NFL Jabber 6/16/07

The NFLPA is working overtime this week. They feel the Raiders are "too committed." The Raiders will be punished...they must be dealt with.

"I was notified that the (NFL) Players (Association) believes our total commitment to improving our football team has resulted in some violations of rules regarding practice standards," Lane Kiffin said in a statement released by the club. "The union has complained about the high level of intensity, player aggressiveness and fast pace of our practices and as a result, has taken away the final week of our offseason program."

It's all fun and games until someone gets shot in the nuts. Cheesy I know but I couldn't resist. Redskins rookie D-Back, LaRon Landry could not practice on Friday do to a paintball to the groin. His injury occurred while some of the gang went out to play Wednesday after work.

"I didn't know paintball was that dangerous," linebacker Marcus Washington said. "I hope it wasn't friendly fire."

San Antonio officials are looking to cash in on the Hispanic roots of Tony Romo when he and the boys come down for training camp this summer. They are hoping that people from the place that used to be Mexico will flock from miles around to see a successful Hispanic athlete. I don't usually pay attention to ethnicity but this is news...I would have guessed by the name that he was Italian.

"That's the way I would write the story line if I could," said John Solis, the bureau's executive assistant director of sales and marketing.

"Coming down to a city with 60 percent Hispanic population, (Romo) will have a lot of people surrounding him positively," Solis added. "We are looking forward to being tied to a class act."

Jeff Garcia "felt snubbed" by the Eagles. I think it's time you can quit crying and be happy that a team paid for you to be it's starter. When the Eagles do finally get rid of McNabb, he will be replaced by someone young enough to get away with having a MySpace page (I can say that because I'm only 36).

"I think there was a lot of anger within myself," the 37-year-old Garcia said, describing his feeling when the Eagles waived him goodbye after he led them into the playoffs last season as the very capable fill-in for the injured McNabb. "Here was finally a situation where I felt so comfortable and I felt like I had a good home and a good place, and I wanted to be able to experience more of that and, hopefully, not have to relocate all over again. That opportunity wasn't presented to me."

A few minutes later, Garcia gave a more abbreviated version: "I felt personally snubbed."

Technorati : buccaneers, bucs, cowboys, football, garcia, hispanic, landry, nfl, nflpa, paintball, players, practice, raiders, redskins, romo, sports
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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 6/7/07

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 6/5/07

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 5/30/07

Bucky Brooks at SI.com now gives us the 5 Defensive trends that are rising.

Apparently they couldn't keep the Tank fueled in Cook County lockup. It's reported that Tank Johnson spent $700 on junk food during his stay at Casa Cook.

Jerry Porter has decided that his fresh start does not have to include the number change from 84 to 81 after all. Not after learning it would cost him $210,00 in reimbursement to Reebok and the Raiders for the jerseys still hanging in a sporting goods store near you.

"Man, there's a couple of nice cars I'd like to get for that money," Porter said. "I could buy a nice vacation home, or at least go half on one with someone else."

In other Porter news...Joey Porter is shelling out $1000 for clocking Levi Jones. You may have heard about that...

Reggie Bush has joined former teammate Matt Leinhart in the tabloids. Kim Kardashian and Reggie have been linked and it's confirmed...they have been cozy!

Technorati : bears, bucky brooks, defense, dolphins, football, jerry porter, joey porter, kim kardashian, nfl, raiders, reggie bush, saints, sports, tank johnson

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NFL Jabber 5/26/07

Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson is now declining comment on Chris Henry. I think calling him a "lowlife" earlier this week may have been enough said.

Edmondson said he has "nothing else to say about the case, and don't call anyone else in this office, because they're not talking either."

Asked which one of his former teammates should try Mixed Martial Arts as well, former NFL WR, Johnie Morton says Priest Holmes.

So Tank Johnson doesn't have to worry about getting his spanking this weekend since the Commish office is closed. A suspension is expected...stay tuned.

Everyone knows that Michael Bush MIGHT be a steal where he was drafted. We likely won't know until next season. For now Bush is happy to be where he is at.

"I was a little disappointed by the draft, but that's OK," Bush said after a recent team practice he watched from the sideline. "Oakland's my home. Now I just come out here and show the guys that they missed out on something good. Right now, I'm just glad to be in this situation."

Long time Saint, Fred McAfee has taken a job as the teams babysitter.

One year NFL Vet, Marques Colston, is playing mentor to rookie WR Rober Meachum.

Daunte Culpepper has given a glowing endorsement for the Dolphins telling Trent Green, ''it's not going to be a cakewalk'' for him or anyone else that goes to the Dolphins.

With all the names that the Niners brought in this year, Darrell Jackson is looked at as the key.

The Niners are saying they will take the heat on the new stadium proposal.

Adrian Peterson has done well impressing Brad Childress in workouts.

"He's done a great job, particularly in drills, with all the pass stuff," Childress said. "The run stuff comes very easy to him as well as you would think, but you get drilled with the nuances of the pass game."

Starting to think Mike Ditka doesn't care for Gene Upshaw.

"They're the people who are irresponsible," Ditka said of Upshaw and his fellow union leaders. "Nobody is less deserving of his position because he has no comprehension of what it means to give back to the game. He's a fraud."

Technorati : 49'ers, bears, bengals, bush, colston, ditka, edmondson, football, henry, jackson, johnson, mcafee, meachum, nfl, nflpa, peterson, raiders, saints, sports, vikings

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NFL Jabber 5/23/07

 Justin Gage knows he didn't make a very good first impression as a Titan.

"Very sluggish, very slow,'' is how Gage described his early days as a Titan. "It was more trying to get the plays down and thinking more than reacting and playing.''

This could be the breakout year for Jags TE, Marcedes Lewis.

The Redskins are apologizing for the mouth of Clinton Portis.

"The Washington Redskins, as an organization, obviously would never condone anything related to animal cruelty," the team's statement said. "The team takes the recent comments of Clinton Portis very seriously and apologizes to everyone that was offended."

An Arizona killer left this world with the last words..."Go Raiders."

Drew Brees feels the Saints are in better shpae this year at WR than last.

"We have a great group of receivers," said Brees, who was in no way hindered by his recovery from a dislocated, non-throwing (left) elbow injury he sustained in the Pro Bowl on Feb. 9 in Honolulu. "You're already seeing where it's going to piece together. We've got so many good guys. I'm excited about our options. We knew what we could accomplish based on last year, but I feel we could get so much better.

"We've been throwing together for the last four weeks. We've been doing our quarterback/receiver/tight end/running back throwing sessions twice a week for the last four weeks. So we've had some of that time together. Obviously, that hasn't been with any defense. You get it to where it's second nature and guys know the route depths and they know when the ball is coming out of my hand. So when you get out there, forget that there's a defense there, we're just going to play catch."

NFL Jabber 5/19/07

Lovie Smith placed Jamar Williams in the place of Lance Briggs on Friday. Mike Brown also returned.

McNabb wants everyone to know he is more than the Eagles QB...maybe in case he isn't the Eagles QB soon?

"A lot of people might just look at me as the quarterback of the team; they kind of just leave it at that," McNabb said after showing off his novice golf swing for the benefit of TV cameras. "They have to understand, I'm more than just a quarterback. I'm a father, a husband, a caring person that loves kids and is willing to do whatever I can do to help the next man out."

Keyshawn is in no hurry to make a move but calls his visit with the Titans a "good one."

"I am looking at my options just like they are looking at theirs. At the end of the day, it was a good visit with the coaches," Johnson said.

"Now I guess they'll meet as a staff and determine whether or not it's a fit, and I'll work with my people and start working out some things.

"I don't have any timetable (for signing), to be honest with you. I don't have any rush on my part. I'll see what happens, and we'll see how things progress. But it's still early in the game for me."

Meanwhile, Johnson said yesterday that he is interested in a job with the Raiders.

Broncos TE, Tony Scheffler broke his foot running a route in camp.

Daunte Culpepper practiced yesterday but Coach Cameron declines looking to far into it.

"Until a guy is 100 percent, it is not fair to evaluate him," Cameron said. "That's the approach. Keep it simple. When the guy is 100 percent, evaluate him and then go from there."

Curtis Martin has not announced retirement but is suing his insurance co. because he is "totally disabled."

tag: nfl, football, sports, broncos, raiders, titans, jets, dolphins, eagles, bears, jamar williams, lance briggs, mike brown, mcnabb, keyshawn johnson, tony scheffler, curtis martin

NFL Jabber 5/18/07

It's an open competition at QB in Oakland and JaMarcus Russell is okay with that.

"I'm a team player," Russell said when asked about the possibility of being an understudy. "I'm one of the biggest cheerleaders they have right now. I'm the type of player, I would love to be out there. Whatever it is to help my teammates, I'm here to do that."

Rookie Adam Carriker is going to start at one of the D-tackle spots for the Rams.

Keyshawn Johnson is set to make his visit to the Titans today.

"He's a possibility here," General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said. "You look at the consistency of his career, year-in, year-out he's been a productive guy. He's a big guy, a big target, a possession guy, a veteran. I think those are things that would interest us."

Rod Marinelli is pumped about the speed they have in Detroit.

"If you haven't seen us for a year, you go, 'Wow,' " Marinelli said after practice. "They look different." We've got some really key veterans. We've got some youth coming. We've got the kind of speed I'm talking about on defense. The more speed you add to your defense, the faster your special teams get. There should be expectations here."

New Colts WR, Anthony Gonzales will have to miss minicamp to attend NFL sponsored event.

Same with Brandon Jackson in Green Bay.

The Panthers are still looking for help at Safety.

tag: nfl, football, panthers, packers, colts, lions, titans, raiders, rams, jamarcus russell, carriker, keyshawn johnson, marinelli, anthoney gonzales, brandon jackson

NFL Jabber 5/8/07

Philip Rivers and Norv Turner seem to have a mutual man-crush on each other.

“After being on the field, I'm even more excited,” Rivers said following one of Saturday's workouts. “We think a lot alike. He's just a ball coach. He just coaches guys. He's just out there.

“It's my style – just take it and throw it to him. Yeah, all the technique is there, and it gets coached up, but it's a real simple approach. That's how I've always played.”

Although not a glamorous pick, the Browns Joe Thomas fills a long time need on the O-line.

Jamarcus Russell is pleasing Lane Kiffen in Oakland.

"We're pleased where he's at and as soon as we can get him back here, we've got a lot of work to do with him,'' Kiffin said.

The Colts have given the boot to LB Gilbert Gardner.

Trent Green is still awaiting his fate in Kansas City.

Lovie Smith waits along with the rest of the football world to see if Lance Briggs will show for minicamp in two weeks.

"I have no idea," Smith said at the conclusion of the weekend's rookie mini-camp. "That's the first thing we've done that's mandatory, so I assume he'll be there. But if not, we'll go from there."

tag: nfl, trade, football, sports, chargers, bears, chiefs, dolphins, raiders, browns, colts,jamarcus russell, trent green, lance briggs, philip rivers, joe thomas

NFL Jabber 5/4/07

With Matt Hasselbeck still on the mend, Seneca Wallace and David Green will get the reps in minicamp.

The Titans first rounder, Michael Griffen, will be moving from Safety to CB.

After what some think the best draft in the league, the Browns stay at work with rookie free agents. They are bringing in nine of them.

The Cards could top that as they look to bring in 20.

The Bengals will have 14 at minicamp.

Greg Ellis isn't a fan of the 1st round pick of the Cowboys.

"This was not some generic thing -- the guy came to my house," the Cowboys linebacker said. "It's the next step. Everybody's assuming I'm gone."

As hard as the Chiefs try to replace him, Eddie Kennison just won't go away.

Cam Inman of the Contra Costa Times has some sour grapes about Randy Moss. He thinks it won't be such a steal for the Pats come playoff time...at elast they will have to worry about playoff time, right?

Yes folks, Curtis Martin is still in the league...

Roy Williams and Mike Furrey went to bat telling the Lions they wanted Calvin Johnson.

The Packers are one of the teams looking into Keyshawn Johnson.

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, football, packers, lions, raiders, patriots, jets, cowboys, bengals, cardinals, browns, titans, seahawks, matt hasselbeck, seneca wallace, david green, michael griffen, greg ellis, eddie kennison, randy moss, curtis martin, calvin johnson, keyshawn johnson

Patriots Loading Musketts

If the offseason in New England tells us anything it is that the Pats are loading up the musketts and are going Colt hunting. Their moves to aquire Wes Welker, Kelly Washington and Donte Stallworth made it obvious they were going to be prepared for a shoot out this time around.

Overshadowing everything else in the NFL Draft this weekend the Pats stole Randy Moss from the Raiders for a 4th round pick. Forget the baggage, this is a steal. It's like if you buy a car for $200 and it runs for a month, you got your moneys worth.

The Patriots are in the running every year but have cemented their spot as Super Bowl favorite for 2007 on Sunday. Ironically, the Colts lost both of their starting CB's from the Super Bowl run in 2006.

In his first move of showing he will be on his best behavior for his new team, Moss put up no fight on the money front. Moss reportedly restructured his deal to a one-year contract worth around $3-$4 million. A major drop from the $9.7 million he was set to make this year and $11.25 million next year.

It will be interesting to see how Moss handles being part of a "team" as he has not done that yet in his career.

tag: nfl, draft, trade, football, raiders, patriots, colts, randy moss, contract, stallworth, welker, washington

Randy Moss to the Patriots

Very Un-Patriot like move. Adam Schefter at The NFL Network reported that the Patriots are getting Randy Moss for a 4th round pick.

Randy Moss is on the verge of becoming a Patriot after New England agreed to send a fourth-round pick in Sunday's draft to Oakland for the mercurial and maddening wide receiver. Before the trade is completed, Moss must undergo a physical, which he arrived in New England on Sunday morning to take. Assuming Moss passes, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be passing him the ball next season in one of the most dynamic and electric quarterback-wide receiver combinations that has ever played in the NFL.

tag: nfl, draft, trade, football, patriots, raiders, randy moss

Peterson could make 1/2 of scary duo

Last season the Saints had no choice but to take Reggie Bush when he fell to the #2 spot the night before the draft. Bush made the perfect sidekick to Deuce McAllister in the new Saints offense. The pairing worked perfectly because Bush did not take away from the bread and butter running of Deuce. He was used more to spell McAllister, decoy, and in the passing game.

This season a team that seems to have their #1 running back could face a decision if Adrian Peterson falls to them. Peterson is a different type of RB but teams are leaning more toward the running back by committee approach. Peterson has been projected to go anywhere from 3# to the Browns all the way to #12 with the Bills. The reason for the big gap is that many of those teams appear to be set, or at least manageable at the RB position. Let's have a look at what kind of pairings could develop if someone did pull the trigger. (No, I'm not always addressing teams needs, I'm talking about if it were to happen.)

Raiders
With the glaring needs in other positions it won't happen. Beyond the other needs, the signing of Dominic Rhoads and the current starter LaMont Jordan would make it too crowded.

Lions
It could have happened here but the Lions went out and got T.J. Duckett and Tatum Bell to carry the rock while Kevin Jones is recovering.

Browns
Easily the first place it could happen. Don't let the Jamal Lewis signing fool you. He is not the long term, or possibly even the short term answer. It may be the perfect situation for Peterson to share the load with Lewis in his first season. Many rookie RB's run out of gas toward the end of their first season.

Bucs
This would be a long shot since the Bucs have Caddy Williams on the squad and he was picked just two years ago. Granted, he had somewhat of a bomb of a season last year but two top 5 RB's in three drafts isn't likely. It could make for a nice pairing though.

Cardinals
The Edge would not be happy but this is a tasty scenerio as well. James is getting older but thinks he is going to play forever so it wouldn't make for a pretty locker room. If they got past that though you could have another reason to think this will be the breakout year for the Cards offense.

Redskins
Another crowded backfield. The Skins like Ladell Betts but could move him on draft day if they wanted to make room for Peterson. Don't think it will happen but Peterson and Portis would make a nice pairing.

Vikings
This is actually another projected spot for Peterson to fall. Chester Taylor had a decent season but he isn't the home run hitting franchise back that Peterson will be. The Vikings have not had THE guy since Robert Smith retired.

Falcons
Jerious Norwood had a decent rookie campaign last season. Peterson coming to Atlanta would give them the significant threat at the position though. They say they want to pound the ball and this could do it.

Dolphins
Like the Bucs, you don't take two RB's in the top 10 in three years. Pairing Peterson with Ronnie Brown could be interesting. Ricky Williams coming back could make for a crowded backfield but trading him away could make room for Peterson. Longest shot since the raiders in my eyes.

Texans
Another landing spot for Peterson on many mock drafts. Like the Browns, the Texans went out and got an RB in free agency in Ahman Green. Call me crazy but I think that Kubiak guy has been know to use more than one RB in Denver. I would love to see this be the place for Peterson to fall and that is because I want to see the Texans succeed.

49'ers
Frank Gore came out like a warrior last season. Not a logical choice at all but what a scary duo it would make .

Bills
No team needs Peterson more than the Bills. McGahee is gone and Anthony Thomas has not been the answer since his rookie season. The Bills would be blessed if Peterson somehow fell this far.

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, football, trade, sports, saints, raiders, lions, buccaneers, browns, cardinals, redskins, vikings, falcons, dolphins, texans, 49'ers, bills, adrian peterson, thomas, gore, ahman green, ricky williams, ronnie brown, cadilac williams, norwood, chester taylor, ladell betts, portis, edgerin james, jamal lewis, duckett, tatum bell, rhoads, jordan

NFL Jabber 4/18/07

Joe Thomas is going to be skipping the Draft Day invite to New York. Instead he will continue a family tradition fishing with his father on Lake Michigan that lands on that weekend.

Smokescreen a rising in Baltimore... Ozzie Newsome hinted that the Ravens could take a QB late in the first round.

The Pats continue to add free agents. This weeks edition has then signing CB Tory James.

"I think Tory was really impressed with how in-depth Coach Belichick went, expressing how he visualized using him and the feel he had for his game, his techniques, and his strengths," said Mark Bartelstein, James's agent.

Brady Quinn has made his stop in Oakland.

SI.com's Don Banks lists his top five players in the draft to make an immediate impact in 2007. Marshawn Lynch tops his list.


Jacksonville.com has a cool rundown of the history of the draft being televised. The annual show that almost never was...

tag: nfl, draft, football, free agency, raiders, ravens, patriots, joe thomas, ozzie newsome, tory james, brady quinn, marshawn lynch

Jabber 4/11/07

The NFL is set to release it's schedule today...finally!

"On Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern, everything about the 2007 NFL schedule will be revealed. The schedule release day is becoming more and more like an unofficial holiday every spring. ESPN and The NFL Network each have two-hour specials. Fans have opportunities to study their schedule and map out their falls, particularly if they plan to travel to a few road games of their favorite teams."

Rick Maese of The Baltimore Sun plays a game of "what if" regarding the new Commish's hard hand on the bad boys. Maese goes back to the Ray Lewis starring on Court T.V. days and ponders what may have been had Lewis got the wrath that Pacman and Henry did from the league.

Mike Williams and Josh McCown played hooky from the voluntary mini-camp. Both players have been rumored to be in trade talks.

The Vikings had 25 players in for pre-draft visits yesterday.

Is it Johnson...is it Russell? Only Kiffen and his staff know. "

It's a great situation, obviously," Kiffin said of owning the rights to the top overall pick. "We're the only ones that control our own destiny. Obviously, we're looking at a number of options with players and also with trades."

Tony Dungy gives the commish a "Give'em hell Rodg."

"I applaud him," the Indianapolis Colts coach said Tuesday. "He is trying to put his stamp on things and let our whole industry know that we're going to be held to a higher standard.''

John Murphy at Yahoo! Sports gives his top five "falling" draft prospects, Marshawn Lynch included. Michigan's Alan Branch tops the list.

Packers LB Nick Barnett gives props to the team for taking care of it's own (him) instead of shopping for free agents.

"I think that's normal," Ted Thompson said of investing mostly in his own. "A lot of teams try to do that. From a timing standpoint, this was just a good time. It was good for the player and good for the club."

The Washington Post has a section on the Ravens but has had the same story for the headlines since March 10th when Willis McGahee made his first public appearance.

Deuce McAllister wants more in 2007. I would say that 1000 yards is decent when having to share the load with a #2 pick. Deuce isn't complaining about that though, he wants more out of himself.

"There were some things I knew I could do well, and sometimes some things that didn't feel as good," McAllister said Tuesday during a break from the team's offseason conditioning program. "The doctors and trainers did a great job. But probably the thing that I wanted, probably more personal than anything, I just want some of those 60- and 70-yard runs again. That's the ultimate goal."

Houston is the new Gothem City with Ahman Green in town.

"They see me out here running, so they know I am Batman, but I am human," said Green, who earned his nickname because of his lifelong infatuation with the comic book hero. "I can get broken down, and the first day of running definitely did that. But that's what we work hard for, and that's what our goal is: to work hard and be contenders in the AFC South."

Pacman and Henry got theirs...what about Tank Johnson? He may have to wait until he is out of jail to get his.

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, sports, football, bears, texans, saints, ravens, packers, colts, raiders, vikings, schedule, goodell, rick maese, ray lewis, mike williams, josh mccown, calvin johnson, jamarcus russell, john murphy, deuce mcallister, ahman green, tank johnson, nick barnett

NFL Jabber 4/8/07

Go figure. Barry Sanders says that you need to build a team with the O-Line. Maybe if that advice was taken years ago he would have kept playing.

"I don't know that much about who we have right now," Sanders said in a telephone interview the other day. "I've always liked just football players -- guys who are football; players with overwhelming physical talent, in most cases.

"Obviously, there are some exceptions. The game, it's not an easy game, but I think some of the concepts are pretty obvious, especially on the professional level. You have to have some kind of protection. The guys on defense up front are just too fast and too strong and too good not to have a good, solid offensive line.

"I think, every year, when you look in the playoffs and Super Bowl, that fact is made even more obvious. You always have to shore up your line of scrimmage."

Lincoln Kennedy is using the Arena Football League to gear up for a potential NFL comeback. I have wondered what his motive was for going to the AFL rather than shooting straight to the NFL.

"When I put my mind toward something, I like to see it through," Kennedy said in a phone interview Thursday. "When I came into the league, my goal was to play 12 years. I burned out after my 11th year. Staying near the game in the media helped me stay surrounded by the sport, and when my body started feeling better, I decided I wanted to go back and get that 12th year."

Jon Akerman of NBCsports.com feels that the #11 pick is the best to land a star player. He pegs the worst spot as #6.

So apparently the Raiders are in talks with the Lions about a trade for Josh McCown.

tag: nfl, free agency, trade, football, sports, lions, raiders, barry sanders, lincoln kennedy, josh mccown, arena, afl

NFL Jabber 4/5/07

There is more and more talk of the Raiders taking Calvin Johnson with the #1 pick. Peter King at SI.com throws out the scenario that this blogger suggested sometime ago. Take Johnson #1 and Drew Stanton at the top of round two.

Michael Turner's visit with the Bills was postponed. Said to be an airline problem. Could it be things are heating up with the Titans? Was there a Wizzinator involved? A trap door in a water bottle? Likely lost luggage...

Ten run-ins with the law later Pacman sucks up to the Titans.

"Whatever the punishment is, I am going to be a man and I am going to take responsibilities and own up,'' Jones said. "Hopefully it won't be that long or nothing that could jeopardize my career."

"I have put myself in some bad situations as far as picking my places where to go and picking who to take with me, so I take total responsibility for that,'' Jones said. "But you live and you learn and if it keeps on happening, then you can point the finger and be like, 'Well, he still ain't learning.' … Trust me, I have hit the wall.''

The other NFL bad boy, Chris Henry isn't expected to get as big of a smack.

In the year 2007 it is still headline news when a woman gets a big gig. The Packers appointed Viki Vannieuwenhoven (say that one time fast) is the new VP.

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, trade, football, sports, raiders, bills, titans, chargers, bengals, packers, calvin johnson, drew stanton, michael turner, pacman jones, chris henry, viki vannieuwenhoven

NFL Jabber 3/28/07

Mike Tomlin gives an example of his aggressiveness to the class by humiliating an airline employee that had it coming. After dealing with the airline over the phone regarding his lost bag and getting nowhere, Tomlin headed to the airport to do a little schooling.

"I get over there, and they tell me the bag is not there," Tomlin was saying at breakfast yesterday morning. "I said, 'I've been talking to your call center all weekend, and they said the bag is here.'

"They said, 'I don't care what they told you on the 1-800 number, your bag isn't here.' "

He was offered a $25 voucher on his next flight for his troubles.

"Well, somewhere during the conversation, I see my bag behind her in a pile," Tomlin said. "I said, 'That's my bag!' She said, 'Sir, your bag's not here, the computer says'... I said 'I understand what the computer says, but I'm looking at my bag! It's a black bag, Pittsburgh Steelers. It's my bag.'

"So, I walk around the counter and at that point, she started to get mad. I pulled the tag off and showed her it was my bag. I had to dig it out myself."

Frank Gore got new five-year deal in San Fran.

Manny Arora, the attorney for Pacman Jones is asking to see some evidence that proves his client should be charged with the felony that police are asking for in Vegas.

"My experience tells me if they would have been independent witnesses with a good recollection and no sort of bone to pick that they (police) would have acted on this weeks ago," Arora said.

Howard Bryant and Mark Maske of The Washington Post report that the Skins are being quiet on the Mr. Briggs goes to Washington talk. If John Clayton at ESPN is correct it could be sour grapes.If the trade did go through it would make for quite a change win the LB's in D.C. Briggs and London Fletcher would make for a scary pair. It's being brushed off as rumors by the skins.

"Right now, it's just a bunch of stuff that got thrown around" Monday, said Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs, interviewed yesterday at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. "Just a bunch of rumors."

The Cardinals and Bengals were the only two teams to vote to get rid of Instant Replay. Regardless it was revealed on the last episode that the Zebra have the hidden immunity idol.

Chris Henry is doing his part to make sure that the Bengals are not upstage on The Police Beat.

Coach Kiffen comments on the luxury of the #1 pick and compares the top two QB's.

"With JaMarcus, you have somebody -- it's like a video game," Kiffin said. "That's what I tell our guys. There isn't a throw he can't make, probably. The throws he can make, I don't know if anybody else can. He can go way over there and throw the ball 70 yards back over there. That's really exciting and everything. How many times does that happen in a year? About two in 16 games. While that aspect is fun, you've got to dig deeper. That doesn't happen much. That's a scout's dream, to have a guy like that."

On Quinn...

"He's fun to watch in that situation, when they're down and he's bringing them back," Kiffin said. "He's a big-time competitor. He's fun. I've had some discussions with him.He's extremely intelligent. I'm really excited about Brady, and I like him a lot."

The Lions are jumping in the the Trent Green trade talks. That would shake things up once again in the draft given they are projected in many places to take Brady Quinn.

Mike Shanahan is chipper these days, at least he showed that when talking to the press yesterday. He covered many topics while at the meetings in Phoenix. While some questioned the Broncos signing Travis Henry when Willis McGahee and Thomas Jones were out there, Coach was high on him all along.

"Two of the guys you first mentioned there were draft choices involved. So you want to give draft choices away for a guy you can get free, that you might like more? I really thought Travis Henry was the MVP of (the Titans), that's what I thought. . . . You were able to sign a guy and not lose a draft choice. It's like getting a first rounder."

Could it be Houston fans? Could the Texans finally be looking to land a tackle in the first round? Rumor has it...

"There's a good chance; it depends on who's out there," Kubiak said about the possibility of selecting an offensive tackle first. "We have to continue to improve up there."

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tag: nfl, draft, free agency, trade, sports, football, texans, titans, broncos, steelers, raiders, bengals, cardinals, redskins, bears, chiefs, lions, 49'ers, frank gore, pacman jones, lance briggs, joe gibbs, jamarcu russell, brady quinn, mike tomlin, trent green,