NFL Jabber 6/14/07

Byron Leftwich and David Garrard are saying that they have been warned of Daunte Culpepper being brought in for a visit.

"Anytime you have a quarterback of Daunte's caliber, it's smart to look into it, especially with me having one year left on my contract," Leftwich said.

Bill Walsh made a stop by Raiders practice. How cool would that be?

"It was important for me to get (Walsh) over here to practice," Kiffin said. "It's one thing to ask a question. It's another thing to have him watch practice and get some thoughts from him on what he's seeing out there and to spend more time with him obviously with some other questions. I've spent some time preparing for him."

Tom Coughlin is tired of all the pissing and moaning of his players.

"Let's just play the game -- talk is cheap -- let's play the game," Coughlin said as the Giants opened a mandatory three-day minicamp. "I would like it to stay that way."

Technorati : camp, coughlin, culpepper, football, giants, jaguars, nfl, raiders, walsh
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NFL Jabber 6/13/07

Laurence Maroney is set to be the star back in New England. I like this kid. Reading this, it doesn't sound like he has a cocky bone in his body.

J.T. O'Sullivan threw for four TD's in NFL Europe this weekend. How long before the Bears fans get wind of this and call for him to get Grossman's spot?

Thomas Jones has been running with a chip on his shoulder since the Bears drafted Cedric Benson. Makes me wonder how that chip is going to make him run in New York since the Bears traded him away.

The Raiders are going to be playing more of a "left safety and right safety" defensive backfield than the traditional "strong safety and free safety" sort.

Kellen Winslow is taking the Shoeless Joe approach to practice.

Technorati : bears, browns, football, jets, maroney, nfl, o'sullivan, patriots, raiders, sports, thomas jones, winslow
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NFL Jabber 6/12/07

Giving up a day off is not such a bad thing when your Kendrick Clancy. After being cut by the Cards he is straight to work with the Saints.

"I really don't have any time off, so I'm just going straight into the workouts," Clancy said after practice Monday. "Coming in, they give me this playbook and say you need to know this by Monday. It's cool though. I'm playing catch-up. I guess they're not going to just put me in the fire just like that. I'll get it.

"It was no fun when (the Cardinals) came to me and said to either take a pay cut or you're going to get released. I didn't want to take a pay cut to be out there. I kind of figure I could get on a team that was going to make the playoffs."

Tony Romo is ready to get paid...and he would like to see it before the season starts.

Our guest this week on "Cashing in on an NFL Player" is Lions DT, Shaun Rogers. Headlines read... "Stripper: Lions' Rogers touched me." Was it when the $1 was being put in your G-String or when you were straddling his lap with your chest in his face? I have been in....I mean, heard about strip clubs. Many have a "no touching rule" that gets broken when a customer cops a feel. From what I have "heard" you get reminded of the rule or ejected...doesn't usually make national news. Who knows though...he could have been all over her like she was a jelly roll. I'm sure we will hear more soon and the pictures of her can't be far behind.

Jones Soda, a local product that has knocked Coke out of Seahawk games, is getting an all star cast to pimp it.

"What a lineup. We are really excited about this," said Peter van Stolk, founder and chief executive of Jones Soda. "It's our goal to create a new fan experience."

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, tackle Walter Jones, linebacker Lofa Tatupu, wide receiver Deion Branch and kicker Josh Brown will be featured on bottles in the 2007 season.

Technorati : cowboys, football, jones soda, kendrick clancy, lions, nfl, saints, seahawks, seattle, shaun rogers, sports, strip club, stripper, tony romo
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NFL Jabber 6/10/07

So Chad Johnson ran a race with a horse...and won. A feat that Cris Collensworth could not pull off in 1993.

"Floyd Mayweather, you're next," Johnson said. "I want to fight you. I'd like to take Kobe and LeBron one-on-one. Jeff Gordon, we can take a couple laps. ... Now it's my time to take over the race world."

The Jon Kitna is sweet on the new kid in school.

"No question," quarterback Jon Kitna said after Friday's practice at DetroitRenaissanceHigh School. "The kid is as good as everybody said he was, or better. Every play was designed for Calvin," Kitna said. "He handled it great. He seems to be fine. He's the first one on the field. He takes care of his body."

Drew Brees is Batman. He will be doing a good deed in your town soon.

With the additions of Randy McMichael and Drew Bennett, the St. Louis media is starting to hype the O, comparing to the "Greatest Show on Turf." Could have been fueled by Steven Jackson saying he wants to get 2500 total yards this season.

The players in San Diego are getting giddy with Norv Turner's Offense.

Technorati : bengals, calvin johnson, chad johnson, chargers, drew Brees, football, jail, lions, nfl, offense, rams, saints, sports
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NFL Jabber 6/8/07

I suggested a week or so ago that if they wanted to be taken seriously prosecuting Mike Vick they needed someone not named Poindexter. The Feds have moved in and stole Poindexter's thunder. How is he supposed to make his "bones" if someone else is digging them up?

"This comes as a shocker to me," Poindexter said. "That's the thing that's so strange, that they've taken such an interest in this. Michael Vick is so big, I guess they want in, too. They want some of this limelight. It's like someone wants to make their bones (reputation) on this case."

Tom Brady is knocking his new WR's down a little bit. It sounds as if he doesn't want people to think these guys are going to "save" the Pats. If I was Tom and didn't like the spotlight on my personal life I would let them have it.

"You hear so much about the new guys, and I kind of take offense a little bit to the guys we had last year and how hard they worked," Brady said. "We were in the AFC Championship game. I think over the last half of the season we threw the ball pretty effectively, and Reche had the best year of his career, Jabar had one of the best years of his career, Troy [Brown] had a great year, Ben [Watson] had the best year of his career. So a lot of guys put in a lot of work last year.

"I think everyone thinks that we get all these new players and all of a sudden we're destined for these huge expectations, but that's not the way it works in football. You've got to go out and everybody's got to find a role and you've got to do the little things that you don't really recognize on TV."

Daunte Culpepper does not want to sit around and wait like his new (for now) teammate, Trent Green. He is asking to be released.

"I must say the impatience the organization displayed in both encouraging me to rush back on the field last year and then rushing me out the door this year is disappointing," Culpepper said. "However, I understand that they have the right to make that business decision. It is now my turn to make some decisions."

Things have been quiet on the Jets front this offseason. They did pick up a stud RB and the offense is excited about their passing game.

Jerry Jones likes having a National Enquirer rep leading his team.

"We all want Tony to be everything he can be on the field," Jones said. "From my perspective, I like his colorfulness off the field. That is good for the Cowboys and good for football. There is an element here that is entertainment and you have to back it up with action. But if you are in my shoes, you are looking at the Cowboys franchise ... our role and where we are from an entertainment standpoint."

It's good to have goals SJax!

"My goal is 2,500 total yards from scrimmage," Jackson saidThursday. "And how I get it doesn't matter. But I want to get to that number."

Technorati : cowboys, culpepper, dog, dolphins, falcons, federal, football, jery jones, jets, micheal vick, nfl, partiots, rams, sports, steven jackson, tom brady, tony romo
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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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NFL Jabber 6/6/07

New Bronco, Sam Adams, is five pounds lighter than his listed weight of 350...which basically means they weighed him before lunch.

Now with Trent Green is gone the Chiefs can concentrate on keeping Larry Johnson unhappy.

So on the same day that the Fins get Green...Culpepper is shooting off the email letting everyone know he has medical clearance...

'Andrews did a thorough exam with X-rays and gave me a very positive report and clearance for this week's mini-camp,'' Culpepper wrote Tuesday. ``Today, the Dolphins also cleared me so I am preparing to practice tomorrow [Wednesday]."

Mike Martz is playing Pop-Warner coach with Drew Stanton.

"He broke the way I hold the ball, putting my fingers up and more toward the point of the ball so it can really roll off my index finger," Stanton said. "He rotated my wrist, too, so that the ball turns out with my grip so that I can snap it more. I hold the ball tight to my chest now, instead of holding it back a bit, which led to things like my front shoulder going down and the weight not being on my back knee like he wanted it to be."

Vernand Morency wants to be the next surprise RB to come off the bench in the NFL.

"I really don't pay a lot of attention to what people are saying or what's in the newspapers," Morency said. "People questioning me is something that has been with me my whole life. In high school (in Miami), I had to follow my brother as the running back. Then in college at Oklahoma State, it was Tatum Bell. There's always been uncertainty about me replacing somebody. That doesn't affect me. I just go out and work harder."

Technorati : broncos, chiefs, culpepper, dolphins, football, green, larry johnson, lions, morency, nfl, packers, sam adams, sports, stanton, trent green
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It's getting Green in Miami...

FINALLY! It's over. Trent Green is now a Dolphin. The Chiefs get a 5th rounder in the 2008 draft that can become a 4th rounder depending on playing time. So we know they have the bigger balls in KC. These two teams have been waiting for the other to crack for months.

It's a good thing Cullpepper doesn't think about these kinds of things...

Technorati : chiefs, dolphins, draft, kansas city, miami, nfl, trade, trent green
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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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NFL Jabber 6/5/07

The Chargers have signed TE Scott Chandler to a four-year deal. Could make for some dangerous two TE sets if they want to use them.

"It was kind of surprise that it got taken care of so quickly but I'm really glad to have it done," Chandler said. "I didn't think it would happen until just before training camp but everything came together smoothly and I can just focus on getting settled and playing football."

First step for new Raiders coach, Lane Kiffen? Do the opposite of Art Shell in every way.

David Patten is looking to get his career back on track in New Orleans. Good place for him as the Saints won't expect him to be a superstar and they spread the ball around similar to his old team in New England.

The BIG news in Denver is that Sam Adams has been signed to join the new D-Line.

With Darrell Jackson gone somebody has to step up at WR in Seattle.

"Darrell has been a great part of our offense for seven years, and we will miss him," receivers coach Nolan Cromwell said. "But there's always changes -- people move on and retire. So other people have got to step up and make plays."

Porn Star, Lisa Ann Taylor (aka Mellisa Wolf) thinks that Tom Brady's boy next door looks make him the Sexiest Athlete. Do I smell a film career for Tom beyond SNL?

Kendrick Clancy and Milford Brown are going to be asked to take paycuts.

So some Bucs are going to be walking off the starters plank this year. Stephen F. Holder at www.sptimes.com rounds up the possible victims.

Technorati : broncos, buccaneers, bucs, cardinals, chargers, darrell jackson, david patton, football, lisa ann tayolr, nfl, patriots, porn, raiders, saints, sam adams, scott chandler, seahawks, sports, tom brady
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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
Ice Rocket : 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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