The Rumor Mill

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 1:00 p.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

TIKI MAKING A MONEY GRAB?

The initial reaction in some league circles to the stated intentions of Giants running back Tiki Barber to retire after the 2006 season is that Barber is trying to get the team to rip up his contract and give him a new deal with a huge signing bonus.

We're not saying that we believe it -- but others definitely do.

Barber is represented by agent Eric Metz, and one league insider tells us that "Metz has been complaining about Barber's contract for months."

Barber currently is signed through 2008. His salary is $4.15 million in 2006, and $4.15 million in 2007 and 2008.

He signed his most recent deal in 2005, which paid him a $1.65 million signing bonus and increased his base pay from $4.25 million to a guaranteed $6 million.

Barber's twin brother, Ronde, inked during training camp a contract extension with the Buccaneers. He received $6 million to sign and will earn another $6 million in March 2007.

Despite Tiki's solid performances over the years, which included an MVP-caliber 2,390 yards from scrimmage in 2005, he's never gotten a really big payday. And if the speculation that he's trying to get the Giants to cough one up now is accurate, he's in a no-lose situation.

If they pay him, he'll still play. If they won't, he'll transition to something else.

If he leaves, he'll might be required to pay back roughly $800,000 to the Giants, assuming that his contract contains forfeiture language in the event of early retirement. But that won't be a very painful check to write for a guy who might soon be able to write his own check in the world of television.


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POSTED 9:04 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:58 a.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

WANNSTEDT COACHING HIS WAY TO CONSIDERATION FOR STEELERS' GIG?

We reported when Dave Wannstedt became the head coach of the Pitt Panthers that he was attracted to the job due in part to the possibility that, once Bill Cowher is no longer the head coach of the local pro team, Wannstedt might be able to slide into the job.

Though Wannstedt's ability to make the move seemed in doubt during a rocky start to his college coaching career in 2005, we're now told that Wannstedt will receive consideration for the Steelers job if, as many believe, Cowher packs it in after the 2006 season.

The leading candidate for the job, we're told, would be offensive line coach Russ Grimm, with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt a close second. But if the Panthers continue to pile up wins, and if they could emerge from the scrum at the top of the Big East with the BCS berth, Wannstedt's star will be shining a lot brighter.

The key factor, as we see it, is whether the Steelers can continue to win games in 2006. If they lose more than two over the last 11, the playoffs will be very unlikely. And if the top job becomes open after a season of supreme disappointment, the in-house candidates suddenly will look less impressive.

The other intriguing factor in this regard is the so-called "Rooney Rule," which requires every team to consider at least one minority candidate for any head coaching vacancy. Since the rule is named for Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, it might be difficult for the Steelers to not hire a minority head coach when the job next becomes vacant.


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TIKI IS DONE

We didn't have anything to say on Wednesday regarding the report that Giants running back Tiki Barber was leaning toward retirement after the 2006 season because: (1) the information didn't come directly from him; and (2) we do not want to get caught up in another one of these annual "is this the year he retires?" routines, a la Lord Favre.

But we heard enough of Barber's comments from Wednesday on Sirius NFL Radio to conclude that he will definitely retire after the 2006 season.

The decision, in our view, already had been made. Our guess is that he's deciding to talk about it now not to generate publicity or sympathy or pleas of "please don't go" from fans but to ensure that no one will be shocked when he walks away from the game in January.

We also think that it's part of a strategy aimed at letting his next pool of employers -- the networks -- know that he's not using their interest in him to leverage a better deal from the Giants. In our view, it's the equivalent of a college player declaring for the draft, and in this context there's no reason to wait until after the season ends to make it known.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News pieces together Barber's Wednesday quotes from various contexts, and the message is obvious: Tiki is done.

Of course, not everyone regards Barber's comments as a positive. Gary Myers of Newsday writes that Barber has "created a season-long distraction the suddenly hot Giants don't need, especially going into Monday night's crucial showdown in Dallas."

If the Giants are lucky, Barber's situation will have the same outcome as the same "season-long distraction" created by Jerome Bettis last year in Pittsburgh.

Actually, Barber took a bit of a slap at the Bus on Wednesday. Barber said he doesn't want to stick around and rush for 700 or 800 yards per year as his body breaks down, and that he refuses to be "average."

In his last four seasons in the league, Bettis had 666, 811, 941, and 368 yards, respectively. His average yards per carry in those four years? Three-point-five.

So instead of hanging around in the hopes of getting a Super Bowl ring that might never come, Barber is moving on. And unlike other early-out tailbacks like Barry Sanders and Robert Smith, Barber already has the cement blocks in place for his post-football career.

From our perspective, he's doing the smart thing. For many of the guys who play pro football, their only alternative would be the kind of job that involves wearing a name tag. For Barber, he has put himself in position to have a financially rewarding career away from the game.

And as to whether a few more years might make him a Hall of Famer, how much does that really mean to a guy's day-to-day life? If we had to choose between being physically able to run around in the back yard with our grandkids at age 63 or having a bronze likeness of our head in a dark room in Canton that might or might not come to life only to be bored to tears by John Madden's bust, it wouldn't be a tough decision.


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POSTPONEMENT OF TRADE DEADLINE TO BE DISCUSSED TODAY

A league source tells us that the possibility of moving the trade deadline deeper into the season will be one of the topics of a league conference call to occur on Thursday, October 18. The proposal will be one of several potential rules changes discussed.

We've been banging the drum of late regarding the wisdom of moving back the deadline for doing deals. It makes sense for a variety of reasons, and we've yet to hear a compelling argument against it.

And as to a point we made the other day, we'll have to admit that we were being a tad stoopid. Moving the deadline until after the bye weeks have concluded won't eliminate the possibility that a player will end up appearing in 17 games, since trades can still happen before the deadline. We're now off of our dumbsh-t medication, and hopefully we won't say something so idiotic again.


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NO MAAS, BUT MAS GOOSE

For yet another week, FOX analyst Bill Maas will be free to watch the games in his underwear, and to freely scratch wherever he might be a-itchin'.

And, interestingly, a spot that could have gone to Maas has been filled this week by one Anthony J. Siragusa. (We don't know whether his middle initial is actually "J". It just sounded good.)

We're not sure how we feel about Siragusa, and we're likewise not sure we'll watch much of the game he'll cover, since he's working the Cardinals at the Raiders. But, as we see it, if the guy is gonna roam around in his fat guy shirt and chime in whenever he feels like it from the field, why not squeeze him into a suit, shoehorn him into the booth, and see what he can do?

He can't be any worse than Maas.


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THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Bears S Mike Brown likely will miss the rest of the year after having foot surgery.

Chargers DE Igor Olshansky will miss 3-4 weeks after having knee surgery.

The Packers say they have no regrets about signing WR Koren Robinson.

Packers CB Charles Woodson might not be able to play against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Six weeks of sellouts could mean higher ticket prices in the future.

Giants DE Michael Strahan says that he won't be retiring after this season.

The New York Giants have been told to quit doing fadeaway jump shots (the New York Knicks, unfortunately, will keep doing them).

Someone is actually complaining that Bengals WR Chad Johnson isn't talking enough.

Great nickname for Randy Moss and Jerry Porter: "Glum and Glummer."

49ers S Keith Lewis could be getting more playing time with the defense.

If the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is arguing that the Falcons should dump Alex Gibbs' cut-blocking scheme, it can only mean that the team has already decided to do so.

The Vikings will use a silent count in Seattle on Sunday.

WR Bethel Johnson might get a chance to return kicks for the Vikings this week.

Bears LB Lance Briggs denies reports that he's interested in playing for the Dolphins in 2007.

Some of the Broncos who used to be Browns are bitching about the Browns.

The final count for Bears LB Brian Urlacher on Monday night? 25 tackles; "I wasn't getting blocked," he said.

Pats QB Tom Brady received a vote in SI's "Dirtiest Player" poll.

Panthers coach John Fox denies that he said in a production meeting with FOX that RB DeAngelo Williams will miss a full month with a sprained ankle.

We feel kind of bad that Roger Brown of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is out of a job, but we're glad that we'll never have to see that hella gay (oh yeah, we're down) picture of him anymore.

Redskins QB Mark Brunell calls Sunday's game at Indy a "must-win." (We prefer to think of it as a "won't-win.")

Bengals WR Chad Johnson says that he heeds most of the advice he gets from cousin Keyshawn of the Panthers.

Bucs CB Brian Kelly knows that the team's denial of efforts to trade him is bullsh-t bullsh-t.

We wonder if Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune put the "lights out" before nuzzling the crotch of Chargers LB Shawn Merriman. [Editor's note: For anyone who remembers that we used that same gag a year or so ago, don't worry about seeing the same tired old lines showing up on the site over and over again. Only someone who went to the "M" would resort to that kind of bullsh-t bullsh-t.]

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis says it would cost him "millions" to leave Notre Dame.


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POSTED 9:56 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

FALCONS DENYING IN-HOUSE FRACAS

Our recent report regarding the fracas at Flowery Branch has received little or no play in the "real" media, primarily because the folks in Atlanta are consistently denying that defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp were at odds after Sunday's game, that owner Arthur Blank met with the two of them on Monday, and that Knapp was upset thereafter.

Regardless of the denials, we're standing by the story 100 percent. Our source is credible, and has delivered in the past. Plus, there were too many details.

We're also hearing that the team has put out the word to deny that anything happened, and that others in the media sensed when talking to their contacts with the team about the situation that something indeed went down.


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IRVIN FEARS HOLT?

We mentioned in this week's PFT Ten-Pack that Michael Irvin of ESPN inexplicably omitted Rams receiver Torry Holt from Irvin's list of the top five "Playmakers" from Sunday's games.

Holt had eight catches for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Along the way, he broke the 10,000-yard career receiving barrier.

But Irvin snubbed him, giving both of the top two spots to a guy who had more than 100 less yards on Sunday.

So what gives?

As one reader suggested, Irvin fears that, after Holt retires, he'll bump Irvin off of ESPN. Holt has done well as a guest analyst on ESPN's draft coverage, and Irvin is too erratic and too controversial. At times, he seems incoherent.

What makes Irvin indispensable to ESPN is his ability to get access to controversial players like T.O. and Steve Smith and Chad Johnson. But in the years after Holt retires, he'll likely be able to do the same thing.

We also think that Irvin sees Holt getting closer and closer to his career stats -- and in far fewer seasons. Irvin had 750 catches for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns in 12 seasons. Holt has 656 catches for 10,013 yards and 61 touchdowns in seven seasons and change.


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MORE RADIO STUFF

We inadvertently forgot to mention a couple of our regular radio stops earlier today, leaving out our buddy Brad Riter at WGR in Buffalo off of the list, and Ryan Chambers and Terry Harvin at ESPN 105.5 The Fan in Macon, Georgia.

And we'll be also on WIP in Philly on Wednesday night with Glen Macnow at 10:10 p.m. EDT to discuss this week's Ten-Pack.

Finally, we've got the clip from Tuesday's spot with Chris McClain of WFNZ in Charlotte.


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POSTED 8:38 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:10 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

FAVRE TAKES UP FOR THE BOOZE HOUND

In Brett Favre's world, it's not okay for a receiver who is under contract to hold out. But it apparently is okay for a receiver to drive more than 100 miles per hour in order to avoid getting busted by the cops on yet another DUI rap.

Favre said on Wednesday that he doesn't understand why the league won't allow receiver Koren Robinson to hang out with the team or work out at the facility while he's on suspension for a year due to his latest violation of the substance abuse policy.

But, Brett, the issue here is that the rules created through collective bargaining between the NFL and the NFLPA require a minimum banishment of one year due to Robinson's chronic inability to follow the rules. The league didn't simply dictate this; it's a provision that the NFL and the paid representatives of the players agreed to.

Yeah, Robinson has a disease. But his disease can manifest itself in ways that can harm his team, the league, and other persons. So if a player can't or won't get proper treatment for the disease, and if he can't prove on a consistent basis that the disease won't result in, for example, the player showing up drunk at a game and punching a referee in the face, then the player is medically and physically unfit to be on the field, on the sidelines, or in the building.

What if, for example, Robinson is permitted to work out at the facility for the next year, and he shows up on a day in April fully lubricated and drops a 45-pound plate on A.J. Hawk's potato face while Hawk is laying on the bench?

It's nothing personal against Robinson or any other alcoholic who plays football. But the reality is that, after the player has failed on repeated occasions to adhere to the requirements of the rules to which the NFLPA agreed, he must suffer the consequences.

He's not fit to be in the league. Period. It's no different than a guy who can't catch a pass or won't take a hit. There's something in Robinson's overall mind and body that makes it a bad idea for the league to continue to provide him with employment.

Unlike a guy who can't catch a pass or won't take a hit, Robinson gets yet another chance. If he can stay clean for a year, he can come back.


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WHERE WAS SUZY?

One of the unresolved questions from Monday night's mind-boggling, come-from-behind win by the Bears over the Cardinals was this: Where in the hell was Suzy Kolber?

As far as we can tell, the folks in Bristol are keeping a tight lid on this one, with only a tight handful of people (if anyone) knowing the truth regarding her unexplained absence.

The official explanation is "personal reasons," and she's supposed to be back next week.

Regardless of the excuse, it's not a good thing for a sportscaster to not show up for a game. Especially when there are only 17 of them that she needs to cover per year.

And, if anything, her absence proved that they really don't need to have two sideline reporters on Monday night.


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IT WASN'T PAM

Speaking of sideline reporters, we got several angry e-mails from Eagles fans who insisted that FOX's Pam Oliver was openly rooting for the Saints after Terrance Copper recovered a muffed punt late in the first half.

We've finally gotten a chance to eyeball the footage on NFLN's NFL Replay, and we've concluded with 99.99 percent certainty that the woman seen clapping off to the side of the end zone after the play isn't her.


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POSTED 5:12 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:58 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

TERRORIST ATTACKS THREATENED AT STADIUMS

Though the U.S. Government is reportedly skeptical about an Internet posting that promises detonation of a radiological dirty bomb at seven NFL stadiums on Sunday, October 22, the Department of Homeland Security is taking the matter sufficiently seriously to issue an alert to the seven cities in question and the owners of the teams.

The cities on the list are New York, Miami, Houston, Cleveland, Oakland, Atlanta, and Seattle.

With all that said, why would the terrorists post an advance warning about the attacks on a web site? Unless the logic is to be so brazen about it that no one will take it seriously, the notion of trumpeting the plans for another sneak attack on U.S. soil seems more than a little goofy.

Still, we've seen the posting that triggered the alert, which a reader found. And it's definitely disturbing.

Here's the text:

"On Sunday, October 22nd, 2006, there will be seven 'dirty' explosive devices detonated in seven different U.S. cities; Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland and Cleveland. The death toll will approach 100,000 from the initial blasts and countless other fatalities will later occur as result from radioactive fallout.

"The bombs themselves will be delivered via trucks. These trucks will pull up to stadiums hosting NFL games in each respective city. All stadiums to be targeted are open air arenas, excluding Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the only enclosed stadium to be hit. Due to the open air, the radiological fallout will destroy those not killed in the initial explosion. The explosions will be near simultaneous, with the cities specifically chosen in different time zones to allow for multiple attacks at the same time.

"The 22nd of October will mark the final day of Ramadan as it would fall in Mecca. Al-Qaida will automatically be blamed for the attacks. Later, through Al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden will issue a video message claiming responsibility for what he dubs 'America's Hiroshima'.

"In the aftermath civil wars will erupt across the world, both in the Middle East and within the United States. Global economies will screech to a halt. General chaos will rule."


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POSTED 3:23 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:16 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

GOODELL FLEXING HIS MUSCLES

The early reviews are coming in regarding new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

And there's a feeling that he's going to be tough on guys who break the rules.

Based on matters that have been made public (such as the suspensions of Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, Packers receiver Koren Robinson, Bengals receiver Chris Henry, Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, and Falcons guard Matt Lehr) and matters that are still private due to the confidentiality of the relevant policies and programs, league insiders believe that Goodell is going to go far when it comes to imposing discipline.

But some already are suggesting that there will be an over-correction, and that as a result some players will receive harsher penalties now than similarly situated players realized under the Paul Tagliabue regime.

Though we think it reasonably could be regarded as unfair for guys to suddenly get slammed for stuff that happened before Goodell became Commissioner, we also believe that the greater good requires Goodell to get the attention of those who think that they will get away with improper activities, or that if they get caught the punishment won't be severe.

So, on balance, we like it.

Even though we still think Haynesworth got off way too easy.


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PROOF OF TAMPERING?

One of the areas in which we'd like to see the new commish do something/anything is in the realm of tampering.

Specifically, we propose that he either enforce the rule that's on the books, or get rid of it.

The rule currently is a joke. Everyone violates it, and no one is ever nailed. There's one team we know of that began to violate the tampering rules only after it became obvious that the failure to do that which every other team was doing had created a potential competitive disadvantage.

Though the instances in which there seems to be hard proof of tampering are few and far between, consider the example of former Bills safety Troy Vincent. Buffalo released him on Thursday, October 12. On Monday, October 16, he said that he was contacted by Redskins cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray "[a] week ago."

Though the text of the article is careful to say that Gray called Vincent after he was released, what reasonable person uses the term "a week ago" on a Monday in reference to something that happened only two business days earlier?

It's hardly the same kind of smoking gun that Peter King of SI offered up a couple of years ago, when safety Lawyer Milloy admitted that the Redskins had made him an offer while he was still under contract with the Patriots. In that case, the issue went nowhere after Milloy recanted.

In this case, we think "a week ago" means "a week ago," and that the 'Skins realized that if Vincent wasn't released before the trade deadline he would have to pass through waivers -- and the few teams out there with lesser records would have a crack at him. So we believe that they contacted Vincent, and upon realizing that he had an opportunity in D.C. Vincent asked to be dumped by the Bills, who were on the hook for his full 2006 salary regardless of whether or not Vincent was released from the injured reserve list.

And although Vincent has grumbled about the way that the Bills treated him, the fact that the move came before the trading deadline allows him to pocket the balance of his $2.6 million salary as termination pay -- and to get paid by the Redskins separately.

It's also possible that Bills G.M. Marv Levy didn't realize that he might have been able to save his boss $1.5 million or so if the Bills had waived Vincent, and if the Redskins or someone else had been willing to pick up the balance of the salary. Despite the fact that our friends in Western New York (all five of them) might not like to hear it, it's another reason why Levy wasn't the right choice to run the front office.


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VINCENT'S DEAL IS FOR THREE YEARS

The reports regarding cornerback Troy Vincent's decision to sign with the Redskins did not contain any details regarding the terms of the contract. Most league insiders assumed it was a one-year deal for the prorated 10-year-plus veteran minimum of $810,000.

NFLPA records, however, reveal that it was a three-year deal. Vincent will make the prorated minimum salary in 2006, which implies to us that the contract included a signing bonus. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Vincent to agree to future years; he would have signed a one-year contract and then moved on (or re-signed with the team) in 2007.

Under the deal, Vincent will make $1.375 million in 2007 and $1.5 million in 2008. If he's not released.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 9:15 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:59 a.m. EDT, October 25, 2006

TUG-O-WAR COMING FOR FISHER?

We mentioned in this space on Tuesday rumors that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been making overtures toward Titans coach Jeff Fisher as the potential successor to Bill Parcells.

We've now been informed by an industry source of talk that Redskins owner Dan Snyder also has his eye on Fisher.

Per the source, the rumor is that Snyder would buy out the provision in the contract of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams that promises him a seven-figure sum if he's not the next head coach, and then go after Fisher -- if, of course, Joe Gibbs doesn't come back for 2007.

Though the interest in the coach of a 1-5 team doesn't mesh with the traditional concept of "hot" coaches getting jobs, Fisher is well respected in league circles. Also, there's a strong case to be made that his team has struggled in recent years not because of Fisher's coaching, but because of poor salary cap management by the front office, which has forced the franchise to release multiple key players.

Still, the Titans hold an option on Fisher for 2007, so it's by no means a done deal that he'll be available. If he is, however, it looks like he'll have some suitors.


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BEN BACK THIS WEEKEND?

The signs apparently are pointing to a quick return to action by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the star-crossed signal-caller who must be feeling like he's running from the Grim Reaper.

Morbid? Sure. But this is a guy who slammed without a helmet at 35 miles per hour or so into a moving car and nearly died (if you believe his account of it), had an appendectomy a week before the season opener, and most recently has been sangwiched (as some say in the 'Burgh) between a couple of Falcons defenders and, by all appearances, took a Steve Young-style nap on the field on Sunday.

"He had an MRI done on his brain and neck. Both of those came back normal," coach Bill Cowher said on Tuesday. "We also did the impact test, the concussion test. We're very encouraged by the results. We'll monitor his progress as the week goes on."

But recovery from the most recent concussion is one thing. The potential consequences of future concussions is another. One plus one can equal five when it comes to the long-term effects of multiple brain-bruisings, and plenty of guys have been forced to the sidelines for extended periods (Dan Morgan) and/or permanently (Al Toon) because of the cumulative effect of head trauma.

Roethlisberger has had at least two concussions. He's possibly had more over the years that were either untreated or undiagnosed. So regardless of when he returns, he's now officially one blow to the bubble closer to being forced out of the game -- the only unknown is how many total shots he can take before he has to shut it down.


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IRVIN RAISING EYEBROWS

Several readers have raised with us their opinions that something wasn't right with ESPN's Michael Irvin during a Tuesday appearance on SportsCenter.

And this isn't the first time that we've heard whispers about Irvin's demeanor during a midweek SportsCenter broadcast. When Irvin appeared with Bob Ley during the T.O. accidental suicide attempt a few weeks back, a high-level guy with one of the teams expressed concern to us that something was wrong with Irvin.

Irvin's history is well documented, but we're not suggesting that these opinions and observations that we're receiving are the result of anything medicinal or chemical. Even though Irvin was arrested last year for having drug paraphernalia in his car, we accept his version that the pipe belonged to a "friend." And we've generally seen nothing on Sundays or Mondays that cause us to conclude that something is out of sorts with Irvin.

But the situation bears watching, in light of his history and his inexplicably high profile on ESPN.


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WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Edgerrin "No Gain" James apparently is forgetting about those 40 million reasons why he joined a bad team.

If Denny Green goes during the season, who takes his place?

Falcons coach Jim Mora says that DE Chauncey Davis shouldn't be fined for knocking out Big Ben.

Ravens QB Steve McNair suffered a "Grade 2" concussion on October 15, but is expected to play on Sunday against the Saints.

The Bills are moving Jason Peters from right tackle to left tackle, and Mike Gandy moves from left tackle to left guard.

J.P. Losman will continue to be the Bills starting quarterback.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might favor Drew Bledsoe over Tony Romo.

The Bears and Giants will get an musical intro from a woman who could kick Brian Urlacher's ass (PINK).

Free-agent WR Peter Warrick has worked out for the Bengals. (Who's next? Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith, and David Klingler?)

Thanks to the reader who tracked down the reason why NFL players who test positive for steroids can no longer say that their supplements ate their homework.

So Mo Carthon "resigned"? Yeah, so did Charley Casserly. And Abraham Lincoln.

Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News thinks that Tony Romo will keep the gig in Dallas.

Coach Kevlar says that QB Jay Cutler won't play . . . on Sunday against the Colts; beyond that, who in the hell knows?

Lions WR Roy Williams thinks that the 1-6 Lions can be 10-6. (So do we . . . in 2009.)

Mr. Laura Quinn is one of the nominees for Rookie of the Week.

The Texans' offensive line is starting to come together.

Colts DT Montae Reagor will undergo surgery on Wednesday for injuries suffered in a car accident. (Corey Simon wants to know when Reagor will be put on the NFI list.)

Jags coach Jack Del Rio says that Fat Albert's bad ankle affected his performance on Sunday.

The Chiefs have brought back OT John Welbourn, who "retired" and then was suspended for six games.

Butch Davis wants to return to coaching and says he won't rule out any college or NFL job (but most NFL teams have already ruled him out).


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POSTED 11:10 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:40 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2006

DICK HEADING TO THE DESERT?

There are rumors flying in league circles that if/when the Cardinals part ways with coach Dennis Green one of the short-list choices to replace Green will be former Eagles and Rams and Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil.

Vermeil retired from the Chiefs after the 2005 season, but he also "retired" from the Rams after the 1999 season.

It's only a rumor at this point, not a prediction or a report or anything else of any substance. But stay tuned.

We're also hearing that Chiefs V.P. of Player Personnel Bill Kuharich could get strong consideration for the G.M. job in Arizona, if/when the Bidwills are looking to fill it.

Again, it's rumor at this point. Again, stay tuned.


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MERRIMAN FACES AN UPHILL CLIMB

In response to news that the hearing on linebacker Shawne Merriman's appeal will be held on November 7, league sources are increasingly skeptical about Merriman's chances of avoiding a four-game suspension.

"To the best of my knowledge," a league source told us on Tuesday night, "no one has ever won an appeal for steroid use. The league says the player is responsible for everything that goes into his body and if he is not sure, then have it checked. Merriman's excuse (or rather [David] Cornwell's) is a crock."

Meanwhile, we're hearing opinions from more and more league insiders who noticed that Merriman seemed to grow rapidly in the weeks and months leading up to the 2005 draft. Though it's hard to discern differences in upper body mass based on pictures in pads, Merriman looks a lot smaller in the midsection, based on photos from his days as a Terp and snapshots from his time with the Chargers.

Whether any portions of Merriman's mass is medicinal remains to be seen. But even if he beats the current rap, he'll always be tainted with the stigma of steroids.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 10:31 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:00 a.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

LEAGUE, UNION CONCERNED ABOUT MERRIMAN LEAK

The New York Times reports that the NFL and the NFL Players Association are concerned about the fact that news of the impending four-game suspension of linebacker Shawne Merriman was leaked to the media before the matter was resolved.

As a result, Merriman will play the next two games of the season before his appeal is heard.

"That should not have been revealed," NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw said. "Normally, nobody knows about it until we go all the way through the appeal. This is a breach in the confidentiality."

Indeed, our initial reaction to the news was that the Chargers were in line for a fine of up to $500,000, since the initial report (from Chris Mortensen of ESPN) was attributed to "league and team sources."

The NFL's steroids policy states that "[a]ny Club or Club employee that publicly divulges, directly or indirectly, information concerning positive drug tests or other violation of this Policy (including numerical summaries or specific names of persons) or otherwise breaches the confidentiality provisions of this Policy is subject to a fine of up to $500,000 by the Commissioner."

But we've heard that the leak in this case traces to Merriman himself. Merriman has no agent. So, as we surmised on Monday, when Merriman received a letter from the league office, he started asking around the locker room about how to deal with the situation.

And when the other players heard about it, one of them eventually told Mortensen, we believe.

So how does the confidentiality clause apply in this case? Is a player a "Club employee" that is subject to a fine of up to $500,000? Is Merriman himself subject to a fine, either for talking about the situation in the locker room or for conducting a press conference?

As to the press conference, which also featured lawyer David Cornwell claiming that Merriman took a supplement that was spiked with steroids, we continue to hear from league insiders who believe that there's no way that Merriman will beat this one.

So why would Cornwell float such a lame excuse? To help sway public opinion in Merriman's favor. If Cornwell had said, "Yeah, Shawne is a juicer and he got caught," Merriman's ability to generate revenue via sources other than his salary would take a potentially devastating hit. (See Bonds, Barry.) So instead Cornwell says what he has to say, and the hope is that after Merriman serves his four games the issue will fade -- just like it did after Julius Peppers was popped for ephedra in 2002.


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17-GAME SEASON NOT SO STOOPID, AFTER ALL?

We mentioned on Thursday that one possible solution to the problem of lifting a home game from two teams per year in order to aid in the foreign growth of the NFL would be to expand the season to 17 games. Such an approach would also get rid of the annoying problem of teams that finish not above .500 or below .500 but on .500.

We then realized how dumb that is, since it would mean that the 30 other teams that don't play a home game in another country would end up with an unequal number of home and road games each year.

But maybe we've discovered plutonium by accident.

Why not play 17 games, and then use each team's extra home game as a way to play 16 games per year at a neutral site?

Under this approach, each team would be involved in eight home games, eight road games, and one neutral site game. And the 16 games wouldn't have to be played exclusively in other countries.

How about a game in Ohio Stadium in Columbus?

Or at Penn State? Or at South Bend? Or in the Big House at Ann Arbor?

We know, we know. There would be all sorts of logistical issues. At many college stadiums beer can't be sold, by law.

Still, the possibilities are fascinating (at least to football dweebs like us). And we think that if the foreign games are successful the next step could be a 17-game season, and 16 games per year on neutral turf.


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POSTED 9:21 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:06 a.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

TRAINERS TICKED OFF OVER PELLMAN STORY

A league source tells us that multiple NFL trainers are pissed off regarding a recent ESPN The Magazine article regarding the "work" of Dr. Elliot Pellman, who chairs the NFL's "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee."

The trainers, we're told, are upset by the fact that the article implies that the individual teams are inept when it comes to treating players who have suffered concussions.

"The story is not that team doctors don't know what their doing, it's that Pellman is the head of the concussion committee and he may not know what he's doing," said the source.

"The story was originally all about Pellman but now [Merril] Hoge and others are ripping doctors, and I really don't think there is an issue with 99 percent of team doctors. But there are plenty of issues with Pellman at least with the trainers."

But the problem, as we see it, is that the league office has opted to appoint a guy who got his medical degree in Mexico as the head of the committee on brain injuries. And based on the detailed (i.e., way too long for someone with adult ADHD to read) story written by Peter Keating, a fair conclusion to be drawn is that Pellman truly doesn't know what he's doing, and that he's possibly focused more on protecting the league than protecting the players.

In cases like this, the only way to force change at the top is to push up from the bottom. So if the trainers and the team doctors think that Pellman is unfit to chair the committee, they need to organize their voices and make their beliefs known.

And why in the hell would the league make Pellman the top guy on this committee? Even if the unspoken goal of the committee is to engineer studies in a manner that will protect the league and its teams from liability due to situations in which players are allowed to get back on the field soon after getting whacked in the head, wouldn't it make sense to persuade someone with better objective credentials to sell his soul for the cause?

Hell, it's like the tobacco companies hiring Dr. Nick Riviera to tell people that nicotine isn't addictive.

With all that said, we'd like to think that the NFL's ultimate objective in this regard is to protect the players. But Keating's story paints a starkly different picture -- and we're amazed (and impressed) that the company that bowed to pressure from the league to kill Playmakers was willing to shoot an arrow toward such a sensitive spot on the league's underbelly.


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BYRON'S PAYDAY GOING BYE-BYE?

One of the collateral consequences of the possible benching of quarterback Byron Leftwich is that his long-term financial prospects could be taking a big hit.

Leftwich is due to become a free agent after the 2007 season. But if he's not even the No. 1 quarterback on his team, chances are that he won't command the kind of coin on the free-agent market that others have earned in the past.

And it makes us wonder whether the team is more inclined to give backup David Garrard playing time because there have been failed behind-the-scenes efforts to extend Leftwich's deal. If, as we'd heard, the team justified sticking with Leftwich in the past because he was the guy in which the team had invested a ton of money, we can easily see the team opting to bench him now in order to avoid having to make a similar commitment to him in the not-too-distant future.

In fact, we wouldn't be surprised at all if the team trades or cuts Leftwich after the 2006, since due to escalators his salary likely will be in the range of $4 million next season.

Meanwhile, Leftwich was held out of practice on Thursday, due supposedly to his injured ankle. But we think the move might have been influenced in part by the decision of Leftwich to publicly take issue with coach Jack Del Rio's conclusion that Leftwich's ankle injury contributed to his subpar play on Sunday against the Texans.

If so, the message has been received. A reportedly dejected Leftwich was far less loquacious on Thursday: "I don't know anything," he said regarding his status for the upcoming game at Philly. "I guess I'll find out whenever Sunday or pre-game. . . . I'll be ready for any situation. I don't want to say too much."


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POSTED 10:58 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

HALEY SUES McDONALD'S FOR RAT SALAD

In a football season that has been as bizarre as any football season we can remember, Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley has sued McDonald's, claiming that his wife and the family's live-in babysitter found a rat in a salad they were eating in June.

The women began eating the salad before the rat was found, and then allegedly became violently ill.

Haley's claim likely arises from the concept known under the law as loss of marital consortium. The argument is that the injuries suffered by his wife impacted his marriage. Haley's wife and the babysitter are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

In our view, it would have made more sense for Haley to not add his name to the lawsuit. Whether the plaintiffs are only Mrs. Haley or both husband and wife, the jury is likely to award the same total amount, if any, for the alleged injuries. Given that Haley has a relatively high-profile profession, he should have taken a low profile in the lawsuit.

And our guess is that the lawsuit isn't against McDonald's Corporation, but against the local company that owns and operates the McDonald's-franchised restaurant. So even though the suit is against McDonald's, it's not actually against McDonald's.

Meanwhile, we're hearing that Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens assisted the family in identifying the creature that was in the salad.

As Owens said: "If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat."


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POSTED 8:04 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

TIKI WON'T BE MISSED BY SOME IN NEW YORK

An industry source with knowledge of the New York Giants tells us that there is a group of players in the locker room that can't stand running back Tiki Barber.

"They say he's smug and condescending and complains a lot," said the source.

This reinforces our belief that, while Barber's stated plan to retire after the season isn't a distraction in and of itself, there could be a problem if the Tiki World Farewell Tour stokes the smoldering resentment that already exists within the building.

Meanwhile, Tiki is still using ten-dollar words on television. During a Thursday night appearance on NFLN's Total Access, he broke out the term "bloviate" regarding the folks who are criticizing him. (We looked it up. It's a term that's most commonly used by those who bloviate.)

Tiki, pal, you've got to drop the fancy-shmancy talk. It doesn't connect with the kinds of folks who'll comprise the TV audience you ultimately aspire to have.

And it reminds us of something that a good friend once said to his class of eighth graders when their vocabulary book included the term "supersensitive."

"If you ever use that word," he told the students, "people will think you're gay." (Not that there's anything wrong with it.)


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POSTED 4:01 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 5:00 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

JONES SAYS TEAM HAS TAKEN A "STEP BACK"

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is "disappointed" that a season he believed could be "special" has been derailed by substandard quarterback play from former starter Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe has been benched in favor of Tony Romo, a former Division I-AA player who was not drafted.

"I'm disappointed at the reason we're having to make this change," Jones said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

"I have to be a realist," he said. "I hadn't thought or hoped that we'd be sitting here after the sixth game making these adjustments. . . . I did not want to this year go to an inexperienced quarterback. I wanted to have the benefit of Drew Bledsoe. It hasn't worked out as of today. It just hasn't worked out. That to me is a step back."

Jerry, baby, what the hell are you doing?

Here's what's wrong with what Jones is saying: He is providing an excuse for the team to take a step back.

It's no different, in our view, than a team that has suffered a rash of injuries. If the front office spouts off the "woe is us" routine, the players will suddenly have a built-in excuse to fail.

And based on our discussions over the years with league insiders who "get it" and those who don't, we think that these messages that are propagated by the powers-that-be have a huge impact on whether and to what extent the team meets and/or exceeds expectations.

Jones also defended the team's revolving door at quarterback since Troy Aikman retired, explaining that the team "consciously tried not to go to the top of the draft to get a quarterback."

Yeah, you'd hate to go to the top of the draft and get a guy like, say, Troy Aikman, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 1989, and who delivered three championships in his first seven seasons.

Obviously, however, a top-ten pedigree isn't mandatory. Tom Brady parlayed a sixth-round selection spot into three Lombardis in five NFL seasons. Kurt Warner won one and lost one despite being undrafted. Brad Johnson led the Bucs to a title in 2002 despite being a ninth-round pick a decade earlier.

But it's still more than a bit ironic for a guy like Jones, whose biggest success in Big D came with a team captained by a No. 1 draft choice, to resist trying to get another quarterback that way.

And, really, it won't matter who the quarterback is this year if Jones is going to declare to the world (and thus to the team) that he's now expecting less of them than he previously did.


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MORE DETAILS ON FOREIGN GAMES

We've talked with some of our league sources regarding the recently-conducted ownership meetings in New Orleans, and we've picked up some more details as to the decision to begin playing two regular-season games per season on foreign soil.

One of the topics that was discussed, we're told, is whether divisional games would be included in the mix of contests that are exported to other countries. Despite a belief by some that divisional games should be exempt, a consensus was reached that divisional contests are eligible, but only if the two teams agree to do it.

With that said, we can't imagine any team agreeing to give up a home game against one of its arch-rivals.

It's also our understanding that any team required to play a game out of the country (as the "home" team or as the "away" team) will be scheduled to be at home the week before the foreign trip -- and will have a bye the week after it.

Also, although some owners have been a bit cryptic in their public statements regarding the financial impact of the lost home games, we're told that a team that loses a home game will be "made whole" by the league. The team that gives up a game will, in other words, receive a guaranteed amount of money to cover for the lost revenues resulting from the lost game.

With all that said, there are lingering issues that will need to be addressed. Some teams have leases that prevent "home" games from being played in any location other than the home stadium. There are issues with stadium sponsorship, with partial refunds possibly going to companies that pay a yearly fee for a ten-game package (preseason included) that shrinks to nine.

Regardless, the league is making a clear commitment to expanding the pie beyond U.S. borders, in the hopes of making the NFL a sport with a truly global following.


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WE IS STOOPID, PART 24

We mentioned earlier on Thursday the possibility of expanding the regular season to 17 games, in order to defray the periodic loss of a home game due to the NFL's new foreign initiative.

The problem? Some teams would get nine home games a year, and some would get eight.

Then again, we're not the only ones who squeaked out a brain fart on Thursday. A few of our readers suggested that the problem of teams being required to give up a home game to accommodate the league's desire to play in other countries could easily be solved if the NFL schedules on foreign soil only games involving two road teams.

We didn't make that up.


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POSTED 12:51 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 3:41 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

TIKI TAKES ON IRVIN, OTHERS

Giants running back Tiki Barber used his Sirius NFL Radio show as a platform for criticizing those who have criticized him for creating a possible locker room distraction by announcing his impending retirement in the middle of the football season.

On Tuesday night, Barber said this: "I will call them 'idiots' because they have neither spoken to me nor any one of my teammates or any of my coaches, yet all they do is criticize me for being a distraction with this retirement thing. That includes [New York Daily News columnist] Gary Myers, that includes Tom Jackson on ESPN, that includes the ultimate character guy, facetiously speaking, of course, Michael Irvin [of ESPN], please get a clue how to be a journalist. Don't make blanket assumptions about it."

At first, we were inclined to agree (and it kills us to say that) with Irvin on this one, because we understand Irvin's position that Barber's stated intention to pack it in could hamper his ability to lead younger players on the team who now know that there is no long-term attachment or accountability to the veteran tailback.

But then we heard Irvin explaining himself during Thursday's Man-Girl & Meatball in the Morning on ESPN Radio. Irvin argued that Barber's decision to drop his plans on the team in October is a distraction, and it's no different than the perceived distractions that Terrell Owens causes in Dallas. Meatball disagreed with Irvin, arguing that Barber's plans have no impact on the preparation or the play of the other guys on the team.

In our view, there's a big difference between guys like Barber and guys like Owens. For Barber, his issue relates only to himself; it's a distraction then only if it distracts him from finishing the season strong and hard. For Owens, his constant stream of issues and gripes and problems affects others because he is always looking for others to blame. And his antics cause resentment in the locker room, which at some point can and will affect team chemistry -- and which likewise will make it harder for the players on the field to achieve and maintain complete harmony.

So we think that the fact that Barber says he's retiring won't in and of itself be a distraction. Instead, it could provide some additional incentive for the team to come together despite a mismatched collection of strong personalities (with the exception of quarterback Eli Manning, who has all the personality of a soft-boiled egg). The Steelers had extra motivation in 2005 to win a Super Bowl for running back Jerome Bettis, and they delivered. Heck, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger basically promised a championship to Bettis when he decided to come back after a devastating AFC title game loss following 2004's 15-1 regular season.

But there's a caveat here. If the locker room perceives that Barber is getting (or desiring) too much attention for his looming retirement, and if he continues to come off (as he did on Monday night) like he's enjoying the attention way too much, there could be a backlash.

Remember when Barber made some comments in the media about defensive end Michael Strahan and his contractual demands? Anyone who thinks that Strahan won't eventually get tired of the Tiki love-fest doesn't understand the nature of the human animal.

And the irony here is that, when Strahan was talking about possibly leaving the team after his contract expired, it was Barber who said publicly that Strahan "should just be quiet."

So now it's Barber who's saying (over and over again) that he'll leave the Giants after the season. When will Strahan turn the tables on Tiki and use his own quote against him?

As to Barber's squabble with Irvin, we think the heart of the matter is that Barber is leaving the game while still healthy, and that Irvin left the game because his body would no longer let him play. Love him or hate him, Irvin strikes us as a guy who would have played football for as long as physically possible -- and we think that guys who have that genuine passion for the game are offended when someone who still has the ability to play decides not to.

Meanwhile, anyone who plans to hire Tiki for a network gig should do some careful research on how he's perceived beyond the borders of Manhattan. Though the execs presumably will enjoy the ability to sniff Tiki's jock, we think (with all due respect to Tiki) that he's not going to play in Peoria until he: (1) quits using ten-dollar words gratuitously; and (2) removes that smug look from his face whenever he is being interviewed.

Based on one of the anecdotes that the sock puppets shared during Monday night's broadcast, it appears that Tiki grew up with a chip on his shoulder because all of the white kids in town just assumed he was a dumb jock. The challenge he now faces is dumping the facade of a forced intellectual and just being himself.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 12:38 a.m. EST, November 1, 2006

WAS SALISBURY SUSPENDED FOR A WEEK?

We've decided to kick off our five-year anniversary by stirring up a little sh-t.

A trusted industry source tells us that ESPN recently suspended NFL analyst Sean Salisbury for a week. Salisbury is now back on the air.

And we don't know what's worse for Salisbury -- the fact that he was suspended for a week, or the fact that no one noticed.

Before going with this one, we contacted ESPN. We reached ESPN spokesman Mac Nwulu and asked him if the information is accurate. He called us back within 30 minutes and said only that ESPN does not comment on personnel matters.

We told Nwulu that if he were to tell us that there had been no suspension, we would kill the story.

He didn't, so we haven't.

If Salisbury was not suspended, we invite Salisbury or someone from ESPN to set us straight. At this point, however, we have no reason to question our source on this.

Last year, ESPN suspended Michael Irvin for a week after Irvin failed to tell the network that he'd been arrested on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia.


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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US

It's November 1. We're now officially five years old. We just posted a new Ten-Pack, which among other things takes a close look at the call that screwed the Jets on Sunday. We're going to sleep for a while, get Florio Jr. out the door to school, and then hit the site all day long.

We're thinking about doing Wednesday's updates in the format of a Live Blog, with a continuous stream of stories and One-Liners and quick hits. We'll make a final decision after we sleep off some of the Halloween candy that we've been scarfing down.

And we'll pause from our updates only to make a handful of radio appearances. We'll visit with Angelo Cataldi and friends on WIP in Philly at 7:40 a.m. EST, Howard Balzer of ESPN Radio 1380 in St. Louis at 9:20 a.m. EST, and Chris McClain of WFNZ in Charlotte at 2:25 p.m. EST. We'll make a return stop at WIP to close the day at 10:40 p.m. EST, in order to break down the Ten-Pack with Glen Macnow.


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POSTED 12:00 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2006

BRAIN INJURY GROUP WANTS TO SIC CONGRESS ON NFL

The president of the Brain Injury Association of New York has called upon the U.S. Congress to "conduct hearings regarding the fraudulent medical research on concussions conducted, reported and relied upon by the National Football League in determining when injured players can return to play," according to a press release issued on Monday.

The release cites the recent ESPN The Large Booklet With Pretty Pictures article in which Peter Keating reports on apparent shenanigans in the studies conducted under the auspices of the NFL's "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee," which is chaired by Dr. Elliot Pellman. Keating's article, as we explained on October 27, also rankled trainers and doctors with various teams, who think that they have been unfairly lumped in with Pellman and his committee.

Says the release: "When the NFL conducts fraudulent medical research by questionable medical professionals this exposes their own players to further life long brain injury. But a far greater risk . . . is presented to all children participating in contact sports who might also be suffering from the effects of concussions. This mushrooming umbrella of oblivion to the pervasive consequences emanating from sports concussion injuries creates an epidemic of indifference." (Did Tiki Barber write that last sentence?)

In our view, something definitely needs to be done. The only problem, as we see it, is that the release reads like a thinly-veiled advertisement for the president of the Brain Injury Association of New York, who also happens to be a lawyer specializing in concussions and brain injuries -- and thus needs to harvest clients who have had concussions and brain injuries.

So he'd prefer that the call for Congressional action come from someone who has less of a personal financial stake in characterizing himself as a crusader for cranial cohesiveness.

And we think that someone with the appropriate qualifications should be standing up and questioning the work of Pellman's committee. If for no reason other than the fact that Pellman still chairs it.

The guy has been exposed for exaggerating his educational and professional credentials, yet still chairs an important NFL committee.

Said one league source in response: "Hey, Commish Goodell. While you're cleaning things up on Park Avenue, review this asshole's resume and value to the league. [Pellman is] on the banquet circuit and speaking tour circuit as the NFL's guru on head injuries and is padding his wallet pretty strongly based on the 'NFL's brand.' I'm not sure why the owners and the league are putting up with that."

We agree, and we think there's no way that anyone will take the league's research on concussions seriously with Pellman on the committee. Sadly, it appears that Pellman will remain on the committee until Congress or some other entity with jurisdiction over the situation starts poking around.


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POSTED 8:14 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 10:48 a.m. EST, October 31, 2006

CHIEFS WON'T FRANCHISE GONZALEZ

Word out of Kansas City is that the Chiefs won't place the franchise tag on tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is expected to void the final two years of his current contract after the 2006 season and become a free agent.

Jay Glazer of FOX reported on Sunday that Gonzalez can leave Kansas City after the season if he so chooses. The rest of the "real" media, however, has ignored the story.

Although the franchise tender for tight ends is low (it was only $3.3 million for 2006), the CBA states that the amount that the team must put on the table to trigger the franchise rights (i.e., first refusal on any other offers and compensation in the amount of two first-round draft picks) is either the average of the top five salaries at the position or 120 percent of the player's salary for the prior year, whichever is greater.

And although some league insiders believe that "salary" means Paragraph 5 base salary only, it actually means the player's full cap number, which is base salary plus bonus proration and any other payments made in a given season.

In Gonzalez's case, we've learned that his cap number for 2006 is $6.53 million. Thus, the Chiefs would be required to offer Gonzalez $7.83 million in order to hold his rights for 2007.

Given the magnitude of the number, we're told that the Chiefs won't use the tag on Gonzalez.

Moving forward, our guess is that Gonzalez will become a free agent in March 2007, and that he will strongly consider leaving for another team if he gets an offer significantly higher than what the Chiefs will pay.

The Redskins can always be counted on to throw cash at a recognizable name. The Raiders are an intriguing possibility, given that Gonzalez played college ball at Berkeley. Other potential destinations (in our view) include the Jets, the Texans, the Vikings, the Lions, the Panthers, the Saints, and the Seahawks.


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TITANS TO SUSPEND PACMAN

The Tennessee Titans are expected to suspend cornerback Pacman Jones, according to the Nashville Tennessean.

Per the report, the suspension could be for the Jacksonville game on Sunday "and beyond."

The maximum suspension that a team can impose is four games, per Article VIII of the CBA, which authorizes such action in response to "conduct detrimental to the team."

Based on his current salary, a suspension without pay would cost nearly $50,000 per game. It also could subject Jones to a claim that he is required to refund a portion of his signing bonus and/or option bonus.

The only apparent basis for the suspension is Jones' most recent brush with the law. On Saturday, he was cited for misdemeanor assault after allegedly spitting in a woman's face at a Nashville nightclub on Thursday.

And if the suspension is imposed solely as a result of the arrest, Jones and the NFL Players Association most likely will fight the move, based on the argument that the Commissioner has the exclusive jurisdiction to impose discipline for off-field incidents, under the Personal Conduct Policy. Typically, the Commissioner imposes a fine or a suspension after the player is convicted or pleads guilty to criminal charges.

If Jones is suspended, he'll be the third former member of the West Virginia University football program to be sidelined this season, joining receiver Jerry Porter and receiver Chris Henry. On a brighter note, the Mountaineers have by all appearances managed to clear out most of the turds -- and we're convinced that last year's Sugar Bowl championship would not have occurred if either Jones or Henry had opted to stick around for another year of eligibility.


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ANOTHER TITAN PLEADS GUILTY

Titans linebacker Robert Reynolds, who got himself in hot water during a return visit to Columbus -- via an argument with his estranged wife -- has pleaded guilty to "criminal damaging" and disorderly conduct. He initially faced charges of domestic violence.

Reynolds was suspended by the Titans for Sunday's game against the Texans, and he will now return to the team. His agent doesn't expect any further discipline from the league in the wake of the guilty plea.

But maybe his agent should ask around a bit about what the new Commissioner has been doing in the discipline department, before making such proclamations.

Our guess? Reynolds will be fined at least one game check under the Personal Conduct Policy.

Meanwhile, when is someone in Tennessee going to be fired for reeling in so many turds? Albert Haynesworth, Pacman Jones, Robert Reynolds. And it was no secret that each of them had question marks coming out of college.

Hadn't heard of Reynolds? He's the guy who once tried to turn Jim Sorgi's windpipe into a toothpick.


RADIO TUESDAY

We had to bump all radio spots for Monday because of a pre-existing law practice engagement, but we're kicking back into high gear on Tuesday with appearances on KFAN in Minneapolis (12:25 p.m. EST or so), Triple X ESPN Radio in D.C. (12:10 p.m. EST), the Dino Costa Show in every nook and cranny of Colorado (2:15 p.m. EST or so we think), WDAE in Tampa (5:15 p.m. EST), and Sporting News Radio (10:25 p.m. EST).

And we're now booking radio visits for our Wednesday All-Day Five-Year Anniversary Bash, in which we're hoping to set an all-time site traffic record as everyone who has ever come to the site returns for a 24-hour celebration in which the Purple Drank and nandrolone will be flowing like Rip Van Winkle's morning stream. We'll post more details about the Wednesday radio spots later in the day.


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TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The Big Show says that the Big Dough won't be back for Monday's game against the Raiders.

Five key Redskins missed most of practice on Monday due to injury -- QB Mark Brunell, RB Clinton Portis, WR Santana Moss, WR Antwaan Randle El, and LB Lemar Marshall.

With Brunell dinged up, Redskins QB Jason Campbell has been getting more reps in practice.

ESPN has yanked the dude who said "kinda gay" on the air over the weekend.

"We're still in our Super Bowl reign," WR Santonio Holmes of the 2-5 Steelers said on Monday. (Um, 'Turdio, are you allowed to say things like that when you weren't, you know, on the team last season?)

"That's the NFC for you," a member of the Patriots said after the team thumped the Vikings on Monday night; the Bears head to Gillette Stadium on November 26.

Is Andy Reid losing his team?

Tiki Barber is the only guy among the top 35 rushers with no touchdowns.

Piss men of the world, unite!

The Bucs could be placing QB Chris Simms on IR to create a roster spot for QB Luke McCown.

The Packers will be without RB Vernand Morency for two games, due to a back injury.

The Cardinals have 3.75 million reasons to not fire Dennis Green.

Chargers LB Shawne Merriman has until noon Tuesday to decide whether to turn the "Lights Out" on his appeal.

The Lions have cut WR Az Hakim, and have benched LB Boss Bailey.

The Nicktator's 55th birthday present from the team was to get dumped with ice water, courtesy of DE Jason Taylor. ("I don't have the salary cap number to be able to do something like that," C Rex Hadnot said.)

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck (knee) is still on track to return on November 19.

The Eagles are bringing in CB Will Peterson for a physical.

Panthers WR Steve Smith says he won't be returning punts again.


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For more breaking NFL news and information, check out the PFT Fantasy Mill, powered by Fanball.com.


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POSTED 8:27 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 9:18 a.m. EST, October 30, 2006

RAVENS BULLIED BUSH

At least one member of the Baltimore Ravens defense had some choice words for Saints running back Reggie Bush after Sunday's win at New Orleans, and it almost sounds like Bush's sprained ankle was intentionally inflicted.

"The media darling, [a/k/a] the golden boy of the NFL, tried to take a cheap shot at me," said linebacker Bart Scott, "so I told him I was going to put some extra on it. He must be used to playing against these guys in practice. He can do all those shakes he wants, but I wasn't going anywhere. I put a little hot sauce on that ankle."

In all, Scott wasn't impressed with the 2005 Heisman winner. "He's just a guy, simple as that. What did he get this week? He played like a kid who got chased from school."

Meanwhile, Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun suggests that Bush "quit" in the second quarter of Sunday's game, at one point taking a dive to avoid a big hit from linebacker Ray Lewis.

In all, Bush's day was indeed his worst as a pro. Five caries for 16 yards, four catches for five yards, and one interception thrown on a halfback option pass. FOX analyst Terry Bradshaw, whose crush on Bush is second only to Kornholio's man-love for James Denton of Desperate Housewives, actually called the throw "beautiful."

Yeah. It was beautiful. For the Ravens.


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ROONEY FINE, POLIAN WRIST SLAP RAISE EYEBROWS

Although the $25,000 fine imposed on Friday against Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has helped to promote the notion that Commissioner Roger Goodell is a no-nonsense guy who will enforce and apply the rules even if it means slapping around the man who was instrumental in his selection, some league insiders aren't happy that Rooney was fined for criticizing officials while at the same time Colts president Bill Polian received no real sanction for roughing up a Jets employee earlier this month.

"Now let me get this straight," said one league source. "Dan Rooney criticizes the officials and gets hit for $25,000. Bill Polian publicly criticizes the rules, yells obscenities in the press box, yells 'break his leg' in a press box, and then slaps the sh-t out of some guy from the New York Jets and he continues to skate free?"

So while on one hand it looks like Goodell is willing to enforce the rules consistently and fairly, on the other hand Goodell and the league office apparently recognize that certain issues are better off buried from view, even if the root of the matter is something for which someone should be fined, or worse.

And as to the Rooney fine, it's really not that shocking that Goodell took action. How could the Commish have brushed it under the rug? Rooney's comments were made in the presence of a journalist from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and as soon as the words were published it should have been a no-brainer that Rooney would be fined. Indeed, if Rooney hadn't been fined then every other coach or front office guy who ripped the zebras would have been able to point to the absence of enforcement against Rooney in support of a challenge to the punishment.


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VICK OFFERED JERSEY TO ANDERSEN?

One of our Danish readers has found a Morten Andersen blog in which the veteran kicker suggests that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick offered to give Andersen the No. 7 jersey when Andersen re-joined the team earlier this season.

The reader translates the paragraph in the middle of the entry that begins with the words "Michael Vick" as follows:

"I've actually had a lot of contact with Michael Vick. It was absolutely amazing when he in the middle of the week, absolutely dead serious offered me his jersey number 7, which I had joked about wanting. I was totally shocked, and asked him, why in the world he'd offer that. 'Out of respect for your career', was his reply to my great amazement. It's somewhat of a gesture I have to say, but I said that I couldn't accept it, but that I wouldn't mind a cut on the profits of his jerseys with the number 7. But it's totally crazy for him to offer up his number. A beautiful thought by a young guy, but that jersey naturally belongs to him."

Our guess is that Vick was, at most, having some fun with his new friend who speaks English as a second language, and that Andersen might not have realized that Vick was probably yanking his frank.

Besides, why would Andersen want 7? Sure, he wore the number during his tenure with the Saints. But he wore number 5 in his initial six-season stint with the Falcons from 1995 through 2000, number 8 in his season with the Giants, number 8 in his two years with the Chiefs, and number 7 in his one season with the Vikings.

Vick, meanwhile, has worn number 7 in high school, college, and during his six NFL seasons.

So was Vick serious about letting a 46-year-old dude have No. 7 for what likely will be his one and only final season with the team? We tend to doubt it.

[EbDawson]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
A trusted industry source tells us that ESPN recently suspended NFL analyst Sean Salisbury for a week. Salisbury is now back on the air.

And we don't know what's worse for Salisbury -- the fact that he was suspended for a week, or the fact that no one noticed.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 10:03 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:05 a.m. EST, November 2, 2006

"DEFINING MOMENT" FOR PACMAN WAS YEARS AGO

Titans coach Jeff Fisher calls the one-game suspension of cornerback Pacman Jones the "defining moment" in his football career.

Though Fisher intends (we think) to convey that this is Jones' final opportunity to decide whether he will conform his future actions to the expectations of the team, the NFL, and the penal code, we hardly think that it is the "defining moment" for Jones.

Pacman's defining moment, in our opinion, occurred when he saw fit to hit a guy in the face with a pool cue in a Morgantown bar during his time with the West Virginia Mountaineers. It was in that instant, in our view, that Jones demonstrated that he is incapable of controlling his urges and impulses, regardless of the potential consequences.

And he has adhered to that pattern since that evening in 2002.

So Jones already has been defined. The question going forward is whether he will be able to keep the tiger in the cage until he chooses to retire from the NFL.

Our guess? It won't happen. He won't change. He is what he is, and he won't be the first guy to get kicked off of a football team because he was accused of doing things he is convinced that he didn't do.

What if the Titans dump him? There are 31 other NFL teams. Up to 30 can say "no"; all it takes is one to say "yes".

And surely someone out there will take a chance on the highly-talented Jones. Quality cornerbacks are in short supply, and every football coach thinks that he's the guy who can turn a turd into a tulip.

Write it down. Jones will not change. He might want to. He'll likely try to. But the spots are on this leopard, and no amount of soap will wash them off.


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THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

"I am not a cheater," Chargers LB Shawne Merriman says, which conjures memories for us of similar lines uttered by Richard Nixon, Mike Piazza, and the Elephant Man.

It's good to know that Drew Bledsoe has found a way to occupy his time.

Redskins WR Santana Moss missed practice on Wednesday, and might not be available for Sunday.

Colts coach Tony Dungy says he's not concerned about the green beach at Gillette Stadium.

Falcons QB Mike Vick calls his NFC offensive player of the week award "an incredible honor." (Yeah, they only give it out, you know, 17 times per year. Per conference. But, hey, no one can ever take it away from you, like certain STDs.)

Raiders QB Aaron Brooks is back at practice, but Andrew Walter will be the starter on Monday night.

Fins DE Jason Taylor says that the Bears "can be beaten." (But only if: (1) you have a really big club; and (2) they are asleep.)

Bears CB Ricky Manning's fumble recovery from Sunday was changed to an interception. (The error apparently resulted from the fact that the scorekeeper was either a "f--king Jew" or a "faggot.")

Seahawks DT Marcus Tubbs is doubtful will swelling in his knee, but OL Floyd Womack could be returning.

WR Shaun Bodiford will return punts for the Packers if CB Charles Woodson can't go.

Redskins QB Jason Campbell is trying not to think about the fact that plenty of young quarterbacks are playing well right now.

Bengals WR Chad Johnson wants to do to Ravens LB Ray Lewis that which Browns S Brian Russell did to Chad.

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells says he isn't getting mellower with age.

Dookie might be the new third-down back in Pittsburgh.

The last guy who should comment on a quarterback who is playing like crap recently is a quarterback who has been playing like crap for a while.


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POSTED 9:32 a.m. EST, November 2, 2006

MRS. BARBER FORCED TIKI OUT?

According to the folks at the New York Post, Giants running back Tiki Barber's real reason for retirement is that his wife fears that he'll suffer a catastrophic injury that will force her to raise their kids without his help.

Per the Post, a friend of Tiki's says that Ginny Barber has been "nagging him for a long time -- and with others present -- that he'd better retire before he has a crippling injury," and that, if it occurs, "he couldn't participate in raising his children."

Ironically, the Post is owned by the same outfit that owns one of Barber's current "side" employers, the FOX News Channel. It makes us wonder whether Barber will call the folks responsible for the story "idiots."

It also makes us wonder whether this whole retirement issue was in part intended to create buzz in the hopes of generating more opportunities for Barber. If, indeed, he says he's leaving in order to take advantage of other opportunities but is really doing it because Mrs. Barber has turned him into Miss Barber, he needs to do something to generate other opportunities that he deems suitable.

And what better way to do it than to engineer a seemingly inadvertent retirement announcement that takes on legs and keeps his name in the papers and on television and in the lead stories of crappy, third-rate web sites that have somehow managed to survive for five years despite making sh-t up every day?

Now, where were we? Oh, Tiki Barber's wife. Our guess is that he'll deny the thing, and in the process of doing so he'll say or do something that will cause the powers-that-be in the broadcasting/entertainment to conclude that he's too touchy and/or thin-skinned to make it in that world.


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POSTED 12:23 a.m. EST, November 2, 2006

FLEX SCHEDULING TO GET FEISTY?

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the concept of flexible scheduling on the Sunday night broadcast could result in a tug-o-war between NBC and FOX over upcoming Bears games.

The problem is that the league fashioned a tentative list of Sunday night games for the weeks of flexible scheduling, and then required CBS and FOX to exercise their four blocks for Week Ten through Week Fifteen in October.

So with the Eagles-Colts game pre-designated by the NFL for a move to prime time on November 26, FOX didn't block the Bears-Patriots game, since no one reasonably expected when the blocks were due that NBC would want anything other than the Eagles at the Colts. And now FOX plans to broadcast its pregame show from Gillette Stadium on November 26.

But with the Eagles mired in a funk that might have more to do with the departure of Brad Childress than anyone had realized, the Bears-Pats game suddenly looks a lot sexier to NBC.

Ditto the Vikings-Bears game a week later, which FOX didn't block because Seattle at Denver already was penciled in for the night of December 3.

By league rules, the limit on prime time appearances for any given team is five per year, with up to three teams allowed to appear a sixth time. The Bears already are scheduled for four night games, including November 12 against the Giants and December 11 against the Rams.

So there can be two more Bears games that get moved to Sunday night. And as they continue to move closer to 16-0, their late-season games will become more and more attractive.

The NFL has final say on all of this, and past published reports have indicated that NBC won't get everything it wants. But it's pretty clear that there will be some intense discussion regarding these games, and it will require some careful diplomacy from the league office to keep everyone happy -- or to minimize the extent to which they are pissed off.

[EbDawson]

Originally posted by ALinChainz


Per the Post, a friend of Tiki's says that Ginny Barber has been "nagging him for a long time

A wife nagging her husband? I don't believe it.

[ALinChainz]

Or as Kurt Warner's wife Yoko likes to call it ... "managing".

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 12:05 p.m. EST, November 7, 2006

RICKY MIGHT STAY IN CANADA

Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says that running back Ricky Williams hasn't decided whether to apply for reinstatement to the NFL, and that he might play next season in Canada.

Our take? Given Williams' history, we cannot rule out the possibility that Williams knows that he would not achieve reinstatement if/when he applies for it. Per NFL rules, a player banished for at least one year due to multiple violations of the substance abuse policy must continue to adhere to the terms of his treatment plan -- and he also must continue to submit to random drug testing.

Former Vikings running back Onterrio Smith, for example, was denied reinstatement earlier this year, following his one-year banishment. Smith was eligible to re-apply in October, but after getting cut in the preseason from a CFL team Smith might have chosen a certain ability to continue to smoke weed over a very uncertain ability to continue to play football.

If, in this case, Williams knows that the NFL will say "no" when May comes around, why not make it simply look like Ricky is the one making the decision to walk away?

And since the entire process is confidential, there would be no reason for even the Dolphins to know that Ricky has been unable to qualify for reinstatement, if he never actually applies for reinstatement.

Or maybe he really just is a total whack job who prefers playing in a league that pays far him less money, on a team with little or no run blocking.


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POSTED 11:30 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:49 a.m. EST, November 7, 2006

A CRY FOR HELP FROM CINCY

In light of recent events involving the Cincinnati Bengals, including Sunday's post-game meltdown from Chad Johnson a/k/a Ocho Stinko and Sunday's in-game lollygagging from receiver Chris Henry a/k/a Uno Puko, we've heard from a team source in Cincy who is sounding off regarding the situation there.

"We are a bunch of f--koffs and no one seems to care," said the source. "It's scary how bad some of the players in our locker room act."

Should anyone really be surprised by this? It's the natural consequence of collecting turds. And there are turds a-plenty on the Bengals roster.

Though the Bengals still have hope for a solid season, the reality is that the turds tend to sulk and pout and piss and moan when things go poorly, instead of putting their heads down and trudging forward.

For the franchise's sake, we're hoping that the good guys in the locker room (and there are more than a few) can influence positively the players who might be inclined to follow the turds.


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POSTED 11:33 p.m. EST, November 6, 2006; LAST UPDATED 12:13 a.m. EST, November 7, 2006

CARDS LOOKING AT FASSEL AS A CONSULTANT

A league source tells us that the Arizona Cardinals are looking at the possibility of bringing in former Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel as an offensive consultant.

The move, in our view, could be part of a broader plan by the Bidwell family to get current coach Dennis Green to quit. Green likely will consider the addition of Fassel as a vote of no confidence in Green's ability to turn around a talented-but-terrible 1-7 team.

If Green quits, he gets no severance package. If they fire him, he's owed the balance of his contract, which runs through the end of the 2007 season.

Fassel, who preceded Tom Coughlin as the head coach of the Giants, previously served as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator, but he wasn't offered the head coaching job at the time that the vacant position went to Green.

This is Green's third season as the head coach. In the 87-year history of the franchise, the longest tenure of any coach with the team has been only six seasons.


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BENGAL IMPLOSION PREDICTED

A league source with thorough knowledge of the defending AFC North champions predicts that, indeed, the Cincinnati Bengals are on the brink of an implosion.

In addition to the well-publicized comments of receiver Chad Johnson after he had only four catches for 32 yards in a loss at Baltimore, quarterback Carson Palmer reamed receiver Chris Henry for failing to leap in an effort to catch a last-second Hail Mary pass.

The root of the problem, as several league insiders have been telling us, is that coach Marvin Lewis has been unconcerned with character as he has built the Bengals into a playoff contender. Now that the team is struggling, the players of questionable makeup are going to undermine the efforts of leaders, like Palmer, to get the thing on the right track.


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BOLLER SIGNS WITH ATHLETES FIRST

At a time when league insiders believe that the looming two-year suspension of agent David Dunn will cause clients to avoid him, Ravens backup quarterback Kyle Boller has hired Dunn's firm, Athletes First.

Boller previously was represented by Octagon.

Though Boller has been supplanted as the starter in Baltimore by Steve McNair, the 2003 first-rounder is only 25 and might resurface in Baltimore or elsewhere as a starter down the road. He is under contract with the Ravens through 2007.


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BRAYTON READY FOR SOME PRO WRESTLING

Near the end of the Monday night "game" (and we use that term very loosely) between the Raiders and the Seahawks, Raiders linebacker Tyler Brayton punctuated a post-play pushing match with Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens by pushing his kneecap into Stevens' nutsack.

The move prompted a collective "oooooooh" from the sock puppets, and a prompt ejection of Brayton.

Stevens, who apparently was caught square in the biscuits and sausage by Brayton, didn't seem to react in the way that most men would. But NFL players usually don't wear cups. So either Jerramy Stevens is the exception to the rule -- or he simply has no testicles.

In 1999, then-Vikings defensive end Duane Clemons was fined $7,500 for punching Cowboys tackle Flozell Adams in the groin during a Monday night game. In 2004, Saints special teamer Steve Gleason was fined $5,000 for a crotch punch. Last year, Pats offensive lineman Logan Mankins was fined $7,500 for punching Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban in the crotch, and then-Rams defensive tackle Damione Lewis was fined the same amount for punching then-Saints center LeCharles Bentley in the LilCharles.

The question, as we see it, is whether new Commissioner Roger Goodell will up the ante. We've always thought that the fine for this kind of action should be at least five figures, and that a one-game suspension should be considered.

Given the precedent set by past events under Paul Tagliabue's watch, this is a prime example for Goodell to show that there's a new sheriff in town.

And that he plans to get tough on guys who get rough with another man's stuff.

[EbDawson]

Originally posted by ALinChainz

Near the end of the Monday night "game" (and we use that term very loosely) between the Raiders and the Seahawks, Raiders linebacker Tyler Brayton punctuated a post-play pushing match with Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens by pushing his kneecap into Stevens' nutsack.

Stevens, who apparently was caught square in the biscuits and sausage by Brayton, didn't seem to react in the way that most men would. But NFL players usually don't wear cups. So either Jerramy Stevens is the exception to the rule -- or he simply has no testicles.

I'm going with the "no testicles" theory! No fan of the Raiders, but considering who Brayton kneed here, hope the fine/suspension is at a minimum.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 7:54 a.m. EST, November 11, 2006

SALE OF PACMAN'S CAR RAISES EYEBROWS

We've gotten e-mails from several law enforcement types who regard as curious at best the decision of Nashville authorities to auction the Cadillac XLR owned by Pacman Jones and "loaned" to a guy who was arrested as part of a major drug bust in April.

The car is being sold pursuant to the forfeiture provisions of Tennessee law, since the vehicle was implicated in the commission of a crime. In other jurisdictions, the owner of the car can avoid forfeiture by establishing that the owner had no knowledge that the car was being used in the commission of a crime.

We're trying to track down the specifics of Tennessee law in this regard, but it simply doesn't make sense to us that the powers-that-be would sell a $70,000 owned by Jones if Jones was a fully innocent bystander in the process.

Meanwhile, "maurice7523" and "KINGOFCLUBS615" are in a bidding war over the 2004 Cadillac, with the price driven up by $10,000 in only a day or so, to $30,100.


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HAYNESWORTH RETURN STILL UP IN THE AIR

Although Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is eligible to rejoin the team after a five-game suspension on Monday, no final decision has been made as to whether the team will accept him.

The key? According to the Nashville Tennessean, it's whether Haynesworth has done enough to address the anger management problems that caused him to stomp on the face of Cowboys center Andre Gurode on October 1.

"I would imagine if he has done everything that we want him to do then I think we have to think very strongly about [allowing him to return],'' Titans General Manager Floyd Reese said. "I think there are a lot of things involved. . . . We've talked to his people and there are things that he wants to do and things he thinks are important, as we do.''

The Titans will receive a one-week roster exemption for Haynesworth, which means that they'll be permitted to bring him back without automatically cutting someone.

Our suggestion? Get rid of the guy. Sure, he's doing a bunch of stuff in an effort to try to remedy his inexcusable conduct. But the thing about inexcusable conduct is that it's (duh) inexcusable. The consequences should have been more than a five-game suspension, and at a minimum the guy should never wear a Titans helmet again.


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STERLING CALLS OUT OCHO STINKO

Sterling Sharpe of NFLN suggests that Bengals receiver Chad Johnson a/k/a Ocho Cinco a/k/a Ocho Stinko has developed a case of alligator arms after getting blown up in Week Two by Brian Russell of the Cleveland Browns.

Relying on three different examples of plays in which Señor Stinko has short-armed balls in order to protect himself, Sharpe urges Johnson to be willing to take the big hits in order to help turn the team's fortunes around.

Sharpe tried to soft peddle his message, since it's verboten for former players to diss current ones. But Sharpe came as close as we've ever seen any former player to calling a current player a señorita.

Kudos (for a change) to Sterling.


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POSTED 7:09 p.m. EST, November 10, 2006

WARD, WASHINGTON TO GET WHACKED BY LEAGUE, AGAIN?

Earlier on Friday (scroll down for the story), we noted that Steelers receiver Nate Washington received a refund from teammate Hines Ward for a fine imposed by the league after Washington and Ward performed a disturbing post-touchdown dance during the Steelers' Week Seven game against the Falcons.

Washington told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Ward paid the $5,000 to Washington after the fine had been deducted from Washington's game check.

But the NFL requires that fines be paid by the player against whom they are imposed. We asked NFL spokesman Greg Aiello if this situation fell within the scope of the league's prohibition, and Aiello informed us that it does.

"This is a no-no that will be reviewed for potential discipline," Aiello told us.

Stay tuned.


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POSTED 6:35 p.m. EST, November 10, 2006

LEWISE PLAYS RACE CARD ON McNAIR

Never known to shy away from controversy, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has pulled the pin on a pickle of a potential problem by suggesting in an interview with ESPN's Ed Werder that the treatment of quarterback Steve McNair by the Titans was influenced by race.

"I don't ever want to turn it into a black-white issue," Lewis said. "But it would really puzzle me, seriously, if anybody would ever tell Brett Favre . . . if anybody would ever tell Peyton Manning not to walk into the Indianapolis facility."

Um, Ray. The reason that McNair was barred from the team's facility in the offseason was that if McNair had dropped a 45-pound plate on his foot and were unable to play in 2006, the Titans would have been on the hook for his entire $10 million salary. And the reason that he had a $10 million salary is because the Titans decided to give its long-term starting quarterback a contract that, over the years, paid him many millions of dollars.

And the Titans' franchise selected McNair with the third pick of the 1995 draft while white quarterback Kerry Collins was on the board.

What became of Collins? He was the fifth pick in the draft that year, and he has started in just as many Super Bowls as McNair.

Today, Collins is a member of the Titans, languishing on the bench behind Vince Young, who is black.

Then there's Billy Volek, also white. He was the presumptive replacement to McNair who was rendered irrelevant when Young was selected with the third pick in the 2006 draft.

Of course, we can understand why Lewis might think that the Titans are a racist organization, given that they were the first NFL team to take a chance on Warren Moon.

So, Ray, think before you speak. Please. Race had nothing to do with the manner in which the Titans treated McNair, either when he was treated well or when he was treated poorly.

And to anyone who will insist that Lewis wasn't playing the race card because he went out of his way to say that it wasn't about race, wake up and read the full content of his comments. Lewis essentially said, "It's not about race, but white guys wouldn't get treated this way."


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POSTED 6:13 p.m. EST, November 10, 2006

WALSH FIGHTING LEUKEMIA

Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh, 74, is battling leukemia. Walsh recently disclosed that he has had the disease for several years, and apparently has gotten through the darkest stages of the condition.

"I'm positive, but not evangelistic," he said. "I'm pragmatically doing everything my physicians recommend, and I'm working my way through it.

"I always felt I'll accept my fate as it unfolds. I have no regrets and, when it was life-threatening, I had a lot of considerations about my wife Geri. It appears I've gone through that threshold and it may turn out OK, at least for a while."

Walsh became the 49ers head coach at age 47, and spent ten years with the team, winning three Super Bowls. He also served as the team's G.M. twice, and he spent two stints as the head coach at Stanford. His former assistants include guys like Mike Holmgren, Dennis Green, Brian Billick, and George Seifert.


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POSTED 12:05 p.m. EST, November 10, 2006

HINES PAYMENT NOT FINE WITH NFL?

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the fine imposed on Steelers receiver Nate Washington for a not-that-there's-anything-wrong-with-it touchdown dance routine with teammates Hines Ward and Santurdio against the Falcons last month didn't take a chunk out of Washington's take-home pay, because Ward paid him the money back.

Washington, Ward, and Santurdio were fined $5,000 each for joining in with Washington's dance. NFL rules prohibit multiple players from celebrating in this fashion.

The only problem with Ward paying the fine? As we've previously written on several occasions, fines imposed on a player can't be paid by someone else. The issue most recently arose in the preseason, when Saints running back Reggie Bush was fined for wearing adidas shoes and then suggested that adidas would be paying the fine on his behalf.

Does stuff like this happen? We're certain that it does. But the key for the player who gets a refund on his fine payment is to keep . . . his . . . mouth . . . shut.


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POSTED 8:58 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 9:32 a.m. EST, November 10, 2006

HECKERT HEADING TO MOTOWN?

There are strong rumors in league circles that the Lions could be eyeing Eagles G.M. Tom Heckert if/when the Lions dump president/CEO Matt Millen and re-build the front office.

Heckert, a 39-year-old Michigan native, accepted a promotion to the G.M. job in Philly when the Vikings were attempting to complete a two-fer by hauling Heckert and former Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress to Minnesota. But because he doesn't have "final say" over the composition of the roster in his current job, the Eagles cannot block him from moving if the Lions job includes such "final say."

And even if the departure of Millen comes this year, next year, or the following year, look for Heckert's name to be on the list of potential replacements.

The timing of the opening could be an impediment to Heckert's interest in the job. As we see it, he might not want to bail on the Eagles after serving as G.M. for only one year.

Several weeks back, we wrote that Millen currently is safe in Detroit, since owner William Clay Ford Sr. simply refuses to make a change. The word in league circles is that Ford's son, Bill Jr., doesn't like Millen and would get rid of him ASAFP if he could.


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FALCONS DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD IN SHAMBLES

Maybe Warrick Dunn, Michael Vick, and Roddy White will have to play both ways.

It sounds stoopid, we know, but the rash of injuries to the team's defensive backfield could eventually require the Falcons to take drastic action in order to field enough players in the back four spots on defense.

After Kevin Mathis was lost for the year with a broken neck, Jason Webster is out for a month with a torn groin. Rookie Jimmy Williams rolled an ankle on Thursday. And the team had a scare in practice on Thursday when Allen Rossum's helmet slammed into the knee of Omare Lowe.

Though the chances of players going both ways (not that there's anything wrong with it) are slim, linebacker Michael Boley could ultimately take snaps in the secondary, if things keep snapping on the current players who man those positions.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

MERRIMAN LOOKING FOR A NEW AGENT

As we explained last month, one of the reasons that the news of Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman's positive steroids test leaked was because he has no agent. So after he got the letter advising him of the outcome of the urinalysis, he talked with some of his teammates about the best strategy for proceeding, and some of his teammates talked about it to others, and it finally ended up in the ears of the media.

Perhaps because of the lesson that Merriman learned, we're hearing that Merriman is actively looking for a new agent, and a league source tells us that Tom Condon of CAA, Gary Wichard, and others are hot on the trail. Wichard initially represented Merriman prior to the 2005 draft, and Merriman abruptly made a switch to the Postons after the Chargers selected him in the first round.

Merriman parted ways several months ago with the Postons. His delay in hiring a replacement is unusual, since he will owe his new agent no fee unless and until Merriman signs a new contract. By rule, the Postons still will receive their negotiated fee percentage on Merriman's rookie deal.


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LAWYER CLAIMS HE PAID JIMMY WILLIAMS

The Hampton Roads (Va.) Virginian-Pilot reports that Norfolk lawyer Carl La Mondue has filed suit against Falcons cornerback Jimmy Williams, alleging that La Mondue paid more than $55,000 to Williams while he was playing for Virginia Tech.

Williams, who played college football at Virginia Tech, has not responded to the lawsuit.

La Mondue also has sued NBA rookie Shawne Williams for more than $49,000.

Jimmy Williams allegedly received from La Mondue more than $46,000 in cash and $8,700 in merchandise, including clothes, shoes, phone service, hotel rooms, and a tattoo. The benefits allegedly were provided to Williams between November 2004 and November 2005.

Williams' eligibility at Virginia Tech expired in January 2006.

Tim Parker, Virginia Tech's assistant athletic director for compliance, responded candidly to the lawsuit. "Could it be a problem? Yeah, I guess it could be."

Damn straight, Tim. This is the Reggie Bush scandal, on a lesser scale. The NCAA most likely will investigate, and the school could face sanctions if it's determined that the program knew or should have known about the payments. If, of course, it's also determined that the payments were made.

Per the NFLPA web site, La Mondue is not a certified football agent. And that's a good thing for him, because he wouldn't be one for much longer based on the admission that he paid Williams. NFLPA rules prohibit the use of cash or other things of value to induce a player to use an agent's services.

And that's why more agents don't sue guys to whom they've given money. Really, any of the kids who take money from an NFLPA agent under a wink-nod promise to sign with said agent can sign with someone else and stiff the agent, since the agent would be sacrificing his livelihood if he tried to recover the money.


THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The Cowboys are using the shotgun formation more frequently.

Former Cowboys DB Marcus Coleman is sorry (that he got caught).

Arizona, which is hosting the 2008 Super Bowl, also plans to bid on the 2011 game.

Raiders DT Warren Sapp recently told a group of fifth-graders that his job is to "kill the man with the ball." (And then one of the kids asked, "How do we give the ball to Art Shell?")

Bucs DE Simeon Rice might need surgery on an ailing shoulder.

Now that he's on IR, Redskins RB Clinton Portis will also have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Redskins QB Mark Brunell is blue over his benching. (Hey, Mark, it's kind of your own fault that you're not playing.)

The Redskins have an injured Cooley. (Obvious? Yes. Funny? Absolutely. If you're eight years old. Or us.)

Fins DT Keith Traylor is out indefinitely due to a right knee that has been carrying around his fat ass for far too long.

Should the folks in 'Frisco be thanking the Niners for helping to derail the city's efforts to host the two-week clusterfudge known as the Olympics? (Hey, if nothing else it saves them from having to figure out who would have carried in that rainbow flag during the opening ceremonies.)

Holy crap -- the AJC now contains articles and columns that don't involve a chance encounter between the writer's tongue or the Falcons' butt.

Cards QB Matt Leinart on his recent subpar performances: "Sometimes you get sloppy footwork, it affects your release, it affects your ball." (He's talking about throwing passes, right?)

The Seahawks have extended QB Seneca Wallace through the 2007 season. (NFLPA records reveal a salary of $700,000 in 2006 and $800,000 in 2007; we're tracking down the bonus money.)


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For more breaking NFL news and information, check out the PFT Fantasy Mill, powered by Fanball.com.


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POSTED 7:51 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:20 p.m. EST, November 15, 2006

DEL RIO TO GET DRESSED UP, TOO

As Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio embarks on a seven-game stretch that might force him to wear a suit for a job interview, he'll be breaking in the dress duds during Monday night's home game against the Giants.

The AP reports that Del Rio will join Mike Nolan of the 49ers as the first head coaches to wear a coat and a tie since the league mandated that the field chiefs don clothing provided by the league's official apparel sponsor.

The only open question, as we see it? Whether tailors will be able to fashion for the fireplug-shaped former linebacker a shirt with a 25-inch neck . . . and 25-inch sleeves.


WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

The Vikings likely have lost FB Tony Richardson for the season with thumb and forearm injuries.

The Rams have placed CB Travis Fisher on IR with a broken right forearm.

Raiders QB Andrew Walter is sorry (that the team ever drafted him).

Cowboys QB Tony Romo is the NFC offensive player of the week; other winners for the weekend include Willie Parker and Devin Hester.

O.J. Simpson. Still an asshole.

The Argos have extended an open invitation to RB Ricky Williams.

L.T. could get to 100 touchdowns in five fewer games than Jim Brown or Emmitt Smith.

Browns QB Charlie Frye (left wrist) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers.

Texans QB David Carr (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday, too.

Saints WR Joe Horn is questionable with a groin injury.

Colts DT Montae Reagor will miss another game following an October automobile accident.

Cowboys WR Terry Glenn is probable with a quad injury that kept him out of Sunday's game at Arizona.

Giants DE Michael Strahan is listed as out for Monday.

The Jags list 23 players as probable or questionable for Monday night.


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POSTED 7:37 p.m. EST, November 15, 2006

NOT THE FIRST TICKETS ISSUE WITH THE BROWNS

Though details are still very sketchy regarding the grand jury inquiry in Ohio that is reportedly exploring the manner in which Super Bowl tickets were distributed by one or more members of the Browns organization, this isn't the first time that a member of the club has gotten crossways with the feds over the windfall that can be generated from the private sale of football seats.

Last year, former Browns ticket manager John Tironi pleaded guilty to a scam that entailed Tironi diverting PSLs and tickets from the team's waiting list to a ticket broker. The broker paid Tironi $5,000 a month for the "favors," and the scam netted more than $194,000 over two years.

Tironi received six months of house arrest.

And we wonder whether Tironi, as part of his plea deal, gave up information that has provided the basis for the current investigation.


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POSTED 2:16 p.m. EST; UPDATED 5:28 p.m. EST, November 15, 2006

NOLAN WILL WEAR A SUIT

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that the NFL has given 49ers coach Mike Nolan permission to wear a suit on the sidelines. Nolan is expected to don a coat and tie (and, presumably, pants) for the team's November 19 home game against the Seahawks.

But the permission is limited. Nolan reportedly may wear a suit for only two games this season.

"There's a strong chance he'll be wearing a suit for this game," a source close to Nolan said on Tuesday. "But at the end of the day, they still want to sell hats and shirts instead of blazers." Nolan said in 2005 that he prefers to dress like the coaches of yesteryear, including his father Dick Nolan, who wore business attire while taking care of their business.

We understand that Reebok wants its logo to be ubiquitous (thanks, Tiki) on game day. But, really, who in the audience will decide to buy Reebok apparel based on the fact that a middle-aged man is wearing a polo shirt with the Reebok wavy lines thingee on the sleeve?

And what's worse for the overall image of the NFL? A coach in his Sunday best that doesn't double as a billboard for Reebook, or a coach in his Sunday worst, like Bill Belichick and his sweat jersey with the sleeves partially cut off and the red replay flag stuffed in his sock?


Hey, we got no problem with Belichick's choice of attire. But if he's allowed to hobo it up, Nolan should be allowed to spruce it up.

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WEDNESDAY LATE AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Redskins RB Clinton Portis will be placed on IR.

To a contrite Albert Haynesworth, Dante says: "Once a turd, always a turd."

Steelers S Troy Polamalu is questionable for Sunday with a concussion.

The Jets shifted $1 million of WR Laveranues Coles' pay from 2007 to 2006 in an effort to use up this year's cap space; the Jets still have $4 million in cap room remaining.

The Jets plan to sign WR Jerricho Cotchery to a long-term deal after the 2006 season; he's currently scheduled to earn $460,000 in 2007, the final year of his contract.

L.T. is breaking some of the records set by Hall of Fame RB Jim Brown (who also is the subject of Mike Freeman's new book, which can be purchased by clicking the link in the top right corner of the page . . . yeah, we're shameless . . .).

Prior to Sunday's Chargers-Bengals game, no team had scored 42 points in the second half since 1979, when the Saints beat the Bucs, 42-14.

The Vikings' offense is struggling on third down (and on first and second down, too).

Vikings WR Troy Williamson is quickly becoming a forgotten man in the team's offense, giving way to previously forgotten guys like Bethel Johnson and Billy McMullen.

Why do we have a feeling that OL Fred Weary's version of the events that resulted in him getting tasered might be slightly different than the version offered up by the cops?

Titans coach Jeff Fisher has been fined $12,500 for comments critical of the officials after Sunday's loss to the Ravens.

Titans DT Randy Starks is scheduled to go to trial on December 12 for charges of domestic assault.

Bucs DE Dewayne White helped his stock on Monday night as he prepares to become a free agent in March.

Lions defensive line coach Joe Cullen could soon reach a plea deal as to charges of driving drunk but clothed and driving naked but sober.

Jags OT Khalif Barnes is sorry (that he got caught).


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POSTED 12:47 p.m. EST, November 15, 2006

GREEN TO START FOR CHIEFS ON SUNDAY

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that Trent Green will start at quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, replacing Damon Huard.

'We're going to go with Trent as our starter,” Edwards told Glazer. "This has been his football team for a long time. I think his return will give us a shot of adrenaline. But Trent alone won't allow us to win games. We all have to circle around him and play better and coach better if we’re going to win games down the stretch."

Huard has been the quarterback since Green suffered a severe concussion in Week One against the Bengals. Last week, Edwards suggested that Huard would keep the job once Green is cleared to play. But after a subpar outing at Miami, which dropped the Chiefs to 5-4, Green has been cleared to play and reinstalled as the starter in a span of less than 24 hours.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 11:23 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:59 a.m. EST, November 20, 2006

NFL CONCERNED ABOUT RAIDERS

There's talk on the NFL grapevine that the league office is becoming very concerned about the ability of the Oakland Raiders to be competitive, both in the short term and over the long haul.

Though the Raiders played fairly well against their arch-rivals in Kansas City on Sunday, Oakland lost the game and fell to 2-8 on the season.

In hindsight, we're amazed that the team managed two wins.

The problem, as we understand it, is a complete and total vacuum of leadership in the football operations. Coach Art Shell, as one league insider told us, is regarded by the players as a "joke." Per a league source with extensive experience in dealing with teams and players, there is an "unprecedented negativity" emanating from the locker room.

Beyond the coaching staff, there's a perception that the football types in the front office simply aren't getting it done, and there's a concern that the one guy who has a track record of ability when it comes to player acquisition -- Mike Lombardi -- has lost much of his influence.

The consensus in league circles is that the root of the problem is the uncertainty surrounding Al Davis and the future leadership of the team after his passing. It's unlikely that Davis will relinquish the reins during his lifetime, and it's ambiguous at best as to what will happen when the team has a new person at the helm.

The reality, as we see it, is that the franchise might very well be at the front end of a protracted period of poor performance, and that the Raiders won't begin to re-emerge until a capable new owner revamps the entire football operation.

Until then, how will the Raiders be able to attract free agents? Instead of the days in which the franchise was a haven for talented misfits, the Raiders could end up being the last refuge for players that aren't wanted anywhere else because of their relative lack of talent, along with the occasional marquee player to whom the team offers a lot more money that he'd otherwise get on the open market.

It's a shame, frankly. Love them or hate them, this league needs a strong and competitive Raiders franchise. With the Raiders fading into oblivion, the NFL for many fans will be like Star Wars without Darth Vader. (Okay, we admit that it was sort of geeky to mention Star Wars, but we couldn't think of anything better.)


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MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Is it the end of the line for both the 2006 Eagles -- and for Donovan McNabb?

Several FOX affiliates are refusing to run the O.J. Simpson interview. (As an alternative, they'll run an old episode of a more highbrow offering, such as When Animals Attack America's Most Wanted Cops Who Want To Marry Joe Millionaire's Mother.)

Oh, Kramer, what has become of you?

Texans QB David Carr finally gets his name in the record book for something other than the number of times he has been tackled by 300-pound men and lived to tell about it.

Pats DL Richard Seymour was fined $7,500 for stepping on Colts OT Tarik Glenn on November 5.

The Detroit media is starting to call for the benching of QB Jon Kitna. (How about giving Mike Williams a try?)

Former Eagles DB Andre Waters is dead at 44.

Cards QB Matt Leinart committed a faux pas when taking a knee on Sunday.

The Vikings are drowning in the kiddie pool.

The Panthers quietly are becoming one of the best teams in the NFC.

Said Packers TE Bubba Franks after Green Bay lost 35-0 at home to the Patriots: "I don't think [teams] fear coming to Lambeau anymore. We don't have that mystique. We've been trying to get it all year. We don't have it. At all."

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 6:54 a.m. EST, November 23, 2006

WHAT NEXT FOR EAGLES?

There's plenty of talk in league circles regarding the future direction of the Philadelphia Eagles. With a 6-10 performance in 2005 and a 5-5 mark through ten games this time around, the Eagles will now have to make a push for NFC prominence with quarterback Donovan McNabb on the sidelines again, due this time to a torn ACL.

If the Eagles fail to qualify for the playoffs (they're currently only one game out of the No. 2 seed), it could be the catalyst for change of the highest order.

The Andy Reid era could be over.

Reid has been the head coach since 1999, and he sports an 82-52 record. But four straight NFC Championship Game appearances yielded only one Super Bowl, and exactly zero Lombardis.

Since making it to the last game of the football season (well, at least the last one that matters), the Eagles are 11-16. The Terrell Owens debacle is someone's fault, and we've never heard that Reid was opposed to the acquisition of the talented-but-turdish receiver.

So now the question is whether it's time for a fresh start for everyone. Has Reid's message lost its bite? Does the franchise need an infusion of "different"? Would it be good for Reid to move on?

The other broad question, as we see it, relates to the quarterback position. Though Donovan McNabb is signed through 2013 (with a salary that year of more than $16 million), it could be time for the Eagles to start thinking about the next generation at the position.

If so, how would they pull it off? Selecting a quarterback on day one of the 2007 draft would be a shot through the bow for the 1999 first-rounder, who surely won't take kindly to the notion that he's being phased out.

But with so many young players locked up well into the next decade and with McNabb turning 30 on Saturday, doesn't it make sense to eventually (i.e., soon) rewind the age factor at the position?

It does, and we have a feeling that things are gonna get messy.


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WHAT NEXT FOR GRUDEN?

In light of our current items relating to the Eagles (scroll up) and the Falcons (scroll down), there's one guy who might be able to help the current roster of players in each town to squeeze the most toothpaste out of the tube.

Jon Gruden.

A league source tells us that the book on Gruden is that he will energize a team in the short term, firing up the troops and getting everyone focused and excited. Over time, however, the message gets a little stale -- as it possibly is/has in Tampa.

Fans and media in Philly would welcome back Gruden, who served as the offensive coordinator in Philly from 1995 through 1997. (Indeed, we've caught wind of unconfirmed rumors that owner Jeffrey Lurie regrets in hindsight that he didn't fire head coach Ray Rhodes after the 1997 season and elevate Gruden into the job. Gruden took the head coaching gig in Oakland in early 1998, and Rhodes was out at the end of that season.)

Although we think it's not working for Gruden in Tampa, it perhaps would work in Philly. For a few years. Which might be enough to get the most out of Donovan McNabb before the rest of the gas runs out of the tank.

How about Atlanta? Sure, Rich McKay is the G.M. of the Falcons and he wouldn't want the guy who pushed him out of Tampa coming to town. But McKay was the G.M. of the Bucs five years ago, and he didn't want Gruden coming to town. But McKay was overruled -- and if Blank thinks that Gruden is the best guy to make Mike Vick into something more than a running back with a decent arm then what McKay thinks won't matter, again.

But isn't Gruden under contract to the Bucs, you ask? Sure he is. But the process is already starting. Reports of Gruden sending out "feelers" for possible openings have conjured memories among members of the Bay Area media, who have reminded us that similar rumors and reports surfaced in late 2001,when Gruden was leading the Raiders toward the playoffs. First, the talk was that Gruden would land in South Bend. "Then seemingly every week after that," a Bay Area media source tells us, "there was another rumor about Gruden going somewhere else."

Along the way, Gruden constantly denied that he was looking to leave the Raiders, just as he has denied that he's looking to blow off the Bucs. And then in the offseason Gruden jumped to Tampa.

So the handwriting is on the wall, and if Gruden can get out of Tampa, we have a feeling that he will.


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POSTED 6:09 a.m. EST, November 23, 2006

WRITE IT DOWN: VICK WILL DEMAND A TRADE

We recently addressed the conundrum in which Falcons owner Arthur Blank presently finds himself. Every owner has to choose between trying to make money and trying to win championships, and for now Blank is banking on the ability of quarterback Michael Vick to continue to fill up the coffers.

As a result, it's unlikely that the Falcons would ever consider the possibility of dumping Vick and elevating Matt Schaub to the position of starting quarterback, since to do so would create a revolt among the legion of local Falcons fans, and would cause all those dudes known as empty seats to begin to buy up their season tickets again.

But when we opined that the Falcons wouldn't ever trade or release Vick, we added a caveat. The player could be the one to ask for a divorce, given heightening frustrations with the coaching staff regarding the direction of the offense that he directs.

And we're now convinced that, if the Falcons don't qualify for the postseason and win at least a game or two, Vick will want out.

The catalyst? Recent comments from the father of coach Jim Mora, who called Vick a "coach killer," and Vick's reaction.

On Wednesday, Vick responded. "Honestly, I don't even know what to say," Vick said. "I think it was inappropriate."

Apparently, many of Vick's friends and relatives agreed, since he had to turn off his cell phone due to the volume of calls he received. "There must have been 50 people calling my number to ask if I heard that comment," Vick said. "It starts to wear on you a little bit. I finally had to cut my phone off. I just want to block it out and come play football. People can think what they want to think, say what they want to say. I'm just Mike Vick. I've got to keep doing what I'm doing -- love me or hate me."

Still, our guess is that more than a few of those people who called Vick regarding Mora's comments expressed opinions like, "You've got to get your ass out of there."

If/when Vick raises the issue with Blank and says that he thinks the time has come for a parting of the ways, it's possible that Blank will decide to kill the coach. But how would Blank hire a competent replacement if he sends a message to the football world that the elder Mora's comments were right?

We also believe that an offer to fire Mora wouldn't be enough to get Vick to change his mind. We think that Vick will generally internalize his frustrations over the rest of the season, but that he'll continue to stew regarding the slight. When the games are done, he'll make his move.

Write it down. When the 2007 season starts, Vick has no more chance of wearing a Falcons helmet than another coach killer, Randy Moss, does of wearing a Raiders helmet.


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POSTED 10:25 p.m. EST, November 22, 2006

CUTLER ERA COMING?

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Broncos are likely to bench quarterback Jake Plummer and go with first-round rookie Jay Cutler on December 3.

Per Schefter, the Broncos would have made the switch from Plummer to Cutler for Thursday night's game at Kansas City, but with only four days between games there wasn't enough time to get him ready.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan previously said that Cutler would not play this year. But with the Broncos out of first place after a loss at home to the Chargers, Shanahan apparently has realized that Plummer has taken the team as far as he can.


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POSTED 7:26 p.m. EST, November 22, 2006

MOOCH DENIES LINK TO CARDINALS

Former 49ers and Lions coach Steve Mariucci denied moments ago on NFLN that he has had contact with the Arizona Cardinals regarding the team's looming head-coaching vacancy, despite reports to the contrary.

Mooch described the story as "irresponsible reporting."

For our part, we've yet to hear Mariucci's name in the discussions regarding possible replacements for Dennis Green, who's certain to be fired after the 2006 season.


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POSTED 6:51 p.m. EST; UPDATED 7:14 p.m. EST, November 22, 2006

ESPN "SCARED SH-TLESS" ABOUT IRVIN FLAP

An industry insider tells us that the powers-that-be at ESPN currently are "scared sh-tless" about the growing firestorm of criticism regarding Michael Irvin's recent genetics lecture on The Dan Patrick Show.

On Monday, Irvin suggested that the athletic prowess of quarterback Tony Romo of the Cowboys (who by all appearances is a half-shade lighter than Jim Nabors) might be attributable to some African-American ancestry.

Said Irvin of Romo, per our most recent Ten-Pack feature: "He doesn't look like he's that type of an athlete. But he is. He is, man. I don't know . . . some brother down in that line somewhere. . . . I don't know who saw what or where, his great-great-great-great-grandma ran over in the 'hood or something went down."

Recognizing the idiocy of Irvin's comments, Dan Patrick said, "Oh, that's the only way he can be a great athlete?"

"That's not the only way, but it's certainly one way," Irvin said. "If great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandma pulled one of them studs up out of the barn [and said], 'Come on in here for a second,' you know, and they go out and work in the yard. You know, back in the day."

As of Wednesday morning, there was quiet outrage in league and media circles regarding Irvin's comments. But now the poop is hitting the propeller, and it's going to be very hard for ESPN to ignore this one.

Mike Freeman of CBSSportsline.com, who latest book is advertised on this site, has made Irvin's comments the subject of an entire column.

"I don't call for firings much," Freeman writes. "Not my style. But if racial bomb throwers like Rush Limbaugh are penalized for their insensitive remarks, shouldn't Irvin be?"

Jason Whitlock of AOL has sounded off as well. As have our friends at Deadspin.com, TheBigLead.com, and AOL's Fanhouse.

We know that the looming Thanksgiving holiday could take some of the steam out of this one. But with prominent commentators like Freeman and Whitlock calling Irvin out for his comments, it could be that the time has come to dump the double standard that metes out punishment for racially discriminatory speech in a manner that discriminates on the basis of race.

Meanwhile, we've received more than 200 hundred reader e-mails about this topic, and we'll soon be posting some of them. Many are calling for Irvin to be fired. The guy has gotten away with plenty during his tenure in Bristol, and it's possible that one of the terms of his suspension from last year (when he failed to disclose an arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia) was that his next mistake would be his last.


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COACH TIKI STRIKES AGAIN

Several readers sounded off to us on Monday night when ESPN aired video and audio from the Giants-Bucs game, which included among other things running back Tiki Barber telling a member of the Giants coaching staff that backup Brandon Jacobs should be used for an upcoming series.

"Coach Tiki" is the moniker that emerged from the exchange, and Barber already has done something to cement that nickname.

On Wednesday, Barber publicly complained about the lack of touches that he received in the running game on Monday night against the Jaguars.

"We have to find a way to correct it," Barber said. "That's the bottom line. I talked about this earlier in the season; if you don't have balance you can't win in the NFL. A disproportionate amount of teams that win, win it by running the football.

"That's football," Barber said. "It's not complicated. This is something that teams and kids and coaches do from 12 years old to college and beyond. It isn't rocket science."

The reaction in league circles to Barber's most recent rant? Opined one league insider: "[Barber] is an arrogant asshole and I am so tired of his intellectual arrogance. . . . He has this 'holier than thou" thing going on. He thinks and acts like he is so much smarter than everyone else."

We agree. Tiki -- shut up. No one wants to hear it. No one. Especially not your teammates.

So do everyone a favor and close your upper jaw against your lower jaw, and hold it there.

It's not rocket science.

[ALinChainz]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 6:39 p.m. EST, November 25, 2006

MILLEN FIRED?

The rumors and rumblings and innuendo have intensified over the past few days, but there's still nothing concrete. There's talk in league and industry circles that Lions President/CEO Matt Millen could be dumped after nearly six seasons of general ineptitude.

Terry Fostor of the Detroit News reports the existence of the rumors, but also says that Millen denies that any changes are coming.

An industry source with knowledge of the dynamics told us on Wednesday that a poor showing by the Lions in the team's annual Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field might be the catalyst to get Millen out the door. But since Thursday the source has heard nothing specific regarding a possible separation.

Though the cries for Millen's head have been rampant, the thinking had been that owner William Clay Ford, Sr. would stick will Millen indefinitely.

Millen received an extension in 2005, and he has said that he would not pursue a buyout if he were released from the balance of his contract.

Meanwhile, at least one league insider has raised the question of whether Lions chief operating officer Tom Lewand also should be fired if/when Millen goes. Lewand is one of the various NFL non-football business types who have their finger in the pot but who generally escape accountability when things go poorly because they're not "football guys." Some believe that Lewand is a bigger part of the problem than Millen.

Indeed, it appears that Lewand and not Millen is ultimately responsible for the most recent embarrassment involving the franchise, which occurred when the Ford Field staff tried to stoke booing of former Lions quarterback Joey Harrington, who was making his first appearance in Detroit as a member of another team. Although Millen carries the title of President/CEO, which suggests that anything and everything that happens is within his domain, the team's media guide expressly states that Lewand is responsible for the day-to-day operations at Ford Field.


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POSTED 8:52 a.m. EST; UPDATED 9:18 a.m. EST, November 25, 2006

HAVING NFLN DOESN'T MEAN GETTING NFL GAMES

Picture this. You've spent all day eating food and watching football on television and eating food and watching football on television and drinking beer and watching football on television and eating food. The extended family has finally cleared out of the house, the first two NFL games have ended, and the third one is getting started soon.

There's been plenty of controversy in the newspapers about the inability of the NFL and cable companies like Time Warner to strike agreements regarding the addition of the league's in-house network, but it's not an issue for you. Your cable company has NFLN, and while 70 million households will be unable to watch the Chiefs and the Broncos, you'll be gnawing on some more dead turkey while Jake Plummer launches a few wounded ducks.

But then something happens. It's time for the game to start, but it's not on. You grab the remote and punch in the numbers for NFLN again, but instead of the Chiefs and Broncos there's an NFL Films production about some old team from Pottstown.

What the f--k? you shout. Then your wife gently reminds you that your five-year-old son is sitting next to you.

That scene played out in more than a few households on Thursday night, due to the fact that NFLN imposes an additional fee to cable companies for the ability to broadcast live regular-season games, and some cable providers simply chose not to pay it.

The problem is that some of the cable providers who chose not to pay the extra fee apparently neglected to tell their customers that the Thursday night game would not be available.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed via e-mail on Friday that an extra charge applies. "Yes, fees were adjusted to reflect the value of NFL Network with NFL games, which are the highest-rated programming on television," Aiello said. "Cable operators that carried NFL Network prior to NFL Network acquiring the rights to the games had two choices: [(1)] Carry NFL Network with the game package on terms that 170 cable providers throughout the country have accepted as fair, reasonable, and a good value[; or (2)] Let customers know of their choice in time for them to do something about it. A handful of cable operators apparently chose to do neither."

At a time when Congress already has expressed concern about consumer access to games aired on NFLN, this development is, to say the least, unfortunate. Though we don't question the ability of the NFL to get fairly compensated for its immensely popular product, this strikes us as one of those situations in which the inability of the parties to resolve their differences in a satisfactory manner will result in a third party (i.e., the government) imposing a resolution on them.


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ELI, TIKI "SCARED" BY MONDAY NIGHT SMACK TALK?

A league source tells us that, in the New York Giants most recent game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, members of the Jags' defense perceived that running back Tiki Barber and quarterback Eli Manning were "scared" in response to smack-talk from the opponents. We're also told that, in response to the verbal attacks, none of the teammates of Barber and Manning intervened on their behalf.

The conclusion reached was that neither player is particularly well-liked in the locker room. Manning, as we've previously observed, isn't a leader. He has the personality of a radish, and he too often seems like he just doesn't care.

Barber is a different story. Though no one on the team has shared publicly the locker room opinions of Coach Tiki, league insiders are becoming increasingly turned off by Barber. Our guess is that his teammates are starting to feel the same way, especially after Barber's lame-ass excuse for publicly dissing the coaching staff for the second time in less than a year.

Said Barber in defense of his comments: "You guys ask me questions and I tell you the truth. I tell you what's on my mind. I think if I said anything other than the truth, that would compromise who I am and that would be doing you guys a disservice."

These remarks have prompted a rebuke from a league source, who was shocked that Barber would be so disloyal to his team and teammates.

"So let me get this straight," the source opined to us, "based on these words, he as a greater sense of responsibility and loyalty to the media than he does the Giants' ownership, the Giants' coaches and his teammates? Now, for a guy that is as smart as Tiki, couldn't he cobble together some reasonable quote without just trashing people? Isn't he so much smarter than everyone else?

"He is smart and cunning when it is in his best interests, but when he has an agenda he suddenly becomes holier than thou. Hey, Mr. Integrity, did you tell the Giants that you were going to bail out on them before the end of your contract? Did the Giants publicly trash you and leave you out to dry when you consistently led the league in fumbles? So why not use your selective intellect to do something good for your team?

"He has always been a tremendous talent and skilled football player, but because of his selfishness, arrogance and me-me-me bullcrap, he never has and never will be a champion."

Amen, we say. Why in the hell is Barber the least bit concerned about "doing a disservice" to the media? It appears that he's simply thinking more about taking care of the members of his future industry than the guys who inhabit his current one.

Attention, Giants players and coaches. Coach Tiki has just given you the green light to disclose anything and everything you want to say about him. After all, failure to speak your mind on these topics would be a disservice to the media.


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For more breaking NFL news and information, check out the PFT Fantasy Mill, powered by Fanball.com.


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POSTED 12:01 a.m. EST; UPDATED 12:45 a.m. EST, November 25, 2006

MORE ON PATS' SCALPING SUIT

We've rolled up our sleeves and tracked down some more information regarding the lawsuit filed on Tuesday by the New England Patriots against online ticket scalping company StubHub.

Okay, actually the stuff kind of fell into our laps but, hey, we take what we can get.

The action, as we understand it, isn't an effort by the team to attack the near-universal and long-standing practice of people selling tickets to sporting events for value greater than the price printed on the things. Whether it's a guy with a computer or a laminated piece of cardboard with "I NEED TICKETS" in block letters, someone always will be looking to make a buck (or a few hundred) via the re-selling of seats.

The Patriots are focusing on a more specific dynamic -- the focused efforts of StubHub to induce season-ticket holders to engage in activities that violate their individual agreements with the franchise.

Put simply, the folks who have secured the ability to buy tickets to all Patriots home games agree not to re-sell the tickets at an increased price. For individuals who can't use their tickets to a given game, the team maintains a waiting list of folks who can acquire the tickets at face value, plus a relatively small service charge from Ticketmaster.

StubHub, we're told, was placed on notice of these contractual rights and responsibilities, yet has continued to induce season ticket holders to breach their agreements via specific advertisements in publications like the Boston Globe, which ads contain messages like "Are you a Patriots season-ticket holder who can't sell your tickets?"

The prevalence of the advertising efforts caused the organization to become concerned that the franchise is condoning the practice. The other problem is that some of the tickets bought and sold through StubHub are counterfeit. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, roughly 30 tickets per game purchased via StubHub end up being phony. And although StubHub eventually refunds the money, the consumers typically must jump through multiple hoops to make it happen.

Thus, one of the claims in the lawsuit is that StubHub has tortiously interfered with the team's relationship with its season-ticket holders, and the primary goal is to get the company to stop the practice. Any damages recovered will go to the Patriots Charitable Foundation, not to the team itself.

With all that said, the decision of the Patriots to pursue the action against StubHub creates a real risk that the media will begin to scrutinize more carefully the involvement of teams in the scalping of tickets -- including the widespread manner in which some teams turn profits on the sale of Super Bowl seats. But it appears that StubHub backed the Patriots into a corner on this one, and it should prompt any NFL team that maintains a relationship with StubHub to re-examine the wisdom of dealing with a company that might have provoked a course of action that, depending on how the dominoes fall, could eventually make it harder to realize those late January windfalls.


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EARLY SATURDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Coach Kevlar isn't saying whether Jake Plummer or Jay Cutler will get the start on December 3.

Sal Paolantonio of ESPN.com suggests that Jeff Garcia is getting the nod over A.J. Feeley at quarterback in order to prevent a Feeley-or-McNabb controversy next season.

The Commish isn't ruling out the possibility of Kansas City becoming the permanent anchor for the Thanksgiving Day nightcap.

Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown is out indefinitely after having surgery Friday on a broken left hand.

It sounds to us as if Browns WR Braylon Edwards is trying to make sure he doesn't get the Brian Russell treatment from a member of the Bengals on Sunday.

Vikings S Darren Sharper was fined $15,000 for bumping a referee last week.

Seahawks C Robbie Tobeck has been hospitalized with an abscess in his left hip.

Raiders DT Warren Sapp insists that his food was tampered with during road trips while with the Bucs. (Apparently, Sapp's strategy for neutralizing the poison was to chase the tainted food with lots of cupcakes.)

Pats P Josh Miller has been placed on IR with a shoulder injury.

Redskins WR Santana Moss (hamstring) is expected to play on Sunday.

Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt was unable to watch his team beat the Broncos on Thursday night because the Dallas-area hospital into which Hunt was admitted on Wednesday doesn't get NFL Network.

Sunday's Jags at Bills game will be blacked out in Buffalo.

Coach Tiki defended his decision to air the team's dirty laundry with this: "You guys ask me questions and I tell you the truth. I tell you what's on my mind. I think if I said anything other than the truth, that would compromise who I am and that would be doing you guys a disservice." (Gee, Tiki, how about saying something truthful like, "I prefer not to betray my coaching staff and teammates by talking publicly about private matters.")


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POSTED 3:29 p.m. EST, November 24, 2006

ROMO-GATE GAINING MOMENTUM

Although we initially believed that the Thanksgiving holiday might take some steam out of the storm that has developed regarding the Jimmy "The Greek"-style comments of ESPN's Michael Irvin, several publications have kept the story alive.

And the exceptional Thursday performance of the object of the remarks, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, could give the story legs heading into the weekend.

On Monday, Irvin explained on ESPN Radio's The Dan Patrick Show that Romo's supreme athletic skills could be due to a dalliance in days gone by between one of Romo's female ancestors and a slave. The remarks initially went unnoticed, but by Wednesday several commentators (including Mike Freeman of CBSSportsline.com and Jason Whitlock of AOL) and web sites were shining a spotlight on the situation.

Says Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star: "Joke or not, by my count, that's offensive to blacks, whites, grandmothers and humanity in general."

Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune asks "Where's the outrage?" in a column that addresses the Irvin comments, in addition to other items. Observes Posner: "Irvin was laughing while he was talking, but ask yourself this: What would the reaction have been if Steve Young had made those comments? Why is this any different?"

Addressing the fact that the incident largely has been ignored, David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel makes a great point: "Whatever the reason, there's been no comment from ESPN, much less an apology/explanation from Michael the Greek. There's no need to comment, of course, because the incident hasn't made ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN.com, ESPN Texas Hold 'Em or any of the other tentacles. It shows you the danger of media conglomeration."

So what next? On Tuesday night, we asked Mac Nwulu, ESPN spokesman, for a comment via e-mail, but have not yet heard from him. Though it could be that Nwulu is taking some well-deserved time off, we continue to hear that ESPN is petrified about the situation, and that the powers-that-be in Bristol hope that the story dies.

"The thought of firing two of its commentators -- Rush [Limbaugh] and Irvin -- scares the crap out of them," said one source. "Imagine if that happened. It would be unprecedented in TV history to have two broadcasters from the same network fired for racial comments."


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POSTED 11:48 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 12:29 p.m. EST, November 24, 2006

AL DAVIS HAS BEEN TRYING TO SELL

A league source with knowledge of the situation, but who has requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, tells us that Raiders owner Al Davis has been trying to sell a 30-percent stake in the team, with a path to control of the organization upon his demise.

Talks have occurred with "a bunch" of parties, but no deal has been consummated.

The problem, per the source, is that the clarity of the path to control is subject to debate.

Though identified as the "owner" on the team's official web site, Davis technically is the managing general partner of the Raiders. (Actually, the legal title, as we understand it, goes like this: "managing general partner of the general partner.")

Per the source, Davis doesn't own 51 percent of the team, but under the legal structure that has been in place for decades Davis is the guy who runs it.

So if Davis isn't in a position to provide a clear path to control upon his demise the question, as we see it, is whether he likewise has the ability to bequeath control upon his passing. It could be that he doesn't, and the homework assignment for the members of the "real" media with the time, resources, and inclination to take the baton is to round up information as to the full gamut of persons who hold an interest in the team -- and to get access to documents that detail how it is that Davis has been in charge for so long, and how the power vacuum will be filled once he is no longer in position to run the team.


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EASING THE BLACK FRIDAY BLUES

As folks throughout the country work off the fried turkey with heavy gravy and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream and three glasses of wine with four more by pushing carts through crowds of fellow shoppers, we implore everyone to find an easier course to filling out the Christmas list this year.

Buy cell phones. Specifically, Sprint phones or Nextel phones.

It's easy. It's fast. It doesn't require you to find a patch of grass on which to squeeze the SUV a half-mile from the mall, so that after making the long trek inside you can try to work your way around the large back sides of people who eat like every day is Thanksgiving Day in order to scavenge for stuff that already has been purchased by someone else.

So click on the Sprint ads on this page, and then let nature take its course.

And for those of you who are in the process compiling lists of the things you want Santa to drop under the tree, make sure you put a Sprint phone at the top of the page. Without Sprint, you won't have access to features like NFL Mobile, a free service that provides news, updates, fantasy tracking, and real-time stats and scores.


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SMOOT BENCHED, WILLIAMSON DEMOTED

The Vikings have benched cornerback Fred Smoot, according to Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He'll be replaced by rookie Cedric Griffin.

The move calls into question Smoot's future with the team. He was signed as a free agent prior to the 2005 season, but since the Vikings used a high-dollar roster bonus in lieu of a signing bonus, the bulk of the cap charge was taken in year one of the relationship.

Smoot's salary shoots from $800,000 in 2006 to $2.7 million in 2007. He's also scheduled to earn $4.9 million, $5.6 million, and $4.9 million in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively.

Griffin, in contrast, will make $365,000, $445,000, and $530,000, respectively, in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

The move to Griffin isn't surprising, since the Cover 2 defense the Vikings now employ requires hard-nosed play and sound tackling from the cornerbacks. Smoot is more of a finesse player in the mold of Deion "Don't Hurt Me" Sanders. As legend has it, Smoot struggled to get a single rep on the 225-pound bench-press at the scouting combine in 2001.

Jensen also reports that receiver Troy Williamson likely will have reduced snaps, due to his ongoing problems with catching the football. The No. 7 overall pick in 2005 leads the league with 10 drops. He was replaced by Marcus Robinson in the starting lineup in Week Eleven, and has faded badly after strong performances in the first two games of the season.


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POSTED 10:39 a.m. EST, November 24, 2006

LIONS ENCOURAGED BOOING OF JOEY

There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee: He who laughs last . . . is the last one to be laughing.

Anyway, former Lions quarterback Joey Harrington is the last one to laughing now, after a return to Ford Field resulted in a victory by his new team, the Dolphins, over the franchise that made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 draft.

But based on reports in the Miami Herald and at Mlive.com, it appears that the Lions went out of their way to promote booing of Harrington on Thursday.

For example, the Dolphins asked for their defense to be introduced, but the public address announcer called out Harrington's name prior to the game, prompting a loud chorus of boos. And the video operator at Ford Field repeatedly displayed images of Harrington, which would provoke more boos for a crowd that otherwise was silent in yet another miserable performance by the home team, which saw a 10-0 lead melt into a 27-10 loss.

''I don't have a lot of respect for what they did,'' Dolphins coach Nick Saban said regarding the crowd's treatment of Harrington. "He's been respectful to them, and he did a good job today.

"I don't really see where there's a place for that in sports. Nothing has to be that personal.''

In our view, it's yet another reason for the Ford family to sever ties with Millen. He's not the General Manager of the team; he's the President and CEO. So the buck stops on his TV tray whenever anyone in the organization does something stupid, classless, or uncalled for.

A year ago, security at Ford Field relentlessly chased and ultimately jacked up a guy who dared to display a grocery bag with the words "Fire Millen" scrawled on it. Now, the same staff at the same stadium goes out of its way to encourage harassment of a guy who finally played a good game in the venue -- possibly because he was playing against the team for which he used to play.

And don't be surprised if there's renewed talk about change in the wake of Thursday's loss. Regardless of the booing brouhaha, the Lions were embarrassed again on Thanksgiving Day -- and this time it came at the hands of one of their biggest draft-day failures.

Remember this. It was a poor performance on Thanksgiving in 2005 that resulted in coach Steve Mariucci getting fired; in our view, this year's version of the now-annual Detroit Lions Turkey Day turkey sh-t performance should be the last act of a dreadful six-year reign.


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POSTED 8:37 a.m. EST, UPDATED 9:22 a.m. EST, November 23, 2006

PATS SUE STUBHUB

In a stunning move that could do more harm to the NFL than good, the New England Patriots have sued online ticket reseller StubHub for encouraging violation of the Massachusetts antiscalping laws.

The landmark suit also names 52 individuals who re-sold Patriots tickets via the StubHub service, and the Patriots seek as damages three times the revenue StubHub and the other defendants earned through the online sales of tickets to New England games, along with an injunction against further resale of Patriots tickets by StubHub.

The problem is that more than a few NFL teams currently are in bed with companies like StubHub, engaging in "partnerships" that indirectly funnel money realized via ticket scalping to owners. A high-level executive with one team defended the practice in a conversation with us several months ago, explaining that for fans of modest income the ability of a season-ticket holder to sell seats at a markup to one game per year makes the total package of tickets affordable -- and it helps other fans willing and able to pay fair market value obtain access to NFL games.

The practical consequence of the Patriots' lawsuit could be the disruption (if not the evaporation) of these partnerships, since the league will likely be forced to conjure a consistent policy for all teams as to whether business arrangements with scalpers in cubicles is desirable or permitted. The media also might begin to probe these transactions more carefully for evidence of abuse.

In September, for example, it was discovered that Cowboys-Eagles standing-room-only tickets were available on RazorGator.com, the Eagles' online ticket reselling partner, even though the tickets had not been made available for sale to the public. The initial suspicion was that the team was funneling tickets on a preferential basis to RazorGator. In the end, the fact was that RazorGator was selling seats that it had not yet acquired, prompting a cease-and-desist demand from the team.

But the mere fact that NFL teams do business with companies that are scalping tickets by high-tech means (and, as in the RazorGator case, allegedly taking improper liberties) should be a cause for alarm.

To date, the warning signs have been ignored. With the Patriots on the offensive against one of the leaders in the field, it'll be impossible (in our view) for the relationships between other teams and online scalpers to continue to escape scrutiny.

And there's another problem here that the team's legal action could inadvertently be exposing.

"What's the saying about people in glass houses?" said a league source regarding the lawsuit. "Do the owners really want people poking around about the re-sale of Super Bowl tickets? It might give exposure to something that most owners don't want seen."

Reports recently surfaced regarding a federal grand jury in Ohio, which is believed to be exploring the handling of Super Bowl tickets by members of the Browns organization. And one of the league's dirty little secrets, as we understand it, is that some owners realize huge windfalls through the sale of "packages" that include the most coveted of all sports tickets.

In the end, the lid could soon be blown off of these practices, due in large part by the efforts of one team to prevent third parties from doing the very same thing that NFL types have been doing with Super Bowl tickets for years.


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WE'RE THANKFUL FOR YOU (AND FOR JOEY SUNSHINE)

As we pause the Holiday update so that the Poobah can get in a workout before heading to the dinner table like a hog on the hind end of a hunger strike, we'd like to say thanks. To all of you.

We're thankful for every reader we have, because it's because of you that we've enjoyed five-plus years of growth, and that we can now tell our wives to shut up and count the money when they hound us about the amount of time we devote to this hobby turned part-time job turned second full-time job. (We actually don't tell them to shut up. We tell them to shut the f--k up. Okay, actually they tell us that.)

Anyway, thank you. To those who like us. To those who hate us. To those who are ambivalent but who nevertheless visit the site to make sure they're not missing something.

And we'd like to send out a special thanks to those who have purchased and who will purchase a Sprint or Nextel phone. And Adam Archulete's "Freak of Training" workout video. And Mike Freeman's new book. And premium services at Fanball.com.

We're also thankful for the sport that we love: squirrel fighting. Oh, and football. Though we routinely offer up criticism of players, coaches, agents, the NFLPA, and the league itself, we have a passion for the pro version of the sport and will always be here to offer news, rumors, and commentary about it.

So here's to what has been so far a great 2006. We've got a feeling that the rest of the football season will make this one among the very best ever.


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POSTED 7:38 a.m. EST, November 23, 2006

DIRECTV PLAYING DIRTY?

We'll admit that we haven't paid much attention to the ongoing feud between the NFL's in-house network and cable companies like Time Warner because, well, we've got NFLN, so the issue doesn't affect us.

We're being facetious. (Sort of.) The issue is also pretty boring, with the main issue being NFLN trying to leverage the most possible money out of the cable companies by placing itself within the "basic" package and the Time Warners of the world wanting to put it on a higher tier, which necessarily would place it in less households.

So with NFLN preparing to air its first regular-season game on Thursday night, millions of American homes still don't have access to it.

This reality has prompted DirecTV to make a pitch for its satellite service via a full-page ad in Wednesday's USA Today.

"Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks," the ad proclaims in large letters, followed by this: "You can thank Time Warner cable and Cablevision for not carrying NFL Network."

The ad then lists the eight regular season NFLN games that won't be available on cable systems that don't carry the station. (And, by the way, the package of NFLN games looks better to us than the balance of the MNF slate.)

But the thing that caught our attention was a very misleading comment appearing at the bottom of a paragraph of text that appears at the bottom of the page. "Playoffs are coming up," the ad reads, "so make sure you see them."

Huh? Playoffs? We're talking about playoffs? On NFLN?

We know, we know. The "them" to which the ad technically refers are the eight regular-season games to be aired on NFLN. But to a casual observer, the "them" could be judged to be a reference to the word "playoffs."

Oh, crap. Playoff games will be on NFLN? I'd better get a satellite. Dish. Thing.

Most people, we hope, will realize that playoff games have not yet been held back by the league for broadcast on its own network. But some of them will be confused, and some of the confused will blindly dial up DirecTV to make a purchase and/or commence hassling their local cable provider.

At a time when Congress is already sniffing around the decision of the NFL to start its own television operation and to include within the content games that ordinarily would be available via broadcast networks or cable channels to which 99 percent of the country has access, we think it's incredibly stoopid for DirecTV to stoke the fire by making disingenuous suggestions in its print ads.