The Rumor Mill

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



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



OGUNLEYE, FINS STILL FAR APART



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



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



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



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



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



AZZARELLI FEELS THE HEAT



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



MCKENZIE SKIPPING MANDATORY CAMP



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



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



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



WEDNESDAY ONE-LINERS



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



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



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



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



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



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

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



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



STORM LOOMING FOR WILLIAMS, NFL?



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



GILDON TO START MAKING THE ROUNDS



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



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



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



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



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



The reason? Ray Lewis.



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



THURSDAY ONE-LINERS



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



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



GILDON VISITS GREEN BAY



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



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



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



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



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



COLE CRIES FOR MEA CULPA



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Did we miss anything?

[ALinChainz]

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

GO LIONS !

[POJO_Risin]

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

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

[ALinChainz]

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

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

[POJO_Risin]

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

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

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



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



WARNER GIVING GIANTS FALSE HOPE?



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



TESTAVERDE AN UPGRADE IN DALLAS



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



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



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



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



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



SEAU ADMITS HE NEEDS "SENSITIVITY CLASS"



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



GREEN BENCHES SHELTON



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



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



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



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



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



FINAL FOOTNOTE ON COLE



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



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



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



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



FRIDAY ONE-LINERS



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



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



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



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



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



The Chiefs have agreed to terms with QB Damon Huard.



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

[ALinChainz]

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

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

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

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

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

[POJO_Risin]

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

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

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

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

[POJO_Risin]

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

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

[ALinChainz]

A little something about Burress in this Rumor Mill.


by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


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



PACK PERKY FOR TYRONE?



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



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



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



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



MARKET COOL FOR TROTTER



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



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



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



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



PRODIGAL PLAXICO BENEFITS STEELERS?



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



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



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



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



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



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



LOSMAN PUTS THE "P" IN J.P.



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Then again, maybe he just had to pee.

[POJO_Risin]

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

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

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio



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



BUCKLEY PARTS WITH POSTONS



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



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



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



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



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



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



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





BORGES BATTLES WITH "CRIPPLE"



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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For once, we're speechless.

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

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

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



ARRINGTON PIES TAYLOR

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

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

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

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




SUNDAY ONE-LINERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[ALinChainz]

by Profootballtalk editor Mike Florio


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



CHARGERS TANKING IT?



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



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



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



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



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



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



MONDAY ONE-LINERS



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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