at USC. Our guess is that Williams is going through the motions in order to justify a potential legal challenge regarding the NFL's handling of his unvitation to the April draft.



ALTERNATIVE TO "HOLDOUT"?



On Thursday morning, we explained in passing that we'll use the term "holdout" when referring to rookie draft picks who chose not to attend training camp due to a contract impasse because there's no other quick and easy way to explain their status as players who have not yet reached an agreement with their respective team, and thus are not required by law to attend preseason practice sessions.



And when we said that we'll continue to use "holdout" unless someone can come up with a seven-letter alternative, we didn't really expect PFT Nation to put on its collective thinking cap (or, as the case may be, dunce cap) to come up with ideas.



But thanks to all of you who sent in suggestions. Most were entertaining, some made no sense, a few were profane, and all were appreciated.



The most common idea, which indeed has seven letters, was . . .



"Asshole."



THURSDAY EVENING ONE-LINERS



Bucs WR Keenan McCardell is prepared to sit out the entire season due to his displeasure with his contract.



Titans coach Jeff Fisher expects the status of RB Eddie George to be resolved by the start of training camp.



NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says that planning for Super Bowl XL in Motown will not be affected by the fact that there were IX non-fatal shootings on Wednesday at Detroit's fireworks celebration.



Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is trying to catch up on 11 years of evolution in the slang that players use.



The Cardinals have signed DT Nate Hobgood-Chittick.



Titans rookie DE Antwan Odom gave the team a scare when someone stepped on his arm during practice.

[POJO_Risin]

I can't see the Rooney's badmouthing any of their players...

can't see it happen...

depends who they called though...

[ALinChainz]

Sounds like an agent ploy.

Rooney's would be above that in my opinion.

[POJO_Risin]

Well...Gildon's a good linebacker...no doubt...best days are behind him...and he shouldn't get top dollar...which I'm sure he's looking for...

I think the longer he waits, the more he'll have to settle for...

I don't see a Gildon bidding war...

[ALinChainz]

Bit Ian Gold in the ass waiting so long, had to take an incentive laden deal with Tampa.

Gildon the best of what's out there though and if healthy, will still get after that QB effectively in the right scheme.

[POJO_Risin]

Yeah...I like Gildon roaving between the backing crew...and as a down lineman...he can be effective using his agility...and sure as hell knows how to get after the qb...