May 16, 2012
New England Patriots' mastermind Bill Belichick leads an NFL-dominated list of the highest-earning coaches in sports.
Belichick, one of eight NFL coaches in the Forbes top 10, earns an estimated $7.5 million annually. The value, length and other terms of his contract have long been kept under wraps by Belichick and the Patriots.
Saints coach Sean Payton, suspended without pay for the 2012 season, would be one of the five coaches in the $7 million range which includes Pete Carroll (Seahawks), Jeff Fisher (Rams), Doc Rivers (Celtics) and Mike Shanahan (Redskins).
Gregg Popovich, recently named NBA Coach of the Year, and Bears head coach Lovie Smith have estimated annual earnings of $6 million.
Eagles coach Andy Reid is 10th at $5.5 million behind Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Ken Whisenhunt of the Cardinals ($5.75 million).
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May 16, 2012
NFL ROUNDUP: Payton's seat left unfilled; Suggs, Peters may lose millions
Though Joe Vitt will coach the New Orleans Saints in Sean Payton's absence, no one will sit in the suspended coach's chair while he's away.
The team plans to leave Payton's seat on the bus and plane empty this season as well as in meetings, according to a report in The Times-Picayune of New Orleans.
Vitt told the paper that coach's absence is already felt.
“Since I've been here, as soon as we got off the practice field, Sean and I would go right to a meeting and talk about what we wanted to do differently in the afternoon,” Vitt said. “I didn't have that this year. We also would do a lot of communicating on the practice field. What do you think of this? What do you think of that? That was a huge void right from the get-go and something we're going to have to get used to.”
Payton is prohibited from speaking with the team about football matters during his suspension and can only talk with a member of the team about a non-football issue with the team's legal counsel present, the paper said.
---Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters may forfeit millions in salary because both sustained injuries that fall under the “Nonfootball injury” provision of the collective bargaining agreement, according to an ESPN.com report.
The Article 20, Section 3 provision of the CBA states: “A player who is placed on a Nonfootball injury or Illness list (“N-F/I”) is not entitled to any compensation under his contract while on such list ...”
While both players contend they were injured during off-site training sessions, league and union sources told ESPN.com that any injury sustained that happens away from a team's facility or under its direction is considered a “Nonfootball injury.”
---Dallas Cowboys guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, who signed a four-year, $11 million deal in March, had surgery over the weekend to repair a tear in his right hip, according to an ESPN.com report, citing multiple sources.
The team hopes he can return in 10-12 weeks. Bernadeau has missed most of the offseason conditioning program while rehabbing his hip. He was signed as a starter after spending his first four seasons in Carolina.
---Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has been ordered by a Texas judge to pay $10,550 in monthly child support as a condition of his divorce.
Sanders and his estranged wife, Pilar, agreed to share custody of their three children for the summer.
Sanders must pay $3,500 a month for a house where his estranged wife now lives and where their children will occasionally stay. He must also must pay $275,000 in his spouse's recent legal fees.
---An arbitration hearing has been set for May 30 to determine whether NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can punish Saints players for the team's bounties program.
The players' union has asked arbitrator Stephen Burbank to rule if the players should be punished for the system that the league determined had been operating for three years. The union argues that Burbank, not Goodell, should hear the appeals filed by Jonathan Vilma, suspended for the 2012 season, Will Smith (four games), Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and Scott Fujita (three games).
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May 16, 2012
Steelers move Colon to left guard
Right tackle Willie Colon is moving to left guard to make room for the Steelers to install to rookie starters in a new-look offensive line.
The makeover slides Colon from right tackle, a position that will initially belong to 2011 second-round pick Marcus Gilbert. Gilbert and rookie second-round pick Mike Adams could flip positions during offseason workouts as offensive coaches evaluate the best mix of talent.
Colon said Wednesday he didn't mind the move, and appreciated the team asked him to change positions with several months to prepare rather than shifting him inside during training camp.
First-round pick David DeCastro is tops on the depth chart at right guard alongside center Maurkice Pouncey.
Colon will be backed up by Doug Legursky, a role that could be vital considering Colon has missed 31 total games since 2009 because of injuries.
Legursky and Ramon Foster, who at 6-6, 325 can also play tackle, will cross-train at multiple positions. Legursky is the primary backup at center to Pouncey and is recovered from a shoulder issue that bothered him last season.
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May 16, 2012
Jaguars, Jones-Drew not talking contract
Maurice Jones-Drew's choice not to participate in voluntary workouts in Jacksonville appears to have all the makings of a line-in-the-sand position on his contract. But the Jaguars aren't expected to broach the issue while Jones-Drew is playing hardball.
The Jaguars denied contract talks have taken place with Jones-Drew, who signed a five-year, $31.5 million deal in 2009. If all other current contracts remain unchanged, Jones-Drew would be the eighth-highest paid player at his position in 2012. He's vastly underpaid relative to two of the NFL's top-salaried running backs and division rivals Chris Johnson (Titans) and Arian Foster (Texans). Add another newly minted tailback, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who signed a seven-year, $96 million deal in September and is also 27 years old, and the basis for a contract flap isn't difficult to unearth.
Jones-Drew is scheduled to earn $4.45 million for the 2012 season.
As expected after missing the team's post-draft minicamp, Jones-Drew skipped the start of Jaguars' voluntary organized team activities Tuesday.
The NFL's leading rusher in 2011 said in April he wasn't attending the team's offseason program and instead would work out on his own. But first-year coach Mike Mularkey said Tuesday the organization was aware of Jones-Drew's motive.
“It's all voluntary,” Mularkey said. “I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here. He's talked about trying to get an extension for his contract.”
With Mularkey and his coaching staff installing new schemes, the presence of the team's star player would be mutually beneficial.
But Jones-Drew, like veteran Fred Taylor before him, prefers to work out on his own and the franchise doesn't question his ability to prepare physically. He had 1,606 rushing yards, tops in the NFL, last season but his contract might be a sticking point even with a more well-rounded cast around him in 2012.
Mularkey said he's not planning to get involved in the contract matter.
Jones-Drew has three straight 1,300-plus-yard seasons since becoming the Jaguars' primary ballcarrier in 2009. He had only four starts in his first three seasons and was a second-round pick out of UCLA in 2006.
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May 16, 2012
Fired MLB arbitrator Das central figure in Saints' player appeals
League and team officials have steadfastly suggested that there is little or perhaps even no correlation between the NFL's bounty suspensions of four current and former New Orleans players and the various sanctions imposed on Major League Baseball players for violations of that game's drug policy.
But there figures to be some uneasiness in the NFL offices over the next couple weeks, the expected period of study and deliberation by arbitrator Shyam Das of the appeals of the four “Bountygate” defenders, before he renders a decision on their appeals. Those appeals were to be heard on Wednesday afternoon.
Das, who has served as an NFL arbitrator since 2004, was canned last week by MLB, where he had also presided over appeals cases since 1999. While baseball officials have stopped short of fully explaining the rationale for the dismissal, it's believed the action was tied to Das' controversial decision to overturn the 50-game suspension of Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun, the National League's reigning most valuable player.
In addition to the Wednesday hearing, the players will take their case to arbitrator Stephen Burbank on May 30. The argument there is that, even if New Orleans players were paid a bounty, the violation is against the salary cap, and, under the tenets of the CBA, Burbank has jurisdiction.
For now, though, it's Das at center stage.
NFL officials, and correctly so, have maintained that the dots between Braun's alleged actions and the purported bounty that was active in New Orleans for three seasons under former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams simply don't connect.
Outside of the high-powered attorneys that have been retained by Jonathan Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Scott Fujita, that seems relatively clear. But in appeals cases, where every word and collectively bargained statute is parsed, the prism can be a little more clouded.
And Das, a veteran arbitrator, has some history of murkiness.
Beyond the recent Braun case, it was Das who reduced MLB-initiated penalties against pitchers John Rocker in 2000 and Kenny Rogers in 2005. And it may have been Das' role in the Braun case that prompted last week's settlement of an original 100-game suspension of Denver catcher Eliezer Alfonzo.
A Harvard graduate and a product of the Yale Law School, Das is widely respected by NFL officials, one league executive insisted earlier this week. But that same official noted that Das was held in high regard by MLB for much of his tenure, then added that the arbitrator is a “stickler” for details.
And, as is typically the case in any appeals, certainly the bounty matter, the devil is in the details and in how they are interpreted. Notable is that none of the four players suspended by the NFL, for terms ranging from three games (Fujita) to the entire 2012 season (Vilma), is basing his appeal on innocence. They are appealing, instead, on jurisdictional grounds, contending that, under the CBA, commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't have purview in their cases.
Goodell was careful to issue the sanctions as a matter of “conduct detrimental to the league and the game,” not strictly for on-field actions or salary cap violations. In the last two instances, his role in appeals would have been altered. Essentially, the four players involved, by way of their hired mouthpieces, will contend in the first of what figures to be three actions, that the appeals should not be adjudicated by Goodell.
And that's where the dots between Das and details might connect. The case against Braun was overturned because of the failure of a sample collector to rigidly follow the protocol outlined in baseball's drug program. Not because Das ruled that the Brewers' star clearly had not used performance enhancing substances, but because the collector had kept the sample in his home over a weekend, having obtained it on a Saturday, and not dispatched it via overnight delivery until Monday. The Alfonzo case was settled because of a similar chain-of-custody issue. Again, no insistence that Alfonzo didn't use drugs, but a technicality instead.
And that's why top NFL executives may be holding their collective breaths until Das offers a decision that upholds Goodell's jurisdiction over the suspensions.
“We think that we're on pretty firm ground, but you never know how an arbitrator is going to rule,” one league official said. Sports attorneys widely agree with the NFL assessment, but also caution that arbitrations can be unpredictable.
Outside of trotting out former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White two weeks ago -- the independent counsel retained by the league to review the bounty findings -- the NFL has closely guarded the evidence it has collected in the New Orleans matter. Part of the reason for doing so is to safeguard the confidentiality of informants. It remains doubtful that such evidence will be entered in the appeals, at least not initially, since it has little bearing on the four players' actions right now. And if Das and others decide the affected defenders have nowhere to turn but Goodell, who would then serve as judge and jury, the evidence may never be fully divulged.
On the other hand, should Das unexpectedly find for the four players, expect Goodell and the NFL to react with guns blazing. And, like baseball, to eventually give the veteran arbitrator Das Boot.
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May 16, 2012
Report: Cowboys' Bernadeau has hip surgery
Dallas Cowboys guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, who signed a four-year, $11 million deal in March, had surgery over the weekend to repair a tear in his right hip, according to an ESPN.com report, citing multiple sources.
The team hopes he can return in 10-12 weeks. Bernadeau has missed most of the offseason conditioning program while rehabbing his hip. He was signed as a starter after spending his first four seasons in Carolina.
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May 16, 2012
Johnny Jolly receives 'shock' probation
Former NFL defensive end Johnny Jolly has received 10 years of “shock” probation by a judge, six months after being sentenced to prison for violating terms of his probation for a drug conviction.
Jolly, 29, is suspended indefinitely from the NFL. His contract with the Green Bay Packers ended after the 2011 season.
Jolly was arrested outside a Houston nightclub in July 2008, and charged with possession of at least 200 grams of codeine. He was then charged last year with possession of a compound containing codeine, a controlled substance, after an October traffic stop in Houston. He was further charged with evidence tampering for attempting to conceal the substance from police.
In November, he was sentenced to six years in prison, but applied for “shock probation,” which allows convicts to ask for early release on probation after experiencing the shock of being in jail. He received the shock probation this week, along with 200 hours of community service, and ordered to pay a $500 fine.
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May 16, 2012
Separate hearings to be heard in bounty case challenging Goodell
Players appealing suspensions stemming from their alleged involvement in the Saints' bounty scandal will collectively have two hearings and likely two different arbitrators in their challenges of Commissioner Roger Goodell's jurisdiction.
Jonathan Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Scott Fujita and Will Smith are appealing suspensions beginning with a hearing Wednesday to be heard by Shyam Das. The first grievance is on the basis that Goodell gave up his authority to suspend players for any actions predating the signing of the new collective bargaining agreement in August.
The other hearing, scheduled for May 30, will challenge Goodell's right to suspend players for on-field actions typically heard by appeals officers Art Shell and Ted Cottrell. Shell is a former player and coach. Cottrell was a longtime defensive coach.
Vilma was suspended for the 2012 season and Hargrove eight games. Smith (four games) and Fujita (three games) received lesser punishment, but the NFLPA claims, through executive director DeMaurice Smith and union president Domonique Foxworth, that the punishment is unwarranted because the league hasn't turned over a grain of evidence.
NFL writer Judy Battista of the New York Times reported Wednesday that the NFL does plan to release some of the evidence it has in the bounty case to the public, but is diligently working to protect the sources of the information.
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May 16, 2012
Suggs, Peters to lose pay because of injuries
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters may forfeit millions in salary because both sustained injuries that fall under the “Nonfootball injury” provision of the collective bargaining agreement, according to an ESPN.com report.
The Article 20, Section 3 provision of the CBA states: “A player who is placed on a Nonfootball injury or Illness list (“N-F/I”) is not entitled to any compensation under his contract while on such list ...”
While both players contend they were injured during off-site training sessions, league and union sources told ESPN.com that any injury sustained that happens away from a team's facility or under its direction is considered a “Nonfootball injury.”
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May 16, 2012
Report: Saints to leave Payton's seat empty
Though Joe Vitt will coach the New Orleans Saints in Sean Payton's absence, no one will sit in the suspended coach's chair while he's away.
The team plans to leave Payton's seat on the bus and plane empty this season as well as in meetings, according to a report in The Times-Picayune of New Orleans.
Vitt told the paper that coach's absence is already felt.
“Since I've been here, as soon as we got off the practice field, Sean and I would go right to a meeting and talk about what we wanted to do differently in the afternoon,” Vitt said. “I didn't have that this year. We also would do a lot of communicating on the practice field. What do you think of this? What do you think of that? That was a huge void right from the get-go and something we're going to have to get used to.”
Payton is prohibited from speaking with the team about football matters during his suspension and can only talk with a member of the team about a non-football issue with the team's legal counsel present, the paper said.
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May 16, 2012
Chiefs sign OL Allen, DB Menzie
Offensive tackle Jeff Allen (second round) and defensive back De'Quan Menzie (fifth) signed with the Chiefs. Terms were not disclosed.
Allen played in 49 games for Illinois, seeing time at both tackle positions, and finished his career with 47 consecutive starts.
Menzie played in 33 career games for Alabama, registering 68 tackles (47 solo), 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks (-10.0 yards), one interception and 15 passes defensed.
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May 16, 2012
Giants unveil Super Bowl rings
The Giants unveiled their Super Bowl XLVI rings, which pay tribute to the franchise's four Super Bowl champion teams.
Designed by Tiffany & Co. with input from coach Tom Coughlin and team captains Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Zak DeOssie, the rings have four Vince Lombardi trophies featured on the top surrounding the “NY” logo set on an outline of blue enamel.
“The blue makes it a little different,” Manning said. “We wanted some blue - the Giants are Big Blue. We definitely wanted to get a little blue to spark it up a little bit.”
On the side of the rings are the words “Finish” and “All In,” two phrases the team used as it rallied from the brink of elimination from playoff contention all the way through the Super Bowl.
“We definitely wanted 'Finish,' we definitely wanted 'All In,'” Tuck said. “Those were two things we prided ourselves on, not only during the season, but especially through the playoff run. And we won games that way. So we definitely wanted those in there.”
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May 15, 2012
Seau's house burglarized 5 days after his suicide
The Oceanside, Calif., home of former NFL star Junior Seau was burglarized last week, five days after Seau committed suicide inside the house, police said, according to the North County Times.
According to the Times' report, someone entered the home's garage by force in mid-afternoon on May 7. The person went through cabinets and took a bicycle valued at about $500 that belonged to a friend of Seau's.
The bike seemed to be the only item taken, and the intruder did not enter other parts of the house.
Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest May 2 in a spare bedroom of his house.
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May 15, 2012
Former Packer Johnny Jolly granted “shock probation”
Former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly was granted early release from prison when a judge granted his request for “shock probation.”
Jolly applied for the probationary term, 10 years in length, which can be permitted certain convicts in Texas after experiencing the “shock and trauma of prison.”
Jolly must also serve 200 hours community service. A violation of the probation will result in another prison sentence.
Jolly told the judge he is not a criminal, but is an addict. He's been arrested multiple times and said he's been addicted to codeine since high school.
Before pleading guilty to narcotics charges in April, Jolly was arrested in Houston in 2008 for possession of codeine. The NFL later suspended him for the 2010 season, during which the Packers won the Super Bowl, because of a violation of its substance-abuse policy.
The Packers selected Jolly in the sixth round of the 2006 draft out of Texas A&M. He was a full-time starter in 2008 and '09.
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May 15, 2012
Vince Young knows not to put Dream Team label on Bills
Vince Young seems to have accepted his role as a backup quarterback since being signed to a one-year contract by the Buffalo Bills on Friday, but on Tuesday, in his first general meeting with the media since his signing, he made it clear he wasn't going to be calling the Bills a Dream Team as he did the Philadelphia Eagles.
“What I was basically saying is just the respect of the players. Just like we have here, we have a lot of respectable players on this team as well. From Fitz (starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick), from Jax (Fred Jackson), it's a long list of guys,” Young said. “I definitely won't make that comment again because it was definitely blown out of proportion.”
Young's characterization of the Eagles as a Dream Team when he played in Philadelphia last year got a lot of play before last season and even more when the Eagles got off to a slow start and finished 8-8.
Young, who is entering his seventh NFL season, learned from his experience with the Eagles, though. He started three games when Michael Vick was injured, and he continued to learn how to be a pocket passer.
“One thing I learned a lot of was a lot of film work,” he said. “Last year and all my previous years I've been taught how to be a pocket passer. A lot of guys asked, 'Why aren't you going to run the ball anymore?' My biggest thing was I was trying to learn how to be a pocket passer and then it would bring my whole game together with the pocket passing and as well as being elusive and making plays as well as my legs and standing in place.”
He knows he is a backup, however, battling with Tyler Thigpen for the No. 2 spot behind Fitzpatrick. But he's been in that role before.
“I'm pretty much used to it,” he said. “All you can do is come in and work. This league is crazy from injury wise, all kind of things. I'm not wishing that on him (Fitzpatrick). He's our starting quarterback and I'm behind him 100 percent. The biggest thing is as a, not just at my position but any position on a football field, you have to be always ready because you never know what's going to happen. That's my biggest thing is, and I learned that last year.”
Asked if any special packages have been put into the offense for him, Young said, “Not that I know of. Right now I'm just learning new terminology and just feeding every day.”
Young said it was “somewhat” difficult being signed to just a one-year contract, but he feels he's matured in his time in the NFL. He says he no longer worries about what people say about him.
“My whole thing is that I use it as motivation to silence my doubters,” he said. “I have a huge doubter base. I used to feed into that, but my biggest thing is not feeding into that. You can't make everybody happy. The only people you can make happy is your family members, your coaching staff and your teammates. I don't really watch it and I don't get to hear it until someone texts it to me or someone tells me. I kind of use that as fuel. My whole thing is I don't listen to it anymore.”
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May 15, 2012
Raiders sign FB Schmitt
Fullback Owen Schmitt signed with the Raiders. He spent the past two seasons with the Eagles after playing for Seattle for two years as a fifth-round pick out of West Virginia in 2008.
Schmitt is a physical blocker who has just nine career carries for 27 yards in 51 career games. However, he is versatile out of the backfield with 34 career receptions.
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May 15, 2012
Raiders complete massive overhaul in personnel dept.
The Raiders announced several hirings as part of a massive overhaul of the team's personnel department.
Joey Clinkscales (director - player personnel) and Shaun Herock (director - college scouting) were officially hired after agreeing to join the franchise last week. Also added were Teddy Atlas scouting coordinator, Calvin Branch college scout, Zack Crockett college scout, Tom Delaney director - football administration, Von Hutchins pro scout, Brad Kaplan college scout, Larry Marmie pro scout, Mickey Marvin college scout, David McCloughan college scout, Raleigh McKenzie college scout, Trey Scott college scout, and Dane Vandernat pro scout.
Clinkscales was a well respected college director for the Jets who declined an extension with the team. Herock is the son of longtime NFL executive Ken Herock, and worked with new Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie in Green Bay.
They are part of a big shift after longtime college scouting director Jon Kingdon was fired, Kent McCloughan retired and McKenzie hired his brother, Raleigh, with George Karras and Bruce Kebric leaving the team.
“We're going to do things the way we're (accustomed) to doing them,” McKenzie told The Sports Xchange's Len Pasquarelli this offseason. “We'll cover all the bases, be very thorough, and make the kinds of decisions that are in the team's best interest.”
He was talked about the draft at the time, but the approach clearly is being applied to personnel decisions as well.
“(McKenzie) was absolutely the right guy,” said Ken Herock, whose Raiders roots run deep and who championed McKenzie for the position. “He knows football talent and he has a plan. He'll get it right.”
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May 15, 2012
NFL Roundup (5/15): Patriots' Welker signs tender
New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker signed his $9.5 million franchise tender Tuesday, he announced on his Twitter feed.
“I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results,” he wrote.
Welker can still negotiate a long-term deal until July 16, the deadline to sign tagged players to multiyear deals. By signing the tender, the negotiating leverage shifts back to the Patriots. The team must decide whether to pay Welker $9.5 million for the coming season, or work out a longer-term agreement that lessens the salary cap impact.
---Maurice Jones-Drew wasn't in attendance as Jaguars organized team activities began Tuesday.
The Jaguars were not expecting the NFL leading rusher in 2011 to attend the voluntary portion of the offseason program, but first-year coach Mike Mularkey indicated a direct message was being sent to the organization.
“It's all voluntary,” Mularkey said. “I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here. He's talked about trying to get an extension for his contract.”
With Mularkey and his coaching staff installing new schemes, the presence of the team's star player would be mutually beneficial.
But Jones-Drew, like veteran Fred Taylor before him, prefers to work out on his own and the franchise doesn't question his ability to prepare physically. He had 1,606 rushing yards, tops in the NFL, last season but his contract might be a sticking point even with a more well-rounded cast around him in 2012.
Jones-Drew signed a five-year, $31.5 million deal in 2009 and is vastly underpaid relative to two of the NFL's top-salaried running backs.
---The Louisiana State Senate voted to formally request the NFL reconsider penalties against the team as a result of the bounty program the Saints allegedly employed under defensive coordinator Gregg Wiliams.
Williams, who left to become defensive coordinator of the Rams in December, was suspended indefinitely and Saints coach Sean Payton was suspended for the 2012 season, as was linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
The legislative resolution established first by a state senate panel in early April calls for the NFL to take a second look at the hefty punishment levied including a $500,000 fine to the Saints and an eight-game suspension for general manager Mickey Loomis.
---Offensive tackle Lamar Holmes, a third-round pick by Atlanta out of Southern Miss, signed with the Falcons. Terms were not disclosed.
He played two seasons at Southern Mississippi after transferring from Itawamba Community College following the 2009 campaign.
--Tight Andre Smith was claimed off waivers from Chicago by the Colts, who also waived cornerback Mike Holmes.
Signed as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech in June 2011, Smith spent the first eight games on the Bears' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster but did not appear in any games.
---Alex Barron made the most of his tryout during Seahawks rookie minicamp over the weekend.
Barron signed a deal with Seattle on Tuesday, the team announced, along with three other rookie tryout survivors -- offensive tackle Andrew Mitchell (Cincinnati), cornerback Donny Lisowski (Montana) and tight end Cooper Helfet (Duke).
---The 2012 season is likely over for 49ers rookie fifth-round pick Darius Fleming, who suffered a torn ACL at the team's rookie minicamp.
NFL.com reported Fleming was injured according to the former Notre Dame linebacker's agent, Andy Simms.
Fleming sat out midway through the team's first workout with what was believed to be a hamstring injury.
---Safety Brandon Taylor agreed to a four-year deal, completing the contracts for all of the Chargers' draft picks. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
Taylor was selected in the third round out of Louisiana State, and is expected to compete for the starting strong safety job.
San Diego also signed defensive lineman Garrett Brown (one year) and rookie free agent cornerback Arthur Hobbs (three years) .
---More than 13,000 new helmets will be distributed to youth football programs in four markets as the pilot program in a player safety initiative launched by the NFL and several partners.
The NCAA and NFL Players' Association are vital in the joint commitment to educate thousands of youth football coaches and remove helmets that are 10 years or older at no cost to the program or league.
Introduced by U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman Inez Tenenbaum, distribution and education to communities in the California Bay Area, Northern Ohio, Gulf Coast and New York City tri-state region will begin in July.
Any coach in those regions will be required to complete USA Football's Level 1 coaching course, which details tackling safety, concussion awareness, fitting of helmets and evaluating equipment for replacement or reconditioning. One of the key topics is educated coaches that helmets do not prevent concussions.
---Kicker Connor Barth hasn't signed his franchise tender, but he did attend the Buccaneers organized team activities on Tuesday.
Barth was at the OTA session and planned to remain in Tampa through the mandatory minicamp concluding June 14.
But he wasn't an active participant at the drills and until his one-year, $2.654 million tender offer is signed or the two sides agree to a long-term extension, Barth is likely to remain a spectator for liability and injury reasons.
---The New England Patriots signed second-round draft pick Tavon Wilson and released first-year quarterback Mike Hartline on Tuesday.
Wilson, a defensive back, became the team's first draft choice from April to officially sign a contract. Terms were not disclosed.
---Safety Brandon Hardin signed a four-year deal, putting all of the Bears' 2012 draft picks under contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Hardin was a third-round pick out of Oregon State, who shot up draft boards with a strong showing at the East-West Shrine Game in January after missing the 2011 season due to a broken shoulder that required surgery.
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May 15, 2012
2012 Fantasy Football Comeback Players: Wide Receivers
- Written by Brad Berreman
Each season, there are players that disappoint fantasy football owners as their performance fails to live up to their name recognition or justify where they were drafted. Many factors play into these disappointments, most notably injuries to the specific player or those around him, but shrewd owners can often take advantage the following year and get a discount on draft day. Taking advantage of such opportunities can often lead to deep playoff run or even a fantasy football league title for those owners that guess right on players who are in line to rebound.
Here are three wide receivers that fantasy football owners hope to see come back in a big way this season. Only you can decide which guys you’ll forgive and draft again in 2012 and those you’ll cross off your Draft Day cheat sheet.
Miles Austin, WR, Dallas Cowboys
2011 Stats: 43 receptions, 579 yards, 7 touchdowns
Austin was limited to 10 games by recurring hamstring issues in 2011, and as expected his production dropped dramatically after back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons in 2009 and 2010. He has since admitted he was not physically prepared for last season, but he may have helped more than one fantasy owner in the playoffs with touchdown catches in three straight games from Week 14-16.
Dallas still has a very talent-laden offense with quarterback Tony Romo under center and plenty of skill position talent, so a return to health is likely to allow Austin to shake off 2011 and regain his status as a productive player in 2012. He should not be considered among the top tier wide receivers on draft day, but he makes for a solid WR2 with good upside that can be had for a nice discount.
Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans
2011 Stats: 33 receptions, 492 yards, 2 touchdowns
Johnson was one of the first, if not the first, wide receiver off the board in many fantasy drafts last year, and 21 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns over the first three games of the season made that look justified. A right hamstring injury in Week 4 caused him to miss the following six games, and then a left hamstring issue caused three more missed games in December. Fantasy owners who used their first round pick on Johnson certainly expected to get more than seven games, and only four useful games at that, out of him.
Johnson did look healthy during Houston’s two postseason games, as he had 13 receptions for 201 yards combined, so his hamstrings should not be an issue heading into 2012. The fact he has not played more than 13 games over the past two seasons is a bigger concern, but Johnson has had at least 100 receptions in each of the last three seasons (2009, 2008, 2006) that he has played all 16 games.
When healthy, there is no denying Johnson’s talent level and he is a legit WR1 in all fantasy league formats. It may be wise for those who draft him to expect a game or two missed, but otherwise a big rebound looks to be coming with Texans’ quarterback Matt Schaub also returning to health after missing time last season.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
2011 Stats: 58 receptions, 961 yards, 4 touchdowns
Jackson entered 2011 wanting a new contract, as he was coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons and averaged a league-high 22.5 yards per catch in 2010. The situation seemed to hamper him all season, and his effort level was repeatedly questioned publicly.
The Eagles signed Jackson to a five-year, $51 million deal ($15 million guaranteed) this offseason, so any effect the lack of a long-term deal had on his performance last season should be in the rearview mirror. He is still the team’s best big-play wide receiver and has shown good chemistry with quarterback Michael Vick.
Jackson’s fantasy football value is reduced significantly in PPR leagues, as he not had more than 60 catches since 2009, but otherwise he can be regarded as a WR2 in standard leagues and has more upside potential in yardage-heavy formats.
2012 Fantasy Football Comeback Players: QB | RB | WR | TE | K (click to view)
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May 15, 2012
Colts claim TE Smith, waive CB Holmes
Tight Andre Smith was claimed off waivers from Chicago by the Colts, who also waived cornerback Mike Holmes.
Signed as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech in June 2011, Smith spent the first eight games on the Bears' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster but did not appear in any games.
Holmes was signed to the Colts' practice squad on Oct. 12 and then to the active roster Dec. 6, but was never on the game-day active roster.
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May 15, 2012
Falcons sign OT Holmes
Offensive tackle Lamar Holmes, a third-round pick by Atlanta out of Southern Miss, signed with the Falcons. Terms were not disclosed.
He played two seasons at Southern Mississippi after transferring from Itawamba Community College following the 2009 campaign.
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May 15, 2012
Seahawks, OT Barron agree to deal
Alex Barron made the most of his tryout during Seahawks rookie minicamp over the weekend.
Barron signed a deal with Seattle on Tuesday, the team announced, along with three other rookie tryout survivors -- offensive tackle Andrew Mitchell (Cincinnati), cornerback Donny Lisowski (Montana) and tight end Cooper Helfet (Duke).
“This is real good, especially when you consider that I had to sit out all of last year on injured reserve,” Barron told Seahawks.com. “But I'm over that now and moving forward. I'm here to help the team the best way I can.”
Barron will be in the running for a backup job. Breno Giacomini, who signed a two-year deal after a strong finish to last season, is likely to start at right tackle and the future of 2011 first-rounder James Carpenter is uncertain because of a knee injury he suffered last November.
Barron was the 19th overall pick in the 2005 draft but bounced from St. Louis to Dallas to New Orleans but hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2010 with Dallas. He started one game with the Cowboys.
Barron, 29, had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on Aug. 10, 2011, and reached an injury settlement with the Saints.
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May 15, 2012
Jones-Drew a no-show, Mularkey cites contract issue
Maurice Jones-Drew wasn't in attendance as Jaguars organized team activities began Tuesday.
The Jaguars were not expecting the NFL leading rusher in 2011 to attend the voluntary portion of the offseason program, but first-year coach Mike Mularkey indicated a direct message was being sent to the organization.
“It's all voluntary,” Mularkey said. “I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here. He's talked about trying to get an extension for his contract.”
With Mularkey and his coaching staff installing new schemes, the presence of the team's star player would be mutually beneficial.
But Jones-Drew, like veteran Fred Taylor before him, prefers to work out on his own and the franchise doesn't question his ability to prepare physically. He had 1,606 rushing yards, tops in the NFL, last season but his contract might be a sticking point even with a more well-rounded cast around him in 2012.
Jones-Drew signed a five-year, $31.5 million deal in 2009 and is vastly underpaid relative to two of the NFL's top-salaried running backs and division rivals Chris Johnson (Titans) and Arian Foster (Texans). Jones-Drew is scheduled to earn $4.45 million this season.
Mularkey said he's not planning to get involved in the contract matter.
Jones-Drew, 27, has three straight 1,300-plus-yard seasons since becoming the Jaguars' primary ballcarrier in 2009. He had only four starts in his first three seasons and was a second-round pick out of UCLA in 2006.
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May 15, 2012
Report: 49ers Fleming has torn ACL
The 2012 season is likely over for 49ers rookie fifth-round pick Darius Fleming, who suffered a torn ACL at the team's rookie minicamp.
NFL.com reported Fleming was injured according to the former Notre Dame linebacker's agent, Andy Simms.
Fleming sat out midway through the team's first workout with what was believed to be a hamstring injury.
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May 15, 2012
Rookie WR Criner steals show at Raiders OTAs
This time of year and into training camp, impressive practice performances can be discredited by coaches who bemoan plaudits shoved upon players moving freely without the fear of contact from defenses or restrictions from pads and helmets.
Enter Raiders wide receiver Juron Criner, a fifth-round pick out of Arizona, who became a headline attraction at Tuesday's organized team activity.
Criner, regarded as a possession receiver, consistently got behind defensive backs and made a number of circus catches from quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Terrelle Pryor.
“It's been a learning process for him,” coach Dennis Allen told reporters at the end of the practice. “I think every day he gets a little bit better. He's learning more what to do. I was pleased with the way he practiced today. It's not a whole lot different than what we saw on tape in college. That's what we expect of him.”
Criner caught one pass of at least 55 yards on a sideline bomb from Pryor and another of at least 50 yards from Palmer in the end zone, sneaking behind DeMarcus Van Dyke to make a catch that caused teammates to take notice.
Criner, 6-3, 224, ran a 4.68 in the 40 at the Scouting Combine and was drafted with the 168th overall pick. In his final two seasons at Arizona, he caught 157 passes in the Wildcats' spread offense.
He's explosive in off the line, and had a vertical jump of 38 1/2 inches. At his pro day, Criner improved his 40 time to 4.54 seconds, and the Raiders have hit on middle-round receivers in past drafts.
In 2011, they drafted Denarius Moore in the fifth round. Moore was an instant hit as a rookie and started 10 games, averaging 18.7 yards per reception with five touchdowns.
In 2010, the Raiders drafted Jacoby Ford in the fourth round. Ford, a track star at Clemson, battled injuries in 2011 but displayed consistent big-play ability as a return specialist and receiver as a rookie.
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May 15, 2012
Jones-Drew a no-show at OTAs
Maurice Jones-Drew wasn't in attendance as Jaguars organized team activities began Tuesday.
The exact reason for his absence wasn't disclosed, but the Jaguars were not expecting the NFL leading rusher in 2011 to attend the voluntary portion of the offseason program.
With Mike Mularkey and his coaching staff installing new schemes, the presence of the team's star player would be mutually beneficial.
But Jones-Drew, like veteran Fred Taylor before him, prefers to work out on his own and the franchise doesn't question his ability to prepare physically. He had 1,606 rushing yards, tops in the NFL, last season but his contract could soon become an issue.
Jones-Drew signed a five-year, $31.5 million deal in 2009 and is vastly underpaid relative to two of the NFL's top-salaried running backs and division rivals Chris Johnson (Titans) and Arian Foster (Texans).
Jones-Drew, 27, has three straight 1,300-plus-yard seasons since becoming the Jaguars' primary ballcarrier in 2009. He had only four starts in his first three seasons and was a second-round pick out of UCLA in 2006.
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May 15, 2012
Bears sign S Hardin to complete draft class
Safety Brandon Hardin signed a four-year deal, putting all of the Bears' 2012 draft picks under contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Hardin was a third-round pick out of Oregon State, who shot up draft boards with a strong showing at the East-West Shrine Game in January after missing the 2011 season due to a broken shoulder that required surgery. He then ran a 4.36 and 4.40 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.
A converted cornerback, the Bears like Hardin's toughness and play to play him at strong safety.
“It's concerning that we're moving him into a projection area,” general manager Phil Emery said after the draft. “(But it's) not a concern because of his physical nature, his toughness. He will strike you. He's not afraid of contact. “Sometimes you worry a little bit about that with corners. They're kind of skill/finesse guys. What kind of tackler will they be if you move them to safety? I have no worry about this guy. He will come down in the box and strike people.
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May 15, 2012
La. Senate votes to formally approach NFL about “too harsh” bounty penalties
The Louisiana State Senate voted to formally request the NFL reconsider penalties against the team as a result of the bounty program the Saints allegedly employed under defensive coordinator Gregg Wiliams.
Williams, who left to become defensive coordinator of the Rams in December, was suspended indefinitely and Saints coach Sean Payton was suspended for the 2012 season, as was linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
The legislative resolution established first by a state senate panel in early April calls for the NFL to take a second look at the hefty punishment levied including a $500,000 fine to the Saints and an eight-game suspension for general manager Mickey Loomis.
“There is widespread public opinion throughout the state of Louisiana and beyond that the penalties imposed upon the Saints are too harsh and should be reconsidered,” the resolution from Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Jefferson, reads.
The resolution also says the suspensions “will have a negative economic impact” in New Orleans and the state as a whole.
Payton and Loomis appealed their suspensions in April.
A grievance challenging commissioner Roger Goodell's authority to suspend players for on-field conduct is scheduled to be heard Wednesday.
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May 15, 2012
Patriots sign second-round pick
The New England Patriots signed second-round draft pick Tavon Wilson and released first-year quarterback Mike Hartline on Tuesday.
Wilson, a defensive back, became the team's first draft choice from April to officially sign a contract. Terms were not disclosed.
A three-year starter at Illinois, Wilson was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last season after finishing with a career-high 81 tackles in 13 games. He played both safety and cornerback for the Illini.
Hartline had signed a futures contract with the Patriots in January. The 6-foot-6, 210-pounder originally joined the Indianapolis Colts last summer as a free agent out of Kentucky and spent a month on the Colts' practice squad before he was released.
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May 15, 2012
NFL, NFLPA and NCAA announce youth football initiative
More than 13,000 new helmets will be distributed to youth football programs in four markets as the pilot program in a player safety initiative launched by the NFL and several partners.
The NCAA and NFL Players' Association are vital in the joint commitment to educate thousands of youth football coaches and remove helmets that are 10 years or older at no cost to the program or league.
“We are pleased to be part of this initiative, which will give children in underserved communities access to new helmets, and to reach coaches and parents with educational information to help protect young athletes from head injuries,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “This program is part of our focus on player safety at all levels of the game. We are proud to join with these well-respected organizations to make the Helmet Replacement Program a reality.”
Introduced by U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission chariman Inez Tenenbaum, distribution and education to communities in the California Bay area, Northern Ohio, Gulf Coast and New York City tri-state region will begin in July.
Any coach in those regions will be required to complete USA Football's Level 1 coaching course, which details tackling safety, concussion awareness, fitting of helmets and evaluating equipment for replacement or reconditioning. One of the key topics is educated coaches that helmets do not prevent concussions.
“Even with our push for improved safety equipment, it is vital that parents, coaches and players understand that there is no such thing as a concussion-proof helmet,” Tenenbaum said. “The best answer is safer and smarter play, which is why this game-changing program is aimed at reducing hits to the head and trauma to the brain.”
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May 15, 2012
Chargers complete rookie signings
Safety Brandon Taylor agreed to a four-year deal, completing the contracts for all of the Chargers' draft picks. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
Taylor was selected in the third round out of Louisiana State, and is expected to compete for the starting strong safety job.
San Diego also signed defensive lineman Garrett Brown (one year) and rookie free agent cornerback Arthur Hobbs (three years) .
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May 14, 2012
Report: Bears' Marshall not expected to be charged in altercation
New York City police are expected to finish their investigation this week of a March incident allegedly involving Chicago Bears receiver Brandon Marshall, and no charges are expected to be filed against Marshall, ESPN reported Monday.
Marshall was alleged to have punched a woman in the face outside of a nightclub, but, according to the report, police have been unable to find evidence against Marshall.
Marshall has admitted he was at the club, but he denied he was involved in an altercation. He claims his wife was hit in the head with a bottle and was the victim.
“The situation in New York, it's unfortunate,” Marshall said on ESPN 1000 in Chicago last week. “You never want to see anyone get hurt, but just the allegation of me balling my fist up and hitting a woman is just a lie. When the judicial system takes its course I'm very confident I will be cleared of any wrongdoing. My wife was the victim in this situation.”
Two days after the incident Marshall was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears.
A suspension by the NFL is unlikely, according to the ESPN report, although he may be fined.
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May 14, 2012
Report: Eagles' Peters ruptures Achilles again
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jason Peters, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, ruptured his Achillies tendon a second time, CSNPhilly.com reported Monday.
According to the account, Peters ruptured his Achilles tendon again after the Roll-A-Bout he was using malfunctioned while he was moving through his kitchen. The device is basically crutches on wheels, and when it broke, Peters fell and re-injured his Achilles.
Peters initially ruptured his Achilles on March 27.
The second rupture required a second surgery and recovery will be delayed about three weeks.
Peters plans to sue the manufacturer, according to CSNPhilly.com.
Peters was hoping to return during the 2012 season, but the second injury puts his career in jeopardy. Peters, 30, weighs well over 300 pounds.
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May 14, 2012
NFL Roundup (5/14): Union grievance to be heard
The players union is scheduled to have its grievance against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell heard Wednesday, with the NFLPA questioning the league's authority to punish players for participating in an alleged bounty program with the Saints.
Goodell suspended linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the 2012 season and punished defensive end Will Smith, defensive end Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Scott Fujita without providing “credible evidence” that any of the players participated according to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and president Domonique Foxworth.
Players are opposing the suspension based on language in the collective bargaining agreement finalized last August which states player conduct violations pre-dating the ratification of the existing CBA are beyond league jurisdiction. Furthermore, players' on-field transgressions are to be subject to review by Art Shell and Ted Cottrell, the top officers responsible for reviews, fines and appeals for on-field conduct during the season.
Fujita and Hargrove are no longer in New Orleans. Fujita signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent prior to the start of the 2010 season and Hargrove signed a one-year deal with no signing bonus to join the Packers in March.Lions' Fairley has arraignment postponed
---The Minnesota Vikings are expected to move into a new downtown stadium to open the 2016 stadium and the effort to make that happen can begin in earnest after Governor Mark Dayton signed the $975 million bill approving construction of the facility on Monday.
Dayton, who has long supported the stadium project and said he would do what it took to protect the franchise's future in Minneapolis, helped to lead rallies in and outside of the state legislature all the way through votes in the House and Senate last week.
The Vikings agreed to hike their own private construction cost on Thursday, which helped nudged the bill through a conference committee session.
---Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was due to be arraigned on Monday on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana, but the arraignment was adjourned to July 31 to give his attorney, Sidney Harrell Jr., time to review the case.
---Tim Hightower is ready to give it another run in Washington.
The 25-year-old running back, who was an unrestricted free agent, signed on Monday to stay with the Redskins, continuing a tenure that was interrupted in 2011 by a torn ACL.
Hightower played in five games for the Redskins in 2011, carrying the ball 84 times for 321 yards and one touchdown.
---Well-traveled kicker Brandon Coutu signed with the Jaguars on Monday, continuing an NFL career that's seen him sign with three teams, but play just one game.
To make room for Coutu on the roster, the Jaguars waived rookie free agent cornerback Dontrell Johnson.
--- Denver Broncos defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely has retired after 36 years of coaching, including the last 17 in the NFL, the team announced.
Nunnely, 60, was replaced by Jay Rodgers, who has been a defensive assistant with the Broncos the past three seasons.
---Safety Chad Jones was waived by the Giants on Monday, ending his bid to return to the field with the team that drafted him in 2010 before a left leg injury suffered in a car accident kept him from football.
He hoped to be ready for football activity by July, and plans to continue training with that goal in mind. However, the Giants' detailed release of Jones' medical status casts doubt about his readiness to play in the NFL.
“Chad had a severe injury to his left leg, involving a complex tibial fracture with associated injury to muscle, nerves, and vascular structures,” Giants associate team physician Dr. Scott Rodeo said in a release from the team. “This type of injury is often limb threatening, and can sometimes require amputation. He has made a remarkable recovery to date, with successful salvage of the leg. However, at this time he has residual sensory loss, muscle weakness, and tenuous soft tissue coverage in the involved lower leg. The resultant functional impairment precludes his ability to perform physically at the level required for professional football.”
---Linebacker Emmanuel Acho, a sixth-round pick out of Texas, signed with the Browns. Terms were not disclosed.
Cleveland also signed linebacker JoJo Dickson and running back Adonis Thomas, waived running back Armond Smith and placed linebacker Andrew Sweat on the reserve/retired list.
Acho had 280 career tackles, eight sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions for the Longhorns.
---The 49ers signed defensive back Ben Hannula and linebacker Eric Bakhtiari, the team announced Monday.
Hannula signed a three-year contract; Bakhtiari received a two-year deal and was a two-time conference defensive player of the year for coach Jim Harbaugh at San Diego. He's been a practice squad player for six NFL teams, including two stints with the 49ers (2008, 2010).
The 49ers also released wide receiver John Matthews and offensive tackle Kevin Murphy.
---Running back Terrance Ganaway signed a four-year deal with the Jets.
The sixth-round pick from Baylor had 21 rushing touchdowns and 1,547 yards as the complement to Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft.
---The Raiders signed seven undrafted free agents following tryouts during the team's rookie minicamp over the weekend: K/P Eddy Carmona (Harding), DE Wayne Dorsey (Mississippi), TE Kyle Efaw (Boise State), T Kevin Haslam (Rutgers), CB LeQuan Lewis (Arizona State), FB TreShawn Robinson (Idaho) and WR Travionte Session (Nevada).
---Rookie right guard Peter Konz signed a four-year deal with the Falcons on Monday, leaving Atlanta with only two rookie draft choices to sign.
Konz, an All-Big Ten center at Wisconsin, was the Falcons' top draft pick, chosen in the second round.
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May 14, 2012
Saints bracing for Brees-less offseason
With the possibility that Drew Brees won't attend the Saints' offseason program next week, interim head coach Joe Vitt said the team might bring in another quarterback.
Brees was unhappy with being given the team's franchise tag, which he hasn't signed, and the sides haven't been able to agree on a long-term deal.
New Orleans had 64 players at its rookie minicamp, and someone from that group could be added to the roster. If Brees doesn't attend next week, Chase Daniel will practice with the first team and Sean Canfield, who has spent the past two seasons shuttling between the practice squad, active roster and the waiver wire, would be second string.
“Obviously we haven't had any time with him in the classroom. Really he's just focusing on the weight room,” offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said of Daniel. “This will be an opportunity for him and he knows it. He'll have an opportunity to work with the ones if Drew's not here.”
Vitt declined to comment on reports that Brees and the Saints haven't communicated for a month, and is leaving the negotiations to general manager Mickey Loomis.
“I've never been a math major and I'm not an accounting major so there's nothing I could advise Mickey to do that what he already knows how to do,” said Vitt. “Those guys are both on the same page and have the same aspirations and same goals. This is going to get done. I don't anybody ever thought it was going to be easy. I think they're both working to the same goal.”
To this point, Brees has only missed conditioning with the team, and the new aspects of the offense - Carmichael said “five percent or may ten percent” is new from year to year - have yet to be installed.
“This is really going on year seven for us with Sean's (Payton) offense,” said Carmichael. “The progression is pretty smooth.”
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May 14, 2012
Browns sign 6th-round pick Acho
Linebacker Emmanuel Acho, a sixth-round pick out of Texas, signed with the Browns. Terms were not disclosed.
Cleveland also signed linebacker JoJo Dickson and running back Adonis Thomas, waived running back Armond Smith and placed linebacker Andrew Sweat on the reserve/retired list.
Acho had 280 career tackles, eight sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions for the Longhorns.
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May 14, 2012
Broncos assistant coach Nunnely retires
Denver Broncos defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely has retired after 36 years of coaching, including the last 17 in the NFL, the team announced.
Nunnely, 60, was replaced by Jay Rodgers, who has been a defensive assistant with the Broncos the past three seasons.
“It has been an absolute dream come true for me to coach for 36 years. I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have been given to have a positive impact on others through the game of football,” Nunnely said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision, but it was the right one for me and my family. At this stage of my life, I want to devote more time to my wife, Velda, and the rest of our family.
Head coach John Fox said in a statement, “Wayne has been an outstanding teacher and mentor for so many players and coaches throughout his career. His passion for the game is something that I greatly admire, and it's one of the many reasons why he was so valued and respected as a coach.”
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May 14, 2012
Lions' Fairley has arraignment postponed
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was due to be arraigned on Monday on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana, but the arraignment was adjourned to July 31 to give his attorney, Sidney Harrell Jr., time to review thee case
Fairley, 24, was arrested on April 3 in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, after police found a small amount of the drug in his car during a traffic stop. The Lions' first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2011 draft, Fairley played in 10 regular-season games for the Lions last season and recorded 15 tackles, including one sack. He made two more tackles in the Lions' Wild Card playoff game against the Saints.
Harrell told the judge that Fairley is in a first-step substance abuse program, and has passed a drug test since his arrest.
Two other Lions players have been arrested on marijuana-related charges this off-season: offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath and running back Mikel Leshoure.
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May 14, 2012
Jaguars sign kicker Coutu
Well-traveled kicker Brandon Coutu signed with the Jaguars on Monday, continuing an NFL career that's seen him sign with three teams, but play just one game.
Coutu, a former All-SEC honorable mention selection at Georgia, was drafted by the Seahawks in 2008 and made the team's 53-man roster, but never saw game action. He did not play football in 2009 or 2010 before returning to the NFL in 2011. Coutu spent time with the Seahawks and Jaguars' practice squads last season before finally being signed to the Bills' active roster on December 28. He played in the season finale against the Patriots, connecting on all three of his extra-point attempts and missing a 45-yard field goal attempt in a 49-21 loss.
To make room for Coutu on the roster, the Jaguars waived rookie free agent cornerback Dontrell Johnson.
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May 14, 2012
NFLPA grievance on bounties scheduled for Wednesday
The players union is scheduled to have its grievance against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell heard Wednesday, with the NFLPA questioning the league's authority to punish players for participating in an alleged bounty program with the Saints.
Goodell suspended linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the 2012 season and punished defensive end Will Smith, defensive end Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Scott Fujita without providing “credible evidence” that any of the players participated according to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and president Domonique Foxworth.
Players are opposing the suspension based on language in the collective bargaining agreement finalized last August which states player conduct violations pre-dating the ratification of the existing CBA are beyond league jurisdiction. Furthermore, players' on-field transgressions are to be subject to review by Art Shell and Ted Cottrell, the top officers responsible for reviews, fines and appeals for on-field conduct during the season.
Fujita and Hargrove are no longer in New Orleans. Fujita signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent prior to the start of the 2010 season and Hargrove signed a one-year deal with no signing bonus to join the Packers in March.
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May 14, 2012
Welker: 'I'd really like to be' at minicamp
Wes Welker said he wants to be at the Patriots' mandatory minicamp June 12-14, but his status as an unsigned franchise player could still prevent it.
Welker, designated the Patriots franchise player and guaranteed $9.5 million for 2012 if he signs the tender, said on WEEI Radio in Boston that he's anxious to work out a long-term deal with New England.
“I think we're all on the same page and we're all trying to collectively come together and make something happen,” Welker said.
The most important date on the offseason calendar for Welker, the mandatory minicamp is typically a series of full-squad workouts and team-building sessions that include installation of offensive and defensive plays and personnel groups. There's also a wealth of individual and position group work.
But Welker wouldn't be the first franchise designated player to skip the workout and incur the fine permitted by league rules for player absences. Often, those fines can be erased as part of negotiations to end a holdout or toward a long-term extension.
The top two receivers in the NFL in terms of salary are Calvin Johnson (Lions) and Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals). While Welker is the favorite target of quarterback Tom Brady, he's not considered a once-a-decade type of talent as Johnson and Fitzgerald are and might not be paid in the same $120-million plus bracket because of it.
This despite posting four seasons with at least 110 catches in five years with the Patriots. The only year he came up short -- 2010 -- he had 86 receptions in 11 starts. Welker turned 31 on May 1.
“The main thing is really just trying to keep a level head about it, and make sure you're making the best decisions for yourself, but at the same time, put yourself in a position where you can play for a great team and hopefully do some great things in the future,” he said. “... I don't think there are any sort of hard feelings on my side or their side. I think we're all looking forward to the 2012 season and hopefully do some big things there.”
His attendance at minicamp will be followed, but Welker dismissed the idea that he'd skip a regular-season game to stump for a new contract.
“There are 9.5 million reasons why I wouldn't miss any regular-season games,” he said.
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May 14, 2012
Healthy McFadden says 'it's time' to deliver for Raiders
By Len Pasquarelli
The Sports Xchange
The raw win-loss numbers suggest that the Oakland Raiders are no worse off with star tailback Darren McFadden out of the lineup than in it.
Since choosing McFadden with the fourth overall selection in the 2008 draft, after all, Oakland is 13-19 when the former Arkansas standout has started and, you guessed it, 13-19 when he hasn't.
But as history has indicated, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. And while the NFL pays so much attention to the last of that unholy trio, the first two are equally important, if not more so.
Certainly the current Raiders' football leadership agrees that the notion the retooled team doesn't require McFadden to be both healthy and productive again to step up from the mediocrity of 2011 is a damn lie.
“He's a key,” first-year Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie acknowledged simply. “A big key.”
Every season, of course, there are players returning from a previous year's injury who are critical to the success of their respective franchises.
McFadden, who played in and started only seven games in 2011 because of a Lisfranc sprain to his right foot, is arguably near the top of the list for 2012. There has been considerable ink devoted the past few weeks to the improvement of the Oakland wide receiver corps (particularly that of onetime first-round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey), and to what it will mean for the Raiders to have quarterback Carson Palmer at their disposal for the entire season.
Having a fully rehabilitated McFadden, though, would be a pretty nice starting point for new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
Remarks recently from running backs coach Kelly Skipper certainly were optimistic. As were the reports from McKenzie and rookie head coach Dennis Allen a little more than a month ago. And McFadden, who was chosen a Pro Bowl alternate last year despite playing less than half the season, seems ready to go.
“There's (a lot) of lost time to make up for,” McFadden said. “It was going good before the injury. I think I can pick it right back up.”
Indeed, before the Lisfranc sprain, which did not require surgery, McFadden averaged a heady 5.4 yards per carry. Over the course of the season, only two backs who registered more than 100 carries, Buffalo's Fred Jackson and DeMarco Murray of Dallas, posted higher averages. McFadden, who will be 25 in August, was on pace for a 1,400-yard season. Oakland was 4-3 with McFadden in the lineup.
And then McFadden went to the sidelines and, even though replacement Michael Bush rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in his place, the Raiders' playoff hopes seemed to limp off with him.
True, the Raiders required only a victory in the season finale to earn their first postseason berth since 2002, but Oakland did finish below .500 with Bush as the starter and seemed to lack the big-play potential McFadden can provide to the running game.
Said Palmer: “I don't think anyone, even him sometimes, realizes how good he is. We really need him to be back and be healthy.”
Notable is that, with the free agency defection of Bush to Chicago, there is no safety net this year. The top backups appear to be second-year veteran Taiwan Jones, who logged only 16 attempts as a rookie in 2011, and fourth-year pro Mike Goodson, acquired from Carolina via an offseason trade.
Goodson ran for 452 yards two years ago for the Panthers, but was deemed expendable when Carolina added free agent Mike Tolbert in the offseason, and is prone to fumbles.
Allen pronounced at the NFL meetings in March that “there aren't a lot of (runners) like McFadden” in the league, and he could be right, if the four-year veteran can ever get through a season whole. But the series of injuries McFadden has encountered -- including a toe sprain, a hamstring, and assorted bumps and bruises in addition to the Lisfranc sprain -- means he has never played in or started more than 13 games in a season.
Hopeful that he might be able to return at some point late last season, the Raiders never placed McFadden on injured reserve, but it didn't matter.
This time around, everyone is confident the optimism will be better rewarded.
Including McFadden, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2010, but who averaged just 110.0 carries his other three seasons.
The Raiders made McFadden the fourth overall pick in 2008, and only three backs have been chosen higher the past 10 years. In the fifth season of his six-year, $60 million contract, Oakland needs McFadden to deliver on that status.
“It's time,” McFadden said.
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May 14, 2012
Vikings governor signs stadium bill
The Vikings are expected to move into a new downtown stadium to open the 2016 stadium and the effort to make that happen can begin in earnest after Governor Mark Dayton signed the $975 million bill approving construction of the facility on Monday.
Dayton, who has long supported the stadium project and said he would do what it took to protect the franchise's future in Minneapolis, helped to lead rallies in and outside of the state legislature all the way through votes in the House and Senate last week.
The Vikings agreed to hike their own private construction cost on Thursday, which helped nudged the bill through a conference committee session.
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May 14, 2012
Hightower re-signs with Redskins
Tim Hightower is ready to give it another run in Washington.
The 25-year-old running back, who was an unrestricted free agent, signed on Monday to stay with the Redskins, continuing a tenure that was interrupted in 2011 by a torn ACL.
Hightower played in five games for the Redskins in 2011, carrying the ball 84 times for 321 yards and one touchdown and making 10 catches for 78 yards and one touchdown. He was sidelined by the torn ACL in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers and missed the remainder of the season. Washington went 5-11 in 2011, finishing fourth in the NFC East, but were 3-2 with Hightower in the lineup.
In three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Hightower did not miss a game. He came to the Redskins via trade following a 2010 season that saw him post careers highs in rushing attempts (153), yards (736) and yards per carry (4.8).
To make room for Hightower on the roster, the Redskins waived tight end Rob Myers.
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May 14, 2012
Lions' Fairley arraigned on pot charge
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was arraigned Monday on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession, contrary to an earlier report that Fairley's arraignment had been delayed.
Fairley, 24, was arrested on April 3 in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, after police found a small amount of the drug in his car during a traffic stop. The Lions' first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2011 draft, Fairley played in 10 regular-season games for the Lions last season and recorded 15 tackles, including one sack. He made two more tackles in the Lions' Wild Card playoff game against the Saints.
Two other Lions players have been arrested on marijuana-related charges this off-season: offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath and running back Mikel Leshoure.
Fairley is due to return to court in Mobile on July 31.
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May 14, 2012
Raiders sign seven rookies after tryout
The Raiders signed seven undrafted free agents following tryouts during the team's rookie minicamp over the weekend: K/P Eddy Carmona (Harding), DE Wayne Dorsey (Mississippi), TE Kyle Efaw (Boise State), T Kevin Haslam (Rutgers), CB LeQuan Lewis (Arizona State), FB TreShawn Robinson (Idaho) and WR Travionte Session (Nevada).
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May 14, 2012
Lions' Fairley has arraignment postponed
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was due to be arraigned Monday on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession, but the arraignment has been postponed to give Fairley's attorney more time to review the case.
Fairley, 24, was arrested on April 3 after police found a small amount of the drug in his car during a traffic stop. The Lions' first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2011 draft, Fairley played in 10 regular-season games for the Lions last season and recorded 15 tackles, including one sack. He made two more tackles in the Lions' Wild Card playoff game against the Saints.
Two other Lions players have been arrested on marijuana-related charges this off-season: offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath and running back Mikel Leshoure.
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May 14, 2012
Redskins sign RB Hightower
The Washington Redskins re-signed free agent running back Tim Hightower to a one-year deal.
Hightower missed the final 11 games last season with a torn ACL after opening the season as the Redskins' starter. He was acquired from the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 2011 season and started 36 games in three seasons before joining Washington.
Hightower enters a running back competition that should be typically spicy for Mike Shanahan-coached teams.
Rookies Evan Royster and Roy Helu shared the spot with Hightower out of action last season. However, the emphasis on protecting quarterback Robert Griffin III might work in Hightower's favor.
His ability to read and execute in pass-blocking situations kept him on the field in Arizona over first-round pick Beanie Wells. Hightower has had fumbling issues in the past, but did not lose a fumble last season with the Redskins.
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May 14, 2012
Rookies earn shot at starting spots in Seattle
Russell Wilson made the most of his initial rookie camp with the Seahawks. By the end of the three days of workouts, head coach Pete Carroll deemed Wilson ready to enter the competition for the starting quarterback job with Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson.
“He's in the competition. That is going to tax us, as we know,” Carroll said Sunday. “It was already going to be taxing with two, but he's shown us enough that we need to see where he fits in with these guys.”
Carroll and general manager John Schneider said following the draft, when Wilson was the 75th overall pick, that the 5-foot-11 four-year starter was coveted and that his height shouldn't be considered a detriment. Schneider was also involved in the initial evaluation of Flynn, who signed as a free agent in March after four seasons with the Packers.
“He can do everything,” Schneider said of Wilson, dubbing him one of the three best players he scouted last fall. “There's nothing he can't do. He's just short, but that's it.”
Wilson was groomed for three years at North Carolina State and last season at Wisconsin in a West Coast-style offense. Carroll said his preparation for the weekend camp was excellent, and estimated Wilson ran 500 plays over the three days and botched just one play call. Wilson was so impressive that neither of his rookie camp competitors took a single snap.
Realistic or not, Wilson is in the running to start if he continues to impress the Seattle brass.
Incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson played through injuries and remains a strong option, in Carroll's opinion, because he's played his entire pro career in offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell's offense. Flynn will be 27 when training camp begins but should be well indoctrinated in the offense.
He was brought up in the system with the Packers and former offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, who left Green Bay to become head coach of the Dolphins and hoped to sign Flynn before he joined Seattle, said his preparation, intelligence and work ethic put him in position to become an NFL starter.
But he's started only two games in the NFL and as impressive as his Week 17 whopper against the Lions -- 31 of 44, 480 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions -- might be on a resume, the reality is it happened against a beleaguered defense with its sights set on the playoff opener a week later.
The Seahawks might not be ready to roll the dice with a rookie quarterback given the three-year, $26 million payout Flynn earned, but Carroll's no-nonsense mantra from the time he was hired in Seattle has been competition wins.
That certainly applies at middle linebacker, where rookie Bobby Wagner, a super-productive big fish in the small pond that is Utah State football, brings the requisite speed and hustle the Seahawks prefer in the middle of their defense. He ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine with a vertical jump of 39.5 inches and Seattle drafted him 47th overall.
Seattle signed free agent Barrett Ruud and Matt McCoy, who played well before a knee injury last season, but Carroll sounds as if he's eager to get Wagner's play-making skills on the field.
“We'd love to get that speed on the field if we could,” he said. “It's rare to find a linebacker that runs that fast.”
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May 14, 2012
Titans' Britt could need another knee surgery
Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt is on the comback trail from torn ligaments in his right knee, but there might be a detour ahead, coach Mike Munchak said.
Munchak said the second surgery would be to “clean up” scar tissue and is similar to the post-ACL repair surgery scope done on former first round pick Derrick Morgan.
“I don't know if he will at some point, but I think that's something that's common with that injury. Derrick went through it last year. The good thing is that even if you do have it, it's not a huge setback,” Munchak said.
Britt tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee against the Broncos on Sept. 25, 2011. Surgery to repair both ligaments was performed nine days later.
The team's most talented receiver, Britt has encountered off-the-field issues and the Titans are more equipped to take the field without him if necessary after drafting Kendall Wright in the first round of the 2012 draft.
Nate Washington emerged as Matt Hasselbeck's No. 1 target last season, posting career highs with 74 receptions, 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight end Jared Cook (49-759-3) also had a career year.
it's explosive, big-play ability that makes Britt special. He averaged 17.0 yards per reception in 2011 before he was injured, logging 17 receptions for 289 yards and three touchdowns in just over two-and-a-half games.
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May 13, 2012
Ochocinco backs Goodell, warns NFL
New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco published a letter on his web site that supports Commissioner Roger Goodell.
However, he also warned Goodell on his website, OCNNReport.com, on Friday that the NFL's PR machine needs to provide a more real depiction of pro football.
“I know it has been a rough week, so I wanted to reach out. Players dying, players suing and on top of that my peers are just going off on you in the media,” Ochocinco said, referring Junior Seau's suicide and mounting number of ex-players suing the NFL over brain injuries. “It does not help that ESPN has all of a sudden become Medical TV with damn near every brain expert on the planet. This has got to be the worst week ever. Since no one is showing any support, I figured I would be the first.”
The NFL has been criticized by current players for its stiff fines for major hits while better handing of concussion and player safety.
“Y'all do a darn near perfect job at portraying this game as one played by heroes. But let's be real dad,” wrote Ochocinco, who has often referred to Goodell as “dad.” This is a nasty, dirty and violent game with consequences. Sign up or go get a regular job. Watch it or turn off the TV and go fishing with your kids. It is really that simple.
“I know there are probably legal and financial implications that prevent this blunt depiction, but (I) am not sure if you have a choice. If you don't say it now, the mounting evidence being revealed publicly will say it for you very soon.”
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May 12, 2012
NFL Roundup (5/12): Seau's No. 55 to be retired
Junior Seau's No. 55 jersey will be retired by the Chargers during a halftime ceremony of their regular-season home opener against Tennessee on Sept. 16.
Seau was buried on Friday, and thousands of fans attended a memorial at Qualcomm Stadium later in the day. The future Hall of Fame linebacker who played parts of 20 NFL seasons committed suicide at his Oceanside, Calif. home on May 2.
He played for the Chargers from 1990-02 and made 12 consecutive Pro Bowl appearances for his team, and will join Lance Alworth (19) and Dan Fouts (14) as the only players in franchise history to have their numbers retired.
“Junior's accomplishments on the field speak for themselves,” said Chargers president Dean Spanos. “His play on the field combined with his leadership and charisma became the face of this team for more than a decade. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor.”
In 268 career games, including 200 as a starter, Seau had 1,524 tackles, 56.5 sacks and 18 interceptions.
The Sept. 16 ceremony will include the team wearing number “55” decals on their helmets during the game and the unveiling of a number 55 banner to be hung at Qualcomm Stadium.
--Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson is urging teammate LeSean McCoy to not hold out of training camp this summer.
McCoy, the team's starting running back, is entering the final year of his contract, much like Jackson last year when he held out following the lockout.
Jackson was heavily criticized for the approach he took and he does not want the same thing to happen to McCoy. Both players are represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus.
“I think it would be in his best interest to come” to offseason practices and camp, Jackson told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday. “Looking back now it really hurt me more than I thought it helped me. Hopefully he saw everything I went through, and hopefully Drew won't have him go through the same thing.”
The holdout affected Jackson's play and focus last season, he acknowledged.
Jackson also announced that he is hosting a free health fair in Philadelphia on Saturday, which includes vision and dental screenings, mammograms and tests for different forms of cancer. The event is through Jackson's foundation, which honors his father William, who died of pancreatic cancer.
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May 12, 2012
Eagles WR Jackson urges RB McCoy not to hold out
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson is urging teammate, running back LeSean McCoy, to not hold out of training camp this summer.
McCoy is entering the final year of his contract, much like Jackson last year when he held out following the lockout.
Jackson was heavily criticized for the approach he took and he does not want the same thing to happen to McCoy. Both players are represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus.
“I think it would be in his best interest to come” to offseason practices and camp, Jackson told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday. “Looking back now it really hurt me more than I thought it helped me. Hopefully he saw everything I went through, and hopefully Drew won't have him go through the same thing.”
The holdout affected Jackson's play and focus last season, he acknowledged.
Jackson also announced that he is hosting a free health fair in Philadelphia on Saturday, which includes vision and dental screenings, mammograms, and tests for different forms of cancer. The event is through Jackson's foundation, which honors his father William, who died of pancreatic cancer.
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May 12, 2012
Seau's 55 to be retired by Chargers
Junior Seau's No. 55 jersey will be retired by the Charger during a halftime ceremony of their regular-season home opener against Tennessee on Sept. 16.
Seau was buried on Friday, and thousands of fans attended a memorial at Qualcomm Stadium later in the day. The future Hall of Fame linebacker who played parts of 20 NFL seasons committed suicide at his Oceanside, Calif. home on May 2.
He played for the Chargers from 1990-02 and made 12 consecutive Pro Bowl appearances for his team, and will join Lance Alworth (19) and Dan Fouts (14) as the only players in franchise history to have their numbers retired.
“Junior's accomplishments on the field speak for themselves,” said Chargers president Dean Spanos. “His play on the field combined with his leadership and charisma became the face of this team for more than a decade. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor.”
In 268 career games, including 200 as a starter, Seau had 1,524 tackles, 56.5 sacks and 18 interceptions.
The Sept. 16 ceremony will include the team wearing number “55” decals on their helmets during the game and the unveiling of a number 55 banner to be hung at Qualcomm Stadium.
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May 11, 2012
49ers rookies report - with plenty of work to do
The rookies who reported to the 49ers' minicamp Friday have run untold numbers of 40-yard dashes, pushed up the 225-pound bench press hundreds of times and run the three-cone drill until their legs gave in preparation for last month's NFL Draft.
That didn't prevent coach Jim Harbaugh from a blunt assessment when asked about his receiving crew, including first-round pick A.J. Jenkins.
“Out of shape, that's the bad news. Good news is that it's a very talented group of those young receivers,” Harbaugh said. “You could tell that right away. But the bad news is we've got to get them in shape. I don't know exactly what all these guys have been doing in the last six months.”
For Harbaugh, draft position and hype gets you as far as a jersey and a locker, after that, “Everybody's got the license and the opportunity.”
The rookies are getting introduced to the rigors of the NFL, and they'll enter the 49ers' strength and conditioning program over the next two months. Harbaugh said he wasn't surprised by the lack of top conditioning at this point - NFL standards are simply higher.
The benefit for Jenkins is that he has already graduated, so he can continue in the offseason program rather than having to wait until the end of Illinois' school year before participating in more team activities.
Harbaugh has had a chance to work with his veterans for the past few weeks, and he has been pleased with the effort and enthusiasm. That includes wide receiver Randy Moss.
“We're not a team about fueling the hype, so to speak. But Randy has been outstanding in every way,” Harbaugh said. “And it's neat to watch our players watch a guy like Randy that they've watched growing up.”
--Center Chase Beeler broke his hand in the weight room. He had surgery and will be out “at least a couple weeks,” Harbaugh said.
--Alex Boone is slated to move inside to guard, despite being 6-8. “The thing I tell you what makes me side with what I think is because he bends so well,” Harbaugh said. “He bends so well at the knees. He's got a great arch in his back. I think he plays low enough to play that position, so I'm feeling good about it.”
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May 11, 2012
Bills, Young agree to 1-year deal
The Buffalo Bills have agreed to terms with free-agent quarterback Vince Young, the team announced Friday.
The deal is for one year, according to the Buffalo News. ESPN.com reported the deal is worth $2 million with $1 million more in incentives.
“We think adding Vince to our roster will create more competition for the backup quarterback position,” said Bills General Manager Buddy Nix. “He brings with him some unique physical abilities that most are aware of and that will make the competition interesting. It's all about improving our team.”
Young, who worked out with the Bills earlier this month, played last season with the Philadelphia Eagles as a backup to Michael Vick. Young threw for 866 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions in six games.
“I watched him play earlier in his career and he had done some great things,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “He thought that was a great guy for us to bring in because we've talked all along of wanting to continually try to bring in guys that can compete for jobs. And he can compete for a job. I'm looking forward to working with him.”
The two-time Pro Bowl honoree had his best seasons with the Tennessee Titans from 2006-2010. He has completed 755-of-1,304 passes for 8,964 yards and 46 touchdowns. Also, he has rushed for 1,459 rushing yards on 282 carries with 12 touchdowns in 60 games.
“We tend to fit the offense around what people do. We don't make people fit in to our offense,” Gailey said. “If he ends up, if we get an injury to Fitz (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and he ends up playing we'll tailor some things to do what he does using his movement skills.”
However, his career has been checkered, including being demoted to backup in 2008 and his release by the Titans in 2011.
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May 11, 2012
Bengals sign Charles, Dye
Tight end Orson Charles and safety Tony Dye signed with the Bengals, who also got second-round pick defensive tackle Devon Still and fifth-round pick wide receiver Marvin Jones under contract.
Charles was a fourth-round pick out of Georgia while Dye was signed as an undrafted rookie out of UCLA. Charles had 94 catches for 1,370 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons at Georgia.
Earlier Friday, Still, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, signed, as did Jones, who had 156 career receptions at Cal.
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May 11, 2012
Benglas ink fourth-rounder Charles
The Cincinnati Bengals signed fourth-round draft choice Orson Charles and rookie free agent Tony Dye, the team announced on Friday.
Charles, a tight end from Georgia, had 94 catches for 1,370 yards with 10 touchdowns in three years with the Bulldogs.
Dye is a safety from UCLA.
Cincinnati has signed five of its 10 draft picks.
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May 11, 2012
Bengals sign Charles, Dye
Tight end Orson Charles and safety Tony Dye signed with the Bengals.
Charles was a fourth-round pick out of Georgia while Dye was signed as an undrafted rookie out of UCLA. Charles had 94 catches for 1,370 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons at Georgia.
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May 11, 2012
Packers complete rookie signings
First-round pick Nick Perry signed with the Packers, who now have all of their 2012 draft picks under contract. Perry is expected to start opposite Clay Matthews at outside linebacker.
Seven of their eight draft choices, including second-round picks Jerel Worthy and Casey Hayward, signed earlier Thursday.
Worthy and Hayward have a chance to contribute immediately. Worthy, 6-2, 308, is a penetrating defensive lineman with the natural strength and ability to start at defensive end in the Packers' 3-4 front.
The Packers traded up to acquire Hayward, one of the top cornerbacks on the team's draft board, in the second round. Hayward is physical enough for the press cover scheme coordinator Dom Capers employs.
Green Bay is deep at the position, leading to speculation that cornerback Charles Woodson could finally be moved to safety as has been rumored since he signed as a free agent from the Raiders.
Woodson said Thursday he's more than willing to play safety if the team feels comfortable with the level of talent at cornerback, which includes Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Hayward.
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May 11, 2012
Vikings owners to make pitch for Super Bowl
The Minnesota Vikings are making a pitch to host the Super Bowl in 2017.
A day after the Minnesota State Legislature approved nearly $1 billion to build a new stadium, the Vikings owners told ESPN.com that they are interested in hosting the Super Bowl.
The stadium is scheduled to be built in time for the 2016 season.
“I know the Super Bowl process typically happens in the spring, so potentially as soon as a year from now we could be a bidder,” team co-owner Mark Wilf said. “We haven't talked to officials about it yet, but we see no reason why we wouldn't be ripe to put in a bid for a Super Bowl, and we're hopeful and we'll do everything we can as owners to persuade our partners that it's a great community, and have a Super Bowl here hopefully as early as 2017.”
Bidding has already started for Super Bowl L, which is in 2016. The earliest Super Bowl that Minnesota could bid for is the following year.
Minnesota last hosted the Super Bowl in 1992.
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May 11, 2012
NFL Roundup (5/11): Owens tells radio station he isn't broke
Veteran NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens reversed field Friday and said he wasn't broke.
Owens appeared last week on the “Dr. Phil” syndicated show, saying he was broke despite making $80 million during his NFL career. He altered his story Friday during an interview with WQXI AM.
“I'm not broke,” Owens told the Atlanta sports radio station. “My broke, for the normal person, is not their broke.”
“My circumstances have changed. That means I don't make the same amount of money that I used to make. With my financial situation, people are asking how did I blow $60 million or $80 million? Those numbers are skewed. If you just kind of factor in the numbers of what I made and how many years I've played. Other than that, I don't know what else to say. ... I'm not an extravagant living-type person. I didn't blow my money. My money was stolen and mismanaged.”
His appearance on Dr. Phil was to discuss his missing child support payments.
Owens, who played in 15 seasons and appeared in six Pro Bowls, is among the top five all-time receivers in yards and touchdowns. He said he would like another chance at the NFL after no team signed him last season.
“My thing is, just let me have an opportunity to go out on my own terms,” he said. “I know I can still play."
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May 11, 2012
Eagles sign undrafted Miami QB Harris
The Philadelphia Eagles signed quarterback Jacory Harris, a three-year starter at Miami (Fla.).
Harris finished second in Hurricanes' history in passing yards and touchdowns to Ken Dorsey.
The Eagles have typically overstocked at the position, and this summer appears to be more of the same. Behind starter Michael Vick are veteran backups Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards and rookie third-round pick Nick Foles.
Harris was not drafted. He was invited to attend the rookie minicamps of the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins.
It's plausible that Harris, a high school track athlete, could be tried at wide receiver as a long-term project if he's weeded out of the QB competition.
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May 11, 2012
Former NC State DTs McCargo, Pressley join Bears
Defensive tackles DeMario Pressley and John McCargo signed with the Bears. Both are former N.C. State players who haven't become regulars in the NFL.
McCargo, 28, was a first-round pick of the Bills in 2006, but spent most of that season on injured reserve and never found his niche with the Bills. He was traded to the Colts in 2008, but that trade deadline deal was voided the next day because McCargo failed his physical.
The Buccaneers signed McCargo in August 2011, but he was on and off the active roster as a No. 3 or No. 4 defensive tackle.
Pressley, 26, spent last season with the Carolina Panthers and joins his fourth team in four seasons. He played for the Texans in 2010 and with the Saints in 2009.
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May 11, 2012
Bears sign first-round pick McClellin
The Bears signed first-round pick Shea McClellin to a four-year deal with a fifth-year option on Friday, the fifth draft pick signed by Chicago since the April draft.
McClellin, the 19th overall pick in the 2012 draft, is likely to earn approximately $8.3 million based on the contract signed by 2011 19th overall pick Prince Amukamara of the Giants.
McClellin's humble past, from a town of 1,000 and a high school graduating class of 37, he's made it to the NFL and the Chicago Bears.
That's the path McClellin has journeyed, his life grounded by growing up on his grandparents' farm in Marsing, Idaho, and nurtured as a well-kept secret at Boise State. He was raised on a 20-acre farm on Chicken Dinner Road in Marsing after his grandparents adopted him as a toddler.
McClellin has been under the radar for a long time, but that's understandable when a player comes from a tiny high school and then plays in the Mountain West Conference. He didn't coast to the big time. Often he toiled in relative obscurity, overshadowed by a prolific offense.
“I think it's very tough just because I came from a small school, and I wasn't rated very high,” McClellin said after being selected by the Bears. “Boise State really liked me. They thought I could do big things (and) it played a big role in my life. Coach 'Pete,' helped me out so much, not just for football but in life, teaching me to be a man. That's why, as a team, we're great. Props to coach Pete and the rest of the coaches there because they definitely get us right, not only as players but as young men as well.”
No one disputes the speed, character or work ethic that helped McClellin pile up 16.5 sacks the past two seasons. The level of competition he faced and his lack of size draw some scrutiny, but at 6-3 1/2 and 260 pounds, he ran a 4.63-second 40 at the Combine. The only defensive end who ran faster was West Virginia's 245-pound Bruce Irvin, who went 15th overall to the Seahawks. Only three linebackers ran faster.
“To all the doubters, I'm going to have to go out there and prove myself, and I'm used to that,” McClellin said. “I came from Boise State. We had to prove ourselves every week, so I'm used to that, and that's what I'm out to do every day.”
It'll be different in Chicago, a town that, before Friday, McClellin had only experienced while on a layover en route to somewhere else. In his home town there's already a billboard dedicated to his Boise State exploits, and he's known to everyone by just his first name, as much due to the size of the town as his fame.
“There always some little adjustments,” McClellin said. “Life off the field, people are going to treat you differently. On the field, just the speed of it (is different). For myself, I don't think that's an issue. I think for everyone it takes a little bit of time. Other than that, I think the hardest thing will probably be just the mental aspect of it. You've got to get your mind right for sure and just be able to handle everything.”
McClellin doesn't have to do everything for the Bears, just give them a better pass rush than they had last season, when they were 29th, with just 33 sacks, 16 less than their opponents.
“I can't wait to play alongside (Julius) Peppers, (Brian) Urlacher, (Lance) Briggs, the whole defense,” he said. “It's going to be awesome.”
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May 11, 2012
Chiefs sign four draft picks
The Kansas City Chiefs have signed four of their draft picks, including fourth-rounder Devon Wylie of Fresno State, the team announced Friday
Besides wide receiver Wylie, the Chiefs signed running back Cyrus Gray of Texas A&M (sixth round), Junior Hemingway of Michigan (seventh-round) and Jerome Long of San Diego State (seventh round).
The Chiefs still have four draft picks to sign, including first-round pick Dontari Poe, a defensive tackle from Memphis.
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May 11, 2012
Bills, Young agree to 1-year deal
The Buffalo Bills have agreed to terms with free-agent quarterback Vince Young, the team announced Friday.
The deal is for one year, according to the Buffalo News. ESPN.com reported the deal is worth $2 million with $1 million more in incentives.
“We think adding Vince to our roster will create more competition for the backup quarterback position,” said Bills General Manager Buddy Nix in a statement. “He brings with him some unique physical abilities that most are aware of and that will make the competition interesting. It's all about improving our team.”
Young, who worked out with the Bills earlier this month, played last season with the Philadelphia Eagles as a backup to Michael Vick. Young threw for 866 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions in six games.
The two-time Pro Bowl honoree had his best seasons with the Tennessee Titans from 2006-2010. He has completed 755-of-1,304 passes for 8,964 yards and 46 touchdowns. Also, he has rushed for 1,459 rushing yards on 282 carries with 12 touchdowns in 60 games.
However, his career has been checkered, including being demoted to backup in 2008 and his release by the Titans in 2011.
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May 11, 2012
Packers sign seven draft picks
The Packers signed seven of their eight draft choices, including second-round picks Jerel Worthy and Casey Hayward.
General manager Ted Thompson announced the deals. First-round pick Nick Perry, the Southern Cal product expected to start opposite Clay Matthews at outside linebacker, remained unsigned.
Worthy and Hayward have a chance to contribute immediately. Worthy, 6-2, 308, is a penetrating defensive lineman with the natural strength and ability to start at defensive end in the Packers' 3-4 front.
The Packers traded up to acquire Hayward, one of the top cornerbacks on the team's draft board, in the second round. Hayward is physical enough for the press cover scheme coordinator Dom Capers employs.
Green Bay is deep at the position, leading to speculation that cornerback Charles Woodson could finally be moved to safety as has been rumored since he signed as a free agent from the Raiders.
Woodson said Thursday he's more than willing to play safety if the team feels comfortable with the level of talent at cornerback, which includes Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Hayward.
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May 11, 2012
Cardinals, Campbell agree to 5-year deal
The Arizona Cardinals reportedly agreed with veteran defensive end Calais Campbell on a five-year contract extension.
Campbell's signing is expected to be announced Friday, according to the Arizona Republic and NFL.com. It will provide salary-cap relief for signing rookies and extensions for other key defensive players.
The deal, which is worth $55 million, according to NFL.com, is expected to lower his salary-cap figure from $10.7 million. That figure was set when Campbell had the franchise tag placed on him earlier during the off-season.
Campbell, 25, had a career-high 72 tackles and a team-leading eight sacks last season. He also forced two fumbles, recovered one, had his first career interception and blocked three field-goal attempts.
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May 11, 2012
Bengals release four rookies who fail physicals
The Cincinnati Bengals on Friday announced they have released four players who failed physicals.
Cornerback Derrius Brooks, outside linebacker Julian Miller, guard Mike Ryan and tackle Landon Walker were waived after all incoming rookies were given physicals. The four undrafted rookies were prepared to take part in the team's rookie minicamp.
The team quickly signed defensive end Steve Hancock, tackle Billy Murphy and defensive back Taiedo Smith to fill spots on the rookie roster.
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May 11, 2012
Browns DT Taylor to have surgery on torn pectoral
Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor is scheduled for surgery next week to repair a torn left pectoral muscle, coach Pat Shurmur announced Friday.
Shurmur said the date of the surgery wasn't official, but is expected to be in the middle of next week. Barring setbacks, recovery time would be at least four months.
“Phil tore his left pec ... He is going to miss some significant amount of time, more months than weeks,” Shurmur said. “It's too early to speculate how long that will be. I just wanted you to be aware of that. He was weightlifting yesterday in the offseason program and it was just one of those things that happens. It's unfortunate. We feel bad for Phil, but he is in good spirits and he is going to come back from this thing stronger than ever.”
Taylor was a 2011 first-round pick. A stout defender who can tie up double-team blocks, Taylor had 59 tackles and four sacks as a rookie.
Without Taylor, the Browns don't lack options at defensive tackle. Ahtyba Rubin, who signed a three-year, $21 million contract extension in Sept. 2011, and rookie third-round pick John Hughes are the likely starters.
The Browns are hopeful Taylor won't miss the season with the injury, which is possible with a muscle tear, the team acknowledged.
“Could be, but I don't know that,” Shurmur said Friday. “It's too early to say right now in terms of the recovery. Everyone recovers at a different rate. Our guess is that he will be a fast healer, but he will require surgery.”
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May 11, 2012
Report: Jets out of running for HBO's 'Hard Knocks'
The New York Jets reportedly will not be the featured team on the HBO series “Hard Knocks.”
TV sources said the team is no longer in consideration, according to the New York Daily News, though the network would not confirm the decision.
“We still have time to decide, an HBO spokesman told the Daily News, “And we, and our NFL Films partners, haven't made any decisions yet.”
The Jets, who were featured on the NFL reality series two seasons ago, were sought because of the drama that has filled their locker room in previous seasons -- and the expected storylines for the upcoming season.
With quarterback Mark Sanchez expected to receive pressure from newly acquired Tim Tebow, the Jets were thought to draw big ratings for the series. However, coach Rex Ryan reportedly fought against the returning the reality series because of repairs needed in the locker-room morale.
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May 11, 2012
Vikings expected to rent Gophers' stadium
The Minnesota Vikings are expected to sign an agreement with the University of Minnesota to pay the school $250,000 per game to play at TCF Bank Stadium while a new NFL stadium is built, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The school and the Vikings would split money from “concessions, sponsorship and advertising, likely amounting to about $50,000 a game.”
The Vikings would have the option to rent the stadium for up to four consecutive years. They are expected to play at TCF Bank Stadium as early as 2013, but would not have to play entire seasons at the venue if their new stadium becomes ready, according to the letter of intent to the school.
Gov. Mark Dayton can sign the approved financing plan for the Vikings' stadium after it cleared final approval in the Minnesota state Senate by a 36-30 vote on Thursday, setting wheels in motion to soon begin construction on a $975 million stadium that owner Zygi Wilf believes will put the team in play for the largest of sporting events, including the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four.
The Vikings agreed to pay 49 percent of construction costs, a total of $477 million, or $50 million more than the owners agreed to in the initial proposal. The vote spares the Vikings another season of stadium strife with the 30-year-old Metrodome losing its final tenant.
The public cost is set at $348 million and any construction overrun can be assigned to the builder, the bill says. The city of Minneapolis must pay $150 million.
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May 11, 2012
Giants sign first-round pick RB Wilson
Running back David Wilson signed a four-year deal with the Giants. Financial terms were not available.
The Giants have also signed or agreed to terms with tight end Adrien Robinson (4th round), offensive tackles Matt McCants (6th) and Brandon Mosley (4th) and cornerback Jayron Hosley (3rd).
Wide receiver Ruben Randle (2nd) and defensive tackle Markus Kuhn (7th) are the Giants' only draft picks yet to reach a contract agreement.
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May 10, 2012
Raiders' Heyward-Bey charged with DUI
Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey has been charged with drunken driving stemming from his arrest the morning of April 7, according to multiple reports.
Heyward-Bey, 25, failed a field sobriety test after being pulled over on the Bay Bridge in California. His blood-alcohol level at the time of his arrest was not released.
The charge carries a maximum six-month jail sentence.
“The team is well aware of the situation, and takes matters such as this very seriously,” the Raiders said in a statement. “The organization will continue to gather specifics, and continue to cooperate with all parties involved.”
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May 10, 2012
Bills agree to deals with six picks
Linebacker Nigel Bradham (fourth round), cornerback Ron Brooks (fourth), offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders (fifth) , linebacker Tank Carder (fifth), offensive lineman Mark Asper (sixth) and kicker John Potter (seventh) agreed to deals with the Bills.
Terms were not disclosed.
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May 10, 2012
49ers sign six draft picks
Running back LaMichael James, guard Joe Looney, linebacker Darius Fleming, safety Trenton Robinson, offensive lineman Jason Slowey and linebacker Cameron Johnson all signed four-year deals with the 49ers.
James was a second-round pick who rushed for 5,082 yards at Oregon. He led the nation with 150.4 rushing yards per game last season.
Looney was a fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest, while Fleming was a fifth-round selection out of Notre Dame.
The other three were late-round picks: Robinson was selected in the sixth round out of Michigan State, while Slowey (Western Oregon) and Johnson (Virginia) were seventh-round picks.
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May 10, 2012
Patriots officially name Patricia defensive coordinator
The New England Patriots officially named Matt Patricia defensive coordinator Thursday.
The Patriots also announced that Josh Boyer will coach cornerbacks, Brian Flores will coach safeties, Patrick Graham will coach the defensive line and Pepper Johnson will coach the linebackers.
George Godsey will coach the tight ends. Joe Judge has been named special teams assistant, and Steve Belichick was named coaching assistant.
This will be Patricia's ninth NFL season. He was New England's linebackers coach for five seasons, 2006-10, then safeties coach in 2011.
Boyer is entering his seventh NFL season. He previously worked three seasons as the New England defensive backs coach. Flores is in his fifth season with the team, and this will be Johnson's 13th season on the Patriots' coaching staff and 26th overall in the league.
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May 10, 2012
NFL Roundup (5/10): Pryor tells SI why he sold clothes
Terrelle Pryor sold his sports memorabilia at Ohio State to get money to help his family, he said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
Now with the Oakland Raiders, Pryor received a five-game suspension during his final season, and openly discussed why he made those decisions.
“The reason why I did it was to pay my mother's gas bill and some of her rent,” Pryor told Sports Illustrated. “She was four months behind, and the (landlord) was so nice because he was an Ohio State fan. He gave her the benefit of the doubt and she said, 'My son will pay you back sometime if you just let me pay you back during my work sessions.' She ended up losing her job, and she and my sister lived there.
“Let me remind you it was freezing cold in November, December and she's using the oven as heat. That's what I did as a kid. I was telling the NCAA, 'Please, anything that you can do. I gave my mother this so my sister wouldn't be cold, so my mother wouldn't be cold.' They didn't have any sympathy for me.”
Pryor said he has receipts to prove that the money went toward the family's bills and not personal use.
“Whenever I write my book, the proof will be in there, the receipt that the money I gave my mother was to pay the electric and heat bill,” Pryor told the magazine. “The truth is going to come out one day when the time is right. I don't think I deserved (being punished) in that way, because of the reason I was doing it. I felt like I was doing God's work in a way, and I was getting driven into the ground.”
After his suspension, Pryor decided to enter the NFL supplemental draft, and was selected by the Raiders. Later, he was banned from associating with his alma mater for five years.
The experience affected him.
“It was humbling,” Pryor told Sports Illustrated. “A mistake I made when I was a freshman by selling my pants for $3,000 just took away everything from me. I was just driven into the ground. I was the worst person in the world. My face popped up on the screen, and it seemed like I was the only one who did anything. I was the only one who was getting attacked.”
---The Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys are expected to appear Thursday before an NFL arbitrator, who will hear arguments challenging the league-imposed salary cap reductions, according to a Washington Post report.
People familiar with the case told the paper recently that arbiter Stephen Burbank is unlikely to make an immediate ruling.
The hearing is expected to occur at the University of Pennsylvania law school in Philadelphia, where Burbank works as a law professor. He is also tasked with resolving disputes that arise from the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.
The NFL imposed a $36 million salary cap reduction over two years on the Redskins, at least half of which must be absorbed this season. The Cowboys received a $10 million cap reduction over two years. The reductions were imposed for the way in which the teams structured players' contracts during the 2010, non-capped season.
The Redskins and Cowboys have denied wrongdoing in the case and have cited that all of the contracts were approved by the league at the time.
---Former San Diego Chargers stars Dan Fouts, Rodney Harrison and LaDainian Tomlinson are among those expected to speak at a Friday memorial service for Junior Seau at Qualcomm Stadium.
Seau committed suicide May 2. He spent 20 seasons in the NFL, the first 13 with the Chargers. Harrison and Tomlinson were teammates of Seau's with the Chargers.
Former Chargers coach Bobby Ross, who coached Seau from 1992-96, is also expected to speak.
---Jason La Canfora is leaving the NFL Network to become a reporter on The NFL Today, the CBS Sunday morning pregame show, according to a NBC Sports report.
Former Redskins and Texans General Manager Charley Casserly isn't returning to the program. The remaining CBS studio personnel, with host James Brown and analysts Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher, will remain.
--Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da'Quan Bowers tore an Achilles tendon during offseason workouts and is scheduled to have surgery Friday, according to the team.
A 2011 second-round draft pick, Bowers vowed via Twitter on Thursday to play this season, as opposed to not being ready to play until 2013.
Bowers played in 16 games and made six starts in 2011. He made 25 tackles, defended four passes and picked up 1.5 sacks.
-- The Denver Broncos agreed to terms with free-agent cornerback Drayton Florence on Thursday, the team announced.
Florence, 6 foot, 193 pounds, has played 136 regular-season games in his nine-year career. He played for San Diego from 2003-07, Jacksonville in 2008, and Buffalo from 2009-11.
He's made 425 tackles, 17 interceptions, forced three fumbles and recovered five. Florence has also played five postseason games and made 21 tackles in those.
The Chargers selected Florence in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft out of Div. II Tuskagee University.
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May 10, 2012
Bengals sign pair of 5th-round picks
Cornerback Shaun Prater and safety George Iloka, both fifth-round picks, signed with the Bengals. Terms were not disclosed.
Prater had 171 tackles, seven interceptions and 19 passes defensed in 35 starts over four seasons at Iowa.
Iloka had 232 tackles, seven interceptions and 17 passes defensed in 45 career starts for Hawaii.
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May 10, 2012
Bucs' Bowers tears Achilles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da'Quan Bowers tore an Achilles tendon during offseason workouts and is scheduled to have surgery Friday, according to the team.
A 2011 second-round draft pick, Bowers vowed via Twitter on Thursday to play this season, as opposed to not being ready to play until 2013.
Bowers played 16 games and made six starts in 2011. He made 25 tackles, defended four passes and picked up 1.5 sacks.
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May 10, 2012
Seahawks' QB battle gets under way in earnest
The competition for the starting quarterback job officially is underway with the beginning of the team's offseason program.
Incumbent Tarvaris Jackson and high-dollar free agent signee Matt Flynn took snaps from under center out on the plush practice fields at the team's headquarters for the first time together recently.
And head coach Pete Carroll will get his first look at third-round draft choice Russell Wilson during the team's rookie minicamp.
For now, Carroll said that Jackson will take snaps with the first unit while Flynn and Wilson learn the offense.
Carroll said Jackson earned those reps with the first unit by virtue of his role as the team's starter last year.
“T-Jack is taking the first snap right now,” Carroll said. “That's what he does every day out here. He's already earned that out here. But from that point, the competition is on. And those guys are well informed about that.”
Carroll said there's no timeline on when he will name a starter for the 2012 season.
“The format is really just to do everything I can to organize it and orchestrate, so they get a legit shot of showing what they can do with all of the guys that are available,” Carroll said.
Jackson finished 7-7 as the starter in his first year in Seattle, but he also struggled in late-game situations, and understood there would be competition for the starting job in his second season.
“I knew,” said Jackson, when asked if he was disappointed that Seattle added Flynn in free agency and drafted Wilson in the third round. “It's going on my seventh year, so I understand the game now and understand how things work.
“I'm not a (general manager), I'm not a head coach, so I can't go and pick exactly who they want, or say, 'Don't get a quarterback.'
“If I could I would, believe me,” he said with a laugh. “But that's not how things work, so I'm just here to compete and may the best man win.”
Flynn looked smooth, got rid of the ball quickly and appeared comfortable during Seattle's 45-minute workout last week, the first opportunity for reporters to see Flynn in action.
“I know that everything I do matters,” Flynn said. “In Green Bay I kind of had the luxury of kind of sitting back and learning, and being able to take my time in the progression of becoming a better quarterback.
“But I come in here, and now I get to compete and get the opportunity. And that's what I came here for, and that's what I'm excited about.”
Flynn said learning Seattle's new offense has been helped by the fact that Seattle's version of the West Coast offense is very similar to the West Coast offense he was groomed under in Green Bay.
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May 10, 2012
Broncos agree to terms with CB Florence
The Denver Broncos agreed to terms with free-agent cornerback Drayton Florence on Thursday, the team announced.
Florence, 6 foot, 193 pounds, has played 136 regular-season games in his nine-year career. He played for San Diego from 2003-07, Jacksonville in 2008, and Buffalo from 2009-11.
He's made 425 tackles, 17 interceptions, forced three fumbles and recovered five. Florence has also played five postseason games and made 21 tackles in those.
The Chargers selected Florence in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft out of Div. II Tuskagee University.
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May 10, 2012
Steelers sign OG Beachum
Guard Kelvin Beachum, a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, agreed to a four-year deal with the Steelers.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Beachum started 52 games at left tackle during his career at SMU, and was named to the Lombardi Award and Outland Award watch lists as a senior.
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May 10, 2012
WR Jacoby Jones anxious to hit field in Baltimore
Jacoby Jones can't wait to hit the field in Baltimore.
Signed to a two-year, $7 million contract, Jones wants to justify the Ravens' investment and contribute immediately on special teams and compete for the third wide receiver job.
“I got a new breath of fresh air,” Jones said in a telephone interview. “It's a great opportunity. Everything happens for a reason. I'm here, I'm a Raven now.”
A former third-round draft pick, Jones was cut by the Houston Texans after they drafted receivers DeVier Posey and Keshawn Martin.
Jones fumbled twice during the Ravens' AFC divisional playoff win over the Texans with one miscue leading to a Baltimore touchdown.
“Houston is a great organization, they gave me a chance,” Jones said. “Things happened. It's a business. What happened is in the past.”
The Ravens had been looking for an experienced returner since last season, meeting with San Francisco 49ers return specialist Ted Ginn Jr. during free agency. He decided to stay with the 49ers, though.
Jones has averaged 10.2 yards per punt return with three touchdowns. He has a career 23.3 yard average on kickoff returns with one score.
Last season, the 6-foot-2, 212-pounder averaged 10.6 yards per punt return with a 79-yard touchdown. He didn't return kickoffs last year.
“As a returner, it's not about what I do,” Jones said. “It's the way I play, catch me if you can. If not, I'm gone. Other than that, I'm working to become a top receiver in the NFL.”
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May 10, 2012
Philbin tempers thoughts of Tannehill's 'mastery' of offense
Are observers overstating Ryan Tannehill's mastery of the Dolphins' offense just because Mike Sherman, his former head coach at Texas A&M, is the Dolphins' offensive coordinator?
According to head coach Joe Philbin, the Dolphins' offense isn't a carbon copy of the Aggies offense. The offensive staff has spent months blending plays and language from the offense Sherman used at Texas A&M, Philbin used as offensive coordinator at Green Bay, and the one Ken O'Keefe, Miami's receivers coach, utilized as offensive coordinator at Iowa.
“I think initially it's going to help him, no question about it,” Philbin said of Tannehill's familiarity. “David (Garrard) and Matt (Moore) have been around the system for three weeks or four weeks, so at some point that is going to even itself out and the difference is going to be the decision making and the accuracy, the playmaking ability at the quarterback position.”
However, Philbin does admit Tannehill's comfort level does even the playing field for the team's first-round pick, closing the knowledge gap the veterans have.
“I am sure, as opposed to some of the other rookie quarterbacks that are practicing, he probably feels a little more comfortable when he puts his head on the pillow at night,” Philbin said. “But the bottom line is the productivity once you get on the field, so we will see how that goes.”
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May 10, 2012
Vikings stadium bill needs only governor's signature
For Vikings fans and stadium project champion governor Mark Dayton, only one question remains: Where do I sign?
Dayton can sign the approved plan after it cleared final approval in the Minnesota state Senate by a 36-30 vote on Thursday, setting wheels in motion to soon begin construction on a $975 million stadium that owner Zygi Wilf believes will put the team in play for the largest of sporting events, including the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four.
The Vikings agreed to pay 49 percent of construction costs, a total of $477 million, or $50 million more than the owners agreed to in the initial proposal. The vote spares the Vikings another season of stadium strife with the 30-year-old Metrodome losing its final tenant.
It also saves young fans from experiencing the anguish their elders did when the North Stars and Lakers left the Twin Cities.
The public cost is set at $348 million and any construction overrun can be assigned to the builder, the bill says. The city of Minneapolis must pay $150 million.
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May 10, 2012
Shurmur: Browns' Weeden has no guarantees
Browns first-round pick Brandon Weeden isn't guaranteed a starting spot. Then again, neither is first-round pick Trent Richardson.
But logical reasoning indicates both are favorites to be in the backfield for the opener.
Coach Pat Shurmur said no one is guaranteed a starting spot, especially rookies.
“I think that is the speech I give all of the rookies,” Shurmur said. “Again, I know what we are all trying to get at with this stuff, but we drafted these players for a reason. We drafted them with the idea that they could come in and start or until they start, could be effective role players. But, they have to come here and do it. By doing it, that's when we talk about competing. That's where they are at and they understand that. We are catching these guys coming out of college and they have been competing as athletes since they were very young boys, for most of them. They understand that and of course we remind them of it. I've reminded all of them of it. They don't expect anything will be given to them because that was the case when they went to college as well. I am sure they all will look at this as this is just another step in their football careers. We don't give anybody anything. They have got to earn it in our eyes.”
The Browns wanted to draft Weeden all along, but they were hoping they would not have to use the 22nd pick to do it.
That plan changed when the Titans took wide receiver Kendall Wright with the 20th pick.
“We were trying to have our cake and eat it, too,” team president Mike Holmgren said on the ESPN radio show Mike and Mike in the Morning. “Once the receiver was taken, then I said, 'If we're committed (to Weeden) and we were thinking about even moving up from 37, let's take him now.”
Coincidentally, the last time the Browns took a quarterback in the first round they also used the 22nd pick to take him. Five years ago the Browns drafted Brady Quinn 22nd. The Browns gave up their second round pick (36th overall) and first-round pick in 2008 for the pick used on Quinn.
If Weeden starts, as expected, it means the Browns got four starters from the picks acquired from Atlanta last year when they traded the sixth overall pick to the Falcons -- defensive tackle Phil Taylor, wide receiver Greg Little, fullback Owen Marecic and Weeden.
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May 10, 2012
2012 Fantasy Football Comeback Players: Running Backs
- Written by Brad Berreman
Each season, there are players that disappoint fantasy football owners as their performance fails to live up to their name recognition or justify where they were drafted. Many factors play into these disappointments, most notably injuries to the specific player or those around him, but shrewd owners can often take advantage the following year and get a discount on draft day. Taking advantage of such opportunities can often lead to deep playoff run or even a fantasy football league title for those owners that guess right on players who are in line to rebound.
Here are three running backs that fantasy football owners hope to see come back in a big way this season. Only you can decide which guys you’ll forgive and draft again in 2012 and those you’ll cross off your Draft Day cheat sheet.
Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans
2011 Stats: 262 carries, 1,046 rushing yards; 57 receptions, 418 receiving yards, 4 total touchdowns
Johnson got off the wrong foot in 2011, as his preseason holdout coupled with the lockout led to a slow start and ultimately career lows in rushing yards and touchdowns. He did have a nice stretch just after the midpoint of the season, rushing for at least 130 yards in three out of four games, but again faded late in the season with no more than 61 rushing yards or 15 carries in any of the final four games.
Johnson did, however, set a career-high in receptions in 2011 and a full, normal offseason should only help him stay in shape and regain his previous form. Fantasy football owners should not expect a repeat of 2009 when Johnson topped 2,000 yards on the ground, but 1,500 yards and double-digit touchdowns along with 50 or more receptions would put him in the conversation as one of the top running backs in fantasy football once again.
Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders
2011 Stats: 113 carries, 614 rushing yards; 19 receptions, 154 receiving yards, 5 total touchdowns
McFadden again failed to play in more than 13 games in 2011, as he missed the final nine games of the season with a right foot injury that was later confirmed to be a Lisfranc sprain. He is reportedly fully recovered, and with his top backup (Michael Bush) being allowed to leave in free agency McFadden is in line to be the Raiders’ unquestioned top tailback.
New head coach Dennis Allen has expressed confidence that McFadden can be the team’s lead back, but fantasy football owners do need to keep his injury history in mind on draft day. That said, the evolution of committee backfields around the league makes any back who is line to get the majority of the touches particularly valuable, and the Raiders have not added any significant competition to their running back rotation at this point.
McFadden is always a fairly risky fantasy pick due to his inability to stay on the field, but his talent level makes his upside very high if he manages to stay healthy. McFadden can be cautiously considered a low-end RB1 with upside when it’s all said and done, even with the strong possibility of a game or two missed.
Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
2011 Stats: 12 carries, 83 rushing yards; 5 receptions, 9 receiving yards, 1 total touchdown
Charles entered fantasy football draft season in 2011 as a potential No. 1 overall pick in some league formats, but it was not to be as he went down with a torn ACL early in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions and obviously missed the rest of the season.
Charles flashed his potential in 2010 (1,467 rushing yards, 6.4 yards per-carry), so it is tantalizing to fantasy football owners to think what he could do with more carries as he only had 230 carries two seasons ago. Kansas City’s offseason addition of Peyton Hillis puts a bit of a damper on that potential, but Charles has said he is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
Charles is almost certain to be eased back into action early in the season, when he will be basically one year removed from his injury. After that, assuming he has no setbacks, it would only be a matter of time before he is the primary running back for the Chiefs and perhaps only ceding goalline touches to Hillis. There is some risk involved due to the nature of his injury, but Charles is worth a look as a RB2 in standard leagues with slightly more upside in PPR formats.
2012 Fantasy Football Comeback Players: QB | RB | WR | TE | K (click to view)
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May 10, 2012
Packers QB embraces 'Aaron Rodgers Day' in Wisconsin
Aaron Rodgers took a break from his spring workouts in the early phase of the team's offseason program to accept the official state resolution that made Dec. 12, 2012, “Aaron Rodgers Day” in Wisconsin.
“It's very humbling and an honor to receive this distinction of having a day all to myself,” Rodgers said at a news conference Wednesday at Lambeau Field. “I think if anybody knows me, I'm not big on a lot of 'whereases' or a lot of personal attention. I like to deflect it to the team.
“I think it's a great opportunity to give perspective on how a career and a way of living your life can have an impact on the society you live in,” Rodgers added.
Rodgers, the reigning league MVP who wears jersey No. 12, noted the 12-12-12 calendar anomaly falls on a Wednesday practice day for the Packers, who will play the Chicago Bears that weekend.
“Mike's probably going to have a padded practice that day,” Rodgers quipped, in reference to head coach Mike McCarthy.
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May 10, 2012
Vikings' Peterson impressive in media-friendly workout
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman put on a show for the media on Thursday. During a 15-minute workout set up for reporters at the team's indoor practice field, Peterson demonstrated some of the drills he's working on now that he's 19 weeks removed from major knee surgery.
Peterson tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee during the Vikings' Christmas Eve win at Washington. He had surgery six days later and has been ahead of schedule ever since.
Peterson looks in great shape, as usual, but his left leg is understandably stiffer that observers are accustomed to seeing. He did some lateral drills, scooping up and returning a soccer ball that was rolled to his left and right. He also ran in a circle, sprinted the width of the field four times and did a standing jump to a box that was about four feet high. Peterson wore a knee brace for all but the straight-line sprints.
Although Peterson is pushing hard to reach his goal of returning in time for the Sept. 9 season opener, he also said he's been smart about listening to doctors orders and not overdoing it.
“He realizes now that there's too much to lose by doing something foolish the past four months and the next four months,” Sugarman said. “He's been pretty good. Now you have to pull back on the reins every once in a while and just remind him. But he's been pretty good about it and I'm on the record as saying that he'll continue.”
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May 10, 2012
Eagles endorse young safeties Allen, Jarrett
Many observers felt the Eagles' two biggest needs going into the draft were outside linebacker and safety. They addressed the first one early on in the draft, selecting speedy Mychael Kendricks of Cal, a three-down linebacker who will move to the head of the depth-chart line at SAM.
But they didn't take a safety with any of their nine picks. They did sign one after the draft -- Phillip Thomas of Syracuse, but that's it.
The Eagles are happy with the way free safety Nate Allen played in the second half of last season as he recovered from a ruptured patella tendon that he suffered the previous December.
“Nate was playing at a really high level as a rookie before he got hurt,” general manager Howie Roseman said. “Last year, because of the lockout and the problems guys had rehabbing, you saw a lot of guys who were slow coming back from injuries. We knew it was going to take Nate some time to get right.
“But he's all the way back now. He's got all the skills you look for in a safety. He's an incredible athlete. He's a smart kid. He's got really good ball skills. He can cover. He can tackle. He can blitz.”
The Eagles also are more confident than others in their two starting strong safety candidates -- Kurt Coleman and 2011 second-round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett.
Coleman, a 2010 seventh-round pick, started 13 games last season. But his skills and body-type seem better suited for a backup role and as a core special-teamer than a 16-game-a-year starter.
Jarrett was a disappointment as a rookie. He barely got on the field, and despite a reputation as a big-hitter, he made little impact on special teams. But the Eagles think his biggest problem last year was that the 4 1/2-month lockout didn't give him an opportunity to master defensive coordinator Juan Castillo's defense.
“When you're a safety, especially a guy like him who's biggest thing is seeing and going and making an explosive play, if you've got to think, you take a step back,” Roseman said. “Having an offseason and getting in the playbook and getting much more comfortable with everything will help him.”
Coleman is a fearless, try-hard guy. But at 5-10 and 190 pounds, there are questions as to whether he can hold up as an in-the-box safety for 16 games a year. He is not a sound tackler, too often going for the big lick rather than wrapping up the ballcarrier. And his coverage skills aren't really ideal for today's pass-happy game.
“He's been productive every time he's played for us,” Roseman said. “He makes plays. He's a smart guy. He can play either spot. He's effective on special teams. He's just a good player. We had a fourth-round grade on him when we drafted him (in 2010). He has good time-speed for a safety.”
If Jarrett steps it up this year and proves to be worth the second-round pick the Eagles spent on him, then the Eagles should be fine.
Coleman could back up both spots and focus on special teams. If Jarrett struggles again, though, a defense that gave up 27 touchdown passes and had an 85.7 opponent passer rating despite leading the league in sacks could be in trouble.
“We're excited about our group of safeties,” Roseman said.
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May 10, 2012
Safety Jones, 2010 third-round pick, still not cleared for football drills
Chad Jones, the Giants' third-round pick in 2010, has not yet been cleared to participate in football drills.
Jones, who was involved in a serious car crash just a couple of months after being selected by the Giants, has been working hard to rehab from injuries that nearly cost him one of his legs.
He has been working out with his teammates at the Timex Performance Center, where he took part in the weight and conditioning part of the off-season workouts. However, last month General Manager Jerry Reese expressed doubt as to whether Jones would be able to contribute in any way this year on the football field.
“If you see him on the field, you'll see him rehabbing more than in drills with the players during OTAs and things like that,” Reese said. “Just me personally, I think he still has a ways to go before he gets out there and plays in the National Football League.”
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May 10, 2012
Giants see big potential in undersized CB Hosley
Although he stands only 5-10 and weighs 170 pounds, cornerback Jayron Hosley, the team's third-round draft pick, is a good example of a player that the team believes can play larger than his physical size.
“He's not the biggest guy in the world,” said general manager Jerry Reese. “However, we do think he is a competitive, feisty guy and he's one of those people that has not backed down from anybody.”
Speaking of not backing down, Hosley's first challenge before he even goes against live competition will be to carve out a spot for himself on the 53-man roster. To do that, he is expected to compete against Prince Amukamara, last year's first-round pick, for the nickel corner spot, a position that had previously been held by Terrell Thomas.
“You definitely have to go out there with confidence,” Hosley said of his upcoming competition for a job. “I'm not a bigger guy, so guys might see me as a little vulnerable or as 'the little guy.' I definitely have to go out there with a little aggression, the little man's syndrome in that sense.”
When Hosley gets a chance to meet his veteran teammates later in the month, one mentor he will find squarely in his corner is Thomas, who when he was drafted four years ago, tried to carve a niche for himself in what was a competitive, talent-filled defensive backfield.
“When I came in, there were two or three starters here that were in that spot,” Thomas recalled. “We're looking for someone to come in and be young and energetic, help out, and learn to win from the best.”
Thomas added that he wasn't concerned with the possibility of Hosley taking snaps away from him in certain defensive packages. In fact, Thomas believes that the competition will make everyone better.
“I've never been shy to help someone, to give them advice or help them in the film room,” Thomas said. “If he takes my spot, good luck. I love competition. I was raised on it.”
Hosley also welcomes the challenge of not only earning a roster spot, but just as importantly, the respect of his new teammates and future opponents.
“I feel like in the NFL you have to earn respect,” he said. “When you get in the NFL they're not going to shy away from you. They're going to come at you so you have to be ready for it and I'm up for the challenge.”
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May 10, 2012
Lions' WR coach: Post-career alienation is 'what kills you'
Lions wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson doesn't think concussions are triggering the recent rash of suicides among former players. This particular manifestation of depression, he believes, is borne out of the alienation players feel when they leave the game.
“It's not the depression that kills you,” said Jefferson, who was a teammate with the late Junior Seau in San Diego. “It's trying to make that transition to real life without that support group you've had in place your whole career. The depression is a result of not being around your guys any more; that's what kills you.
“The depression comes about because you don't have that structure any more. You aren't walking into that locker room and chatting with your locker mates. You're not in that fire on Sunday with those guys. You are at the door knocking, but nobody will let you in. You don't have that sense of purpose. For guys who retire, there is a dark side to that transition period.”
Jefferson speaks from experience. He thought his post-football life would be great. He had saved and invested his money wisely. He had a young family to tend to. He figured he could happily live out his days fishing and, as he put it, “living the salt life.”
A year into it, he was struggling. The void, the absence of the game and all of its attending structures, became increasingly unbearable for him.
“I was getting up every day and going fishing,” he said. “After a while I was going by myself because my buddies had to work. I would just keep pushing the limits. I would go 50 miles out into the ocean. The next day, I'd say let's go out to where the big boys are and I'd go out 100 miles. But it's not the same. You just can't replace that feeling, that adrenaline rush you get playing the game.”
The alienation of the retired player, Jefferson said, is similar to what a soldier feels when he's back from combat.
“People in the outside world don't know what it's like to go into battle with a guy,” he said. “Civilians who haven't been to war have no idea what it's like to be in a foxhole with a guy, to depend on that guy to save your life. Basically, that's what football players do, they depend on each other to save their butts every week. You develop a bond and when you retire, that bond is gone and you crave for it.”
Jefferson said he was thrown a lifeline, a lifeline he believes the NFL should finance and promote as much as it does player safety issues. He was asked by former Lions coach Steve Mariucci to take a coaching internship.
“It was by the grace of God that Mooch called me out of the blue,” Jefferson said. “I was out of the game a year and he said, 'Hey, what're you doing?' He asked if I was interested in an internship and I jumped at it.
“This was the rope somebody threw me when I was drowning in high water.”
He's been the Lions' receivers coach since 2005 and he wishes he could sit down with commissioner Roger Goodell to share some of his ideas. He believes part of the solution is for the league to take measures to keep retired players around the game. He's not saying give them all jobs. He's saying give them access. Establish internships -- coaching, consulting, commentating. Or, more simply, make them feel they are still welcomed, still part of the game.
“You don't know how much good it could've done if Junior Seau could have stayed around the game,” Jefferson said. “If he would have come to my practice on a Monday, I would have told him I have a team meeting on Friday and he had 15 minutes to tell the team anything he wanted. He would have felt important. He would have been on that stage again and everybody would have been in tune with him. He would have been thinking about it all week. Can you imagine what that would have done for a guy like that?
“The NFL doesn't get it. They are looking in the wrong places.”
Here's one of many ideas Jefferson has: When a player retires, give him a card, a sort lifetime NFL membership card. The card would give him access to team's practice facilities and stadiums.
“This would allow guys to go watch practice at a facility,” Jefferson said. “He's not going to steal ideas or share ideas or anything like that. He's just going to watch practice. He's just going to smell the game, get on the grass, be around the guys. That would mean the world to retired players.
“The mere fact that he had that card, the mere fact that he knew he could be around football, would change things for him. You don't understand the change of mindset that would take place there. He would know he's still part of the NFL, that they still care about him, that his presence is wanted. If they did that, those guys would feel like employees for life even though they're not getting paid.”
Jefferson applauds the league's stance on player safety. He understands the concern about head injuries.
“But,” he said, “find out what triggers the depression and what triggers the depression is not being around the guys anymore, not being on the field anymore. Mother Nature has taken away that one great asset that she gave you and changed your life. That triggers the depression. The blows to the head don't. It takes something to trigger it. I know. I have been through it.”
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May 10, 2012
Griffin off to flying start with Redskins
ASHBURN, Va. -- Since Mark Rypien was the Super Bowl MVP for the victorious Redskins in 1991, started 21 quarterbacks, with only Brad Johnson (1999), Mark Brunell (2005) and Todd Collins (2007) doing so in the playoffs.
Mike Shanahan, who coached the Denver Broncos to consecutive Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998, believes that Robert Griffin III will take Washington back to the top of the NFL. And so the coach, who traded three first-round draft picks and a second-rounder to St. Louis on March 9 for the right to move up four spots to take Griffin second overall last month, wasted no time in naming him the Redskins' starter ahead of incumbent Rex Grossman.
“He's the starter, period,” Shanahan said on May 6 after Griffin and his fellow rookies completed their fifth and final practice of a three-day minicamp at Redskins Park. “The reason we gave up what we gave up is he can do some things that I believe no has done.”
This from a coach who worked with mobile Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway and Steve Young during 14 of his previous 27 NFL seasons.
“It's hard to find that guy who can throw the football (so well) and has Olympic-type speed,” Shanahan said. “Robert does something that you can't teach. He can make plays when everything breaks down. The great quarterbacks that I've been around, the great quarterbacks that have won Super Bowls (can do that). I really believe (Robert) can make any throw. … And with his speed, he can get on the edge and do things that most quarterbacks can't do. We're going to adjust our system to what he feels comfortable with. We'll watch him grow.”
Shanahan said that Griffin is already growing so comfortable with the offense that coordinator Kyle Shanahan spent six hours teaching him before minicamp that the Redskins didn't have a busted play call all weekend.
Not that the glorified touch football practices (no contact, no 11-on-11) were similar to what the 22-year-old Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor will face when Washington opens the season on Sept. 9 at New Orleans, but he had to start somewhere. And Griffin certainly looked much better in his first weekend at Redskins Park than did the last quarterback Washington chose with a top 10 pick, Heath Shuler in 1994.
“It was a lot of fun,” Griffin said. “It's been a while since we've been able to do football things. We've been doing combines and beauty pageants on pro days. It's time to get (back) to football, to really get a chance to do the things that you study on paper and go out on the field and perform it.”
As for being named the starter, Griffin didn't make too big a deal of it.
“You go from being top dog at your college to bottom of the barrel in the pros even if you are supposed to be the starting quarterback,” Griffin said.
The bottom of the barrel? Really?
“You got to prove yourself,” said Griffin, who'll return on May 14 for the next round of offseason conditioning, one that will include the veteran teammates whom he's supposed to lead. “You can't come in flamboyantly. And I don't plan to. (Gotta) come in and earn the guys' respect. Even if they say you've got it, you've still got to go out and earn it. … That's your job as a quarterback, not only to go out and play well but be able to manage different personalities.”
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May 10, 2012
Broncos' front-office split gives Elway undisputed final say
Hired by Mike Shanahan, promoted by Josh McDaniels and retained by John Elway, Brian Xanders' four years with the Broncos saw him emerge as one of the few constants amid dizzying tumult.
But as the Broncos finally settle down and embrace a short-term task designed around recently signed quarterback Peyton Manning and a long-term team-building plan around returning defensive rookie of the year Von Miller and second-round pick Brock Osweiler, the clock finally ran out on Xanders on May 7.
The Broncos referred to Xanders' departure not as a dismissal, but a “parting of the ways.”
“Brian deserves a tremendous amount of credit and recognition for the contributions he made to the Broncos during his four years with the organization,” Elway said in a statement. “His hard work and dedication played a major role in the recent success of our team, most notably last season's division title and playoff win.”
That Xanders endured this long was something of an upset, particularly after Elway assumed the reins in January 2011.
Xanders wasn't merely a holdover from the wreckage of the McDaniels administration, but he owed his position to McDaniels himself, having ascended from assistant general manager when he was chosen over fellow assistant GM Jeff Goodman, who was ousted along with his father, director of player personnel Jim Goodman, in February 2009. Yet in spite of his deep connection to McDaniels, Elway wasted no time keeping Xanders when he accepted his position.
“Where do we get started? The first thing we are going to do is retain Brian Xanders,” Elway said at his introductory press conference on Jan. 5, 2011. “He was awarded that (general manager) title, but never really given that chance to be the general manager of the Denver Broncos. He is going to be awarded that chance.”
But in the 16 months that followed, Xanders didn't have the responsibilities typical of a general manager who did not answer to his head coach. Elway had final say, making Xanders an NFL rarity -- and an endangered species.
Elway needed Xanders to help shepherd him through the nuances of football management, which he had never experienced prior to last year beyond a six-year stint as part-owner of an Arena Football League club. It proved to be an eventful year unlike any in NFL history, scuttled by the offseason lockout and punctuated by a compressed free-agency period that overlapped with training camp. In Denver, it was further complicated by the Broncos' quarterbacking dilemma between Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton, who was nearly traded but eventually became the Broncos' Week 1 starter.
None of that was conducive to reversing a steady five-year slide from AFC finalist in 2005 to 4-12 doormat. Yet with Elway, Xanders and coach John Fox operating as what Elway termed a “three-legged stool,” the Broncos navigated choppy waters to win the underwhelming AFC West with an 8-8 record, then defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in the wild-card round a week later.
The arrangement seemed to be working, and no signs of discord were apparent as Xanders helped oversee the Broncos' draft preparations and free-agency plan in recent months. But the offsseason hiring of former agent Mike Sullivan as Broncos capologist and the promotion of Matt Russell to the director of player personnel greased the skids for Xanders' exit.
Elway told The Denver Post that the Broncos' football operations would be “streamlined.” No general manager will be added, and Xanders' former duties will be absorbed by others, including Russell, Sullivan, director of pro personnel Keith Kidd and Elway himself, who retains the title of executive vice president but is for all practical purposes the Broncos' general manager.
“I believe a change to the structure of our football operations will be mutually beneficial, allowing the department to improve its efficiency while affording Brian the opportunity to continue his promising career with another NFL team,” Elway said.
“The setup we have throughout every phase of our football operations will better position us for success going forward.”
Russell and Kidd joined the Broncos during McDaniels' stewardship, but have extensive backgrounds as scouts -- something Elway appreciates from the experience of his late father, a longtime coach who was well-connected in NFL scouting circles and served as the Broncos' director of pro scouting from 1993-99.
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May 10, 2012
Vikings stadium bill headed to Senate for final vote
The Minnesota House conference committee voted early Thursday to approve an amended stadium bill that asks less of the state, and more of the Vikings.
In the initial proposal voted on in the House on Monday, the Vikings were asked to foot $427 million of the $975 million stadium project. The House amended the bill to ask the team for $105 million more. But after the state Senate moved Tuesday to approve a vastly different proposal -- it asked just $25 million more from the Vikings -- the House lowered its demands.
Vikings vice president Lester Bagley said the Wilf Family and Vikings were agreeable to the terms adopted by the House's proposed bill at 1:28 a.m. Thursday, which reduces the state's portion of the cost from $398 million to $348 million.
The Minnesota Senate was scheduled to convene at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Approval in that chamber's conference committee sends the bill to the desk of Gov. Mark Dayton, who has long supported the construction plan.
With the additional cost, the Vikings were able to retain stadium naming rights that were proposed to go to the state.
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May 9, 2012
2012 Fantasy Football Comeback Players: Quarterbacks
- Written by Brad Berreman
Each season, there are players that disappoint fantasy football owners as their performance fails to live up to their name recognition or justify where they were drafted. Many factors play into these disappointments, most notably injuries to the specific player or those around him, but shrewd owners can often take advantage the following year and get a discount on draft day. Taking advantage of such opportunities can often lead to deep playoff run or even a fantasy football league title for those owners that guess right on players who are in line to rebound.
Here are two quarterbacks that fantasy football owners hope to see come back in a big (or at least reasonable) way this season. Only you can decide which guys you’ll forgive and draft again in 2012 and those you’ll cross off your Draft Day cheat sheet.
Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams
2011 Stats: 2,164 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 53.5 completion percentage
Last year was an unquestioned disaster for Bradford, as he missed six games with an ankle injury and was not very good when he was active. Bradford never had multiple touchdown passes in a game and only threw for more than 260 yards twice as a lack of pass protection and reliable receivers hampered him.
The Rams addressed the need to add talent around Bradford in this year’s NFL draft, adding depth at running back in Isaiah Pead and wide receivers Brian Quick and Chris Givens. These options could step into significant roles immediately. Veteran wide receiver Steve Smith, most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, was also added in free agency and could be a reliable target for Bradford if he can be healthy.
Bradford will be learning his third offense in three NFL seasons under new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, however things can really not be any worse than they were in 2011 for the entire Rams franchise. Fantasy football owners can regard the former No.1 overall pick as a solid QB2 in standard leagues, with some upside to be more if things come together.
Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2011 Stats: 3,592 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 22 interceptions; 238 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns
Freeman had a major regression in his second full season as a starter in 2011, as he failed to build on his breakout 2010 season (22 touchdowns, six interceptions) and the Buccaneers as a whole had a lost season that ultimately led to a coaching change when Raheem Morris was fired and replaced by former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano.
Tampa Bay seems to have made adding talent around Freeman a priority this offseason, as they signed a legit No.1 wide receiver (Vincent Jackson) in free agency and used their second first-round pick on a running back (Doug Martin) to push incumbent starter LeGarrette Blount. Working with a new offensive coordinator, with Mike Sullivan coming over from the New York Giants, should allow Freeman to recapture his success from 2010.
Freeman brings running ability to the table as well, which creates opportunities for extra fantasy points with yards and touchdowns on the ground. He should be looked at as a high-end QB2 in most drafts, with the strong possibility he can become a QB1 as the season goes on.
2012 Fantasy Football Comeback Players: QB | RB | WR | TE | K (click to view)
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May 9, 2012
Bears CB Frey agrees to 4-year deal
Cornerback Isaiah Frey agreed to a four-year deal with the Bears. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The 184th overall pick in the sixth round of last month's NFL Draft, Frey had 141 tackles and seven interceptions in 51 career games with Nevada.
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