NFL Jabber 6/7/07

Robert Meachem is not off to a great start as the Saints first round pick. He showed up overweight, sprained his ankle, and now has had knee surgery...all within a little over a month of being drafted. He is expected to be back by training camp.

"I kind of feel discouraged a little bit because I want to show the coaches what I can do and you can't show them what you can do when you're hurt," Meachem said Wednesday. "For me, it's going to be a time I've got to keep praying and just stay focused -- don't let the knee injury get to me."

The Culpepper to Raiders talk is starting. Cam Inman of contracostatimes.com Is getting the debate fired up.

"What do the Raiders have to lose? It's not as if they're married to McCown, whom they took from Detroit in the offseason for a fourth-round draft pick. As for Walter, we learned Wednesday he recently underwent knee surgery, further lowering his stock."

Former Steeler, Jerome Bettis, has opened "Grill 36" a few hundred yards from Heinz Field. That isn't the story here, it's a lead up to me letting you know Kordell Stewert is still alive as he was one of the guests on Tuesday.

Chad Greenway is pumped about getting on the field for real.

"It's just about learning your position and learning the ins-and-outs and when you can maybe jump a route," Greenway said Wednesday after the Vikings had wrapped up another practice during a week of organized team activities. "Just kind of learn that process. ... Those first couple games I'm going to be out there flying around trying to make plays. As the season goes on, I'll be able to become a smarter player by listening to what E.J. says, what the coaches say. Just kind of learn from my own experiences."

Technorati : bettis, culpepper, football, greenway, meachem, nfl, raiders, saints, sports, steelers, vkikings
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More NFL Jabber 6/5/07

Odell Thurman accused of assault over the weekend. Just when things start to look up for the kid...

Alot of people thought that the Giants were getting the same guy as Sinorice Moss when they drafted Steve Smith. Moss doesn't seem to have a problem with it.

The Saints know they are not going to sneak up on anyone this year. Drew Brees isn't worried about it. "I pretty much know what this situation feels like," Brees said.

"Oh-four, oh-five with the Chargers we went from a surprise team to a team that everybody was ready for and that didn't turn out the way we wanted." (It didn't turn out the way Brees wanted, either; the Chargers lowballed him in the offseason, leading to his signing with the Saints, the classic blessing-in-disguise that was painful at the time). I realize it's harder to repeat success than to be successful the
first time," said Brees. "It's going to be hard to do what we did last
year."

Lee Evans is making it easy to watch Bills practice.

Jerry Angelo did some Q&A with Bears fans.

What type of season would Rex Grossman have to have for the Bears to re-sign him, and would you consider signing him to an extension during the season if he meets your expectations?

Gurleen B.
Northbrook, Illinois

"We wouldn't rule anything out in terms of when we would talk to Rex. All Rex has to do is keep doing what he's doing: developing as a quarterback. He had a very good year last year. We were disappointed as he was with the inconsistent play at times. But we feel good about Rex's future. We want Rex to be our quarterback for a long time. He's got to continue to go out and improve. He knows that. We need to see that obviously, but we feel real good about the direction he's going in."

Jerry Angelo

You got 16 games to become an NFL QB Rex.

Coach Crennel says Charlie Fry has the leg up on the Browns QB job right now. Not a very glowing endorsement though

..."Because he has the most experience," Crennel said Tuesday after the Browns went through another practice as part of their organized team activities (OTAs). "That's the edge that he has."

Technorati : bearsodell thurman, bengals, bills, browns, charlie fry, crenell, drew brees, football, giants, jerry angelo, lee evans, moss, nfl, rex grossman, saints, sports, steve smith
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More NFL Jabber 6/4/07

ESPN continues it's "The Best" series. Today, The Best Defensive player...2 votes for Brian Urlacher, 2 votes for Champ Bailey. To break the tie I'm going to vote that Len Pastabelly's vote doesn't count so Urlacher wins.

Previously they have covered...

• The Best: Player you've never heard of


• The Best: Wide receiver


• The Best: Coach


• The Best: Quarterback


• The Best: Player I'd start a franchise with

Looks like they are tacking a felony obstruction of justice on to former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jack Trudeau's contributing charge.

For the second year in a row the Cardinals have sold out their season tickets.

Tank Johnson gets to sit out for half the season. I'm guessing he will gladly take that over the time he did in Casa Cook County.

"One day I want to be the face of the league for guys who have come through adversity and ultimately become the Man of the Year in the NFL," Johnson said in May following his release from jail. "That would be a tremendous ending to this story. That's something I'm striving for. I would love to do that."

Former Bills RB, Thurman Thomas, is getting set for his big day in Canton.

Given the drafting of a Center in the 2nd round by the Panthers, Justin Hartwig is wondering about his job.

"I was really surprised," Hartwig said Monday. "You immediately start to question things about yourself and what the team is doing."

Rod Marinelli is pleased with the turnout and work of his boys at minicamp.

"The attendance has been great," Marinelli said after Monday's workout. "The work's been great. I appreciate their work. I tell them that every day.

"Obviously, it's not mandatory. I think they've taken a tremendous professional approach to this game -- a real professional football team. They come out every day. They just go out and work -- the same pace, the same tempo.

"I've been very impressed with them."

Robert Meachum will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow. He looks to miss 3-4 weeks.

Technorati : bailey, bears, best, bills, cardianls, colts, espn, football, jack trudeau, justin hartwig, lions, marinelli, meachum, nfl, panthers, saints, sports, tank johnson, thurman thomas, urlacher
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NFL Jabber 6/4/07

What a crappy QB battle in Kansas City. I feel for the fans. You have Trent Green, who is just taking up space right now, waiting for a call from another team. He is taking away reps from...Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. And at this point they have no idea who is going to win this nail biter (I'm guessing not Green as he keeps looking at his watch and then at the phone).

Not all Redskin fans are convinced that Jason Campell is the answer.

Lorenzo Booker is going a little nuts in the temp housing. Perfect for a Dolphins RB.

''I can't take it, man,'' said Booker, currently lodged at the local spot in Davie where rookies typically stay until they find more permanent housing. ``One week in this place is enough. I need to find a house as soon as possible.''

As the Saints wrap minicamp, rookie WR, Robert Meachum, wraps his leg and sits out. He wouldn't speak to reporters but Drew Brees commented on him.

"I like him," Brees said. "I think he's been real hampered by his ankle and that sort of thing, but I think he's got a lot of talent. I really like the way he catches the ball. He attacks it, and I think he's going to be a big run-after-catch kind of guy. He's going to be big and physical, kind of hard to bring down, kind of like a (Marques) Colston. So I think he'll add a nice dimension to our offense."

Tarvaris Jackson is doing well in practice...until they have people coming at him.

The Bengals minicamp will be featured on the NFL Network today.

It appears that Curtis Martin's retirement is not set in stone...or is it?

Technorati : battle, bengals, brodie croyle, camp, chiefs, curtis martin, damon, dolphins, football, huard, jason campell, jets, lorenzo booker, meachum, mini, network, nfl, redskins, saints, sports, tarvaris, trent green, vikings
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NFL Jabber 6/3/07

Players on the Ravens feel they are going to be knocking on the door of the Super Bowl in 2007.

HBO is going to joining the Chiefs for camp this year.

Trent Green was up in the rotation to work with the first team at practice.

Cam Cameron is scoring points with the fans and players.

''Cameron really gets into the community stuff a lot more than Saban did,'' linebacker Channing Crowder said at Friday night's Captain's Party at Miami Beach Marina. ``A lot more guys want to come out to these things. He brings out a lot more of the old players, makes it kind of a Dolphin family really.

``With Saban, it was much more about winning on the field. Cam runs a much better overall program and I think Cam is great for Miami.''

Jennifer Floyd Engel has come up with a new deal for T.O.

Drew Brees is taking notice of the strides Devery Henderson has made.

"It was funny because we watched some cut-ups today from last year's minicamp," Brees said. "You watch Devery then and when you watch Devery now and I think the way he carries himself and his confidence level and kind of what he's experienced over the last year I think he's such a better player now than he was last year. He continues to get better and he's still a young player. He can do so many great things for us. He's such a weapon."

With all the barking about Mike Vick, the Joe Horn to Atlanta story has kind of fizzled. For those still listening, Joe is happy to be a Falcon.

Technorati : HBO, cam cameron, chiefs, cowboys, dolfins, drew brees, falcons, football, joe horn, nfl, ravens, saints, sports, super bowl, terrell ownes
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NFL Jabber 6/1/07

Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers are now back to full strength and on the field.

"I thought they looked good," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I mean, (Favre) just anticipates so well, and those are valuable reps for the younger players. You can see, one or two to James Jones, coming out of the break and the ball's there, those are the little things that you just can't get enough of, and I thought he threw the ball well.

"I think Aaron's throwing the ball extremely well. He's been throwing the ball well all spring, and now we've cut him loose medically. I'm very pleased with the progress he's made."

Despite the loss of Will Shields, the Chiefs are not concerned with their O-Line going into this season.

Thomas Jones is impressing staff and teammates at workouts.

"As you guys can see, he's a physical specimen," quarterback Chad Pennington said with a laugh after the team's voluntary workouts Thursday. "He works extremely hard," Pennington said. "He's never the first guy out. He's always staying in there, doing a little extra. He's a true professional."

One of the most interesting RB battles this season for me is going to be in Dallas. Chances are the loser here won't be around in 2008.

Mike Vick is becoming true tabloid material. If there is nothing else to say...talk about his haircut.

In real Mike Vick news...Air Tran is not going to renew his pitch contract.

DeAngelo Williams is dropping some pounds.

Cardinals camp may open two days earlier this year. The last few years it was not very fan friendly because it started on a Sunday. Beginning on a Friday would allow more fans to make the trip to Flagstaff.

The Bengals are set to go full speed in minicamp.

The Saints are not letting last season get them over confident.

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Lance Briggs played hooky from camp

While Lovie Smith was going over the History lesson, Lance Briggs was ditching school. The stare down continues...

clipped from msn.foxsports.com Briggs a no-show at Bears minicamp LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) - Disgruntled Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs was a no-show as expected Friday when the Chicago Bears opened a three-day minicamp. "History tells me that guys will occasionally miss minicamp," coach Lovie Smith said. "History will tell you that they're sometimes late for training camp, some maybe miss training camp. "History tells me that players don't miss an entire football season. Lance is a part of us. We would like to have him here. Hopefully in time we'll get him back."

tag: nfl, football, bears hold out, lance briggs, lovie smith, camp